Working with Water

Price: £19.95

There are many, and increasingly more, ways to make a successful living from the watersport industry.  In the early days of offshore ocean racing it was not unknown for wealthy amateur owners to ‘employ’ skilled crew to assist their chances of a good result.  Later, professional yachtsmen such as Ted Heath’s ‘adviser’ Owen Parker and Simon le Bon’s skipper, Skip Novak, began to make successful careers from yacht racing. Nowadays, particularly with the onset of sponsorship, professionals are to be found in most major events.  Other activities surrounding the boating scene have begun to proliferate, for example boat deliveries, brokerage, marina and club management.

Thus it was high time that someone wrote a book about the various ways of earning a living in this expanding world. The publisher’s description of Jeremy Evans RYA book ‘Working with Water’ claims that it provides “everything the reader needs to know about working in any area of the vast and varied watersports industry”.  This encyclopaedic claim is, in truth, not really borne out: the style is little more than the subjective reports of conversations with some of those working in the field which could, perhaps, have provided the basis for more research and objective advice. There are substantial omissions such as yacht brokerage and yacht club management and although an interesting and enjoyable read this book is but a useful primer to open the reader’s mind to available opportunities.

Ian Galletti