On the Nose

Price: £9.99

This is a short, extensively and humorously illustrated account of buying a Moody Warrior 35 in Scotland and sailing it down across Biscay to Gibraltar where the author and his wife overwinter. Then they sail east and the sail ends in Malta. The book uses a variety of styles and the author attempts to interest the non-sailor. I imagine this book has been self-published, so the idea of a wider readership appeared attractive (Reasons for running back to port, no.87: “Darling, those boxes of your book are taking quite a battering in the forepeak”). I find that this breaks up the text and it is hard to imagine a reader who is not interested in selling up and sailing wanting to buy the book.

The book varies between an annotated log, local knowledge and practices and a tourist guide, but mainly aims to be a humorous. Unfortunately, the author confuses being jokey with humour – the dedication is “To Liz. Yours is the wind beneath the sheets” and what is funny three pints down in the yacht club bar is not that amusing in the cold light of day. On the bright side, his illustrations are in a variety of styles and especially those of bits of yachtie machinery, nicely focussed.  Add a bit of Rick and the late lamented Des Sleightholme; and  Mike Peyton, like the Queen, surely can’t live for ever.

Mike Bender