Race Against Time

Publisher: Penguin, £8.99
Publication Date: 2006

There cannot be many people who are unaware of the great achievements of Ellen MacArthur. If you missed the hardback edition of this in 2005, the paperback version is produced with a surprisingly good feel to it. The semi matt pages show off the photographs that dominate the diary format of the text, both in impact and in quantity. When Francis Joyon had slashed the previous record for the circumnavigation by more than 20% in 2003 many, including a healthy range of experts, believed it unassailable. Yet Ellen followed in barely two years to make the record her own. Among the many accolades is the Times: “Wonderful, fabulous, inspiring”. Although near 300 pages long, the ratio of photographs makes this a fairly rapid read. - PDD