Skippering Kippa

Price: £12.95

In times when adventurous endeavour attracts multi-sponsorship and noisy razzmatazz, it is refreshing to read about a quiet departure from a Devon river on a clockwise circumnavigation of the British Isles. The author declares novice status on his virgin voyage and at the end despairs of laziness, poor memory and lacking strength, and stamina; his achievement belies each one of these failings. The easily-read book offers an enthralling tale of page-turning anticipation as each short chapter charts Kippa's progress. Naturally, interest is heightened when waters familiar to the reader are described, and perhaps the West Coast of Scotland comes over as the author's favourite.

He endures a predictable crop of problems, of course, but perhaps the most unusual is that of an engine replacement when half-way around. A slap-dash installation of this then gives rise to a serious leak which takes some while to cure. There is a hilarious account of getting lost when picking his way back to the boat in the dark from a Suffolk pub. The author takes on board a variety of family and friends for various legs, all of whom he praises handsomely for their stoicism in the face of his ineptitude. Occasionally he leaves the boat – once even hauling out – to take a break, during which he sometimes questions the wisdom of returning to continue. The book is modestly produced in soft back with clear print including two sections of evocative colour illustrations and makes for a modestly told but gripping yarn. - Edward Cartner