'A good read' -- Dover Express & Folkestone Herald 20050630 'In this gripping book Hordern vividly charts the realities of a life at sea and challenges our perception of Australasia.' -- Accent 20050601 'An absorbing read ... packed with drama' -- Worcester News 20050711 'A thrilling history' -- TNT magazine 20050717 'Hordern ... serves up the sea in the best way possible ... through the lives of others before him who found in it a reckless and sometimes tragic freedom.' -- Sunday Times 20050807 'A mariner's tale' -- Wanderlust 20050801 'A perceptive, intelligent observer with an original mind, he has a far better than average sensitivity to indigenous cultures' -- Times Literary Supplement 20050812 'Lyrically written, this is a wonderful description of his epic journey and a fascinating account of the sailors that went before.' -- Good Book Guide 20050701 'Hordern is that rare species -- a poet and man of action. His achingly beautiful descriptions of sailing and the sea, richness of language and intense involvement with nature are reminiscent of Saint-Exupery' -- Geographical Magazine 20050901 'This is a wonderfully engaging and informative book by an author whose writing and nautical skills are equally impressive' -- Adventure Travel Magazine 20050901 'Well caulked, it is a rewarding and very seaworthy read' -- The Times: Ross Leckie 20060624

Miles Hordern was born in 1965 and grew up in land-locked Worcestershire. He first went to sea at the age of nineteen in a 16-foot open boat bound from Cornwall to Africa; in 1990 he sailed single-handed from Britain to New Zealand. He has now crossed the Pacific four times under sail.