Book the Captain has snoozed upon:
Come Hell or High Water, by Clare Francis
Good news! The Can Opener has just finished another great book – this time by Clare Francis. Here is his book review which he has just handed in to me (on time surprisingly, though with dog-earred corners) for approval. Aaaaand… approved!
Who is Clare Francis?
She studied at the Royal Ballet School, graduated in Economics from University College London, worked in marketing, excelled at offshore yacht racing, was the first woman skipper in the Whitbread, became a BBC presenter and then… oh yeah, morphed to an international bestselling thriller writer. Not bad. We are an instant and HUGE fan.
Come Hell or High Water was her first book and the one we focus on in this post.
The First Mate was powering through Francis’ book on the tube when he was approached by devoted fans asking, ‘Is that a book by Clare Francis??’
Despite the book being written more than thirty years ago, she still clearly remains high and visible in the British public’s consciousness.
Topics Covered
Clare describes racing her boat Gulliver G in the 1973 Observer Royal Western Single-handed Transatlantic Yacht Race when she was 28 years old. She covers preparation, refit, funding and the race itself. The Best Part
She’s a great writer. Smooth. It’s not just a record of events. Although the events are riveting in their own right.
Francis sets up scenes and keeps the tension high throughout her tale – even though you might have known the ultimate race results (her result was pretty damn good actually) before you begin reading. The Can Opener read it straight through. Brilliant.
Wishes
Okay. All right… I wish that this book were longer. Or that it had a sequel. Hey, wait! It does have a sequel! It’s called Come Wind or Weather. We’re assigning it to the Can Opener next.
Conclusion
We were mesmerised. We’ll read any book Clare Francis has written.
She only wrote three books about her sailing. Then post- ballerina-ing, marketing, dominating the yachting scene and bbc presenting, she began writing psycho-thrillers that debuted on the NY Times Bestseller list right out of the gate. Is there anything she can’t do??
I also just bought Wolf Winter… set in Norway… for the First Mate to read me at bedtimes. Book in one hand, palm fronds waving over me in the other… I’m looking forward to some delightful nights.
Ever read Come Hell or High Water, by Clare Francis? How did you find it? Any good recommendations for other books for the sea library?
–Captain Cat
(transcribed by the Can Opener)
In the US
http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?rt=tf_mfw&ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822/US/httpthecruisi-20/8001/3ab740a7-b50e-4d6d-963a-909b38b37dac Amazon.com Widgets
In the UK
http://ws.amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?rt=tf_mfw&ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=GB&ID=V20070822/GB/thecrukit01-21/8001/ab88fae7-af86-4b16-88ec-af1998b2297a Amazon.co.uk Widgets
Book Reviews
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