Across the Atlantic and Nearly Back

There are many aspects to sailing a small yacht in a big ocean from unfathomable joy to abject fear; from a sense of freedom to frustration and from a deep sense of peace to foreboding terror. You are masters of your own destiny but there are skills needed. Gone are the solid floorboards, exchanged for an ever-moving deck. Simple things become a challenge. Joy can be the simple pleasure of a night watch, with the rhythmical sound of the moving yacht, the phosphorescence of the wake and the myriad of stars or it can be the fear of what can happen in a storm. Cruising is a different way of life. Most of the time it is rewarding but things can go wrong. Piracy is real. Getting to know the ways of new countries and people is a rewarding experience.

Barbara Arnold inherited her love of travel and adventure from her parents. From an early age, she explored Europe and, later, further afield. She qualified as a teacher, married and brought up two boys. After her divorce, she then took up dinghy sailing and yachting with her second husband; they retired early and sailed across the Atlantic and cruised the Caribbean, North and South America and into the Pacific.