I grew up sailing the North Sea off the east coast of Great Britain. My favourite book "A Dictionary of Sailing". I mystified my parents by quietly studying the complex rig of sailing ships from previous centuries. They were probably glad it reduced the amount of other mischief I got up to.

I’ve sailed small boats in French Polynesia, the Mediterranean, the Sea of Cortez, and up and down the west coast of Mexico and the USA, the graveyard of the Pacific. My best adventures have been following the path of various explorers up the Inside Passage to Alaska, in small sailing boats.

I have yet to be shipwrecked.