Channel Crossing
Author | : Sebastian Smith |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 266 |
Release | : 2001 |
ISBN-10 | : STANFORD:36105025260527 |
ISBN-13 | : |
Rating | : 4/5 (27 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: To the early Romans it marked the end of the world. To the French it is simply La Manche, or the 'sleeve'. But to the British it is the English Channel, a powerful symbol and literal barrier, defining an island nation. Stirred by a news report of the replacement of Britain's last lighthouse keepers by computers, Sebastian Smith quit his press agency desk job in spring 1999 to explore the vanishing way of life of those who live on and by the Channel. Gripped by the stories he hears and the people he encounters, he is seduced by the lure of the sea and determines to make his own journey across the Channel, teaching himself to pilot and sail a tiny sea-going dinghy...