Matt McAvoy Book Review

This short, enjoyable memoir is a real gem.  Written with clear quality by an author with undoubted credentials to do so, we get to join Doug and his experienced sailor friends, crossing the Atlantic from the Canaries to Antigua, on their custom-built catamaran in the 1980s.  They are blessed for the first part of the journey to be joined by renowned boat designer John Shuttleworth, an expert in the field, who also writes a very welcome foreword to this book.  At times utterly tense, sometimes tranquil as paradise, and on other occasions tediously drifting in the doldrums, this intrepid group braved some of the ocean’s worst elements, to complete their mission in sixteen days.  The vast majority of us will never undertake such a task, and it is a real eye-opener to see the preparation, cost and execution of such a voyage. 

Whilst their quest is not one I would personally wish to undertake in a million years, the lifestyle of this group is an enviable one.  On both sides of their journey there is food, drink and climate which make it all worthwhile.  And, of course, a real sense of camaraderie, relief and glory at the end of it.  They are professionals, sure, but theirs is not an achievement exclusively available to the mega-rich, nor of athletes at the very top of their game; it is a journal of proof, of what people can achieve if they are determined, dedicated and brave enough to do it – I find it extremely easy to admire and respect such people.  This group makes it look so easy and safe (which I am sure it is not) that the only fear you start to feel for them is that they might get sunburnt on one of their lazier moments, fishing in the tropic of cancer on a mirror-like sea; they tackle the twenty-foot waves of the terrifying storm with the same enthusiasm and glee as a football game, and that is encouraging.

This book is well written and Doug is a quality author.  Whether or not you have an interest in sailing, or memoirs, or non-fiction generally, there will be something to take away from Catamaran Crossing; I read the whole book in one sitting, and an enjoyable one it was, too.  Informative and educational, it is only fitting that this is as good a quality of penmanship that you will see on the subject; and, the endorsement of John Shuttleworth is as good a reference as any.

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