BooKs BOOKS From the history of lifeboats and lighthouses to pastimes for Winter evenings, Carol Waterkeyn reviews what’s new on the shelves this season Sea stories – new writing from the National Maritime Museum Various writers This intriguing collection encompasses tales of the remote and wild coastal landscapes of Orkney and the west of Ireland, Mediterranean mysteries, an ill-fated expedition to ? nd the North West Passage, and more.

All the stories have been commissioned from an impressive line-up of contemporary UK and Irish authors and will keep you guessing so, if you’re a fan of short stories, this book comes highly recommended.

Published by the National Maritime Museum ISBN 9780948065804 Price £7.99 paperback Reader offer: RNLI supporters can get a special discount of 20% on the recommended retail price (plus postage) by ordering directly from the National Maritime Museum shop at www.nmm.ac.uk/shop or by calling 020 8312 6700 quoting reference SS01. This offer ends 31 March 2008. Nautical chart puzzles – Isles of Scilly, Poole Harbour, Falmouth Harbour and more Now here’s something to do on these long Winter evenings. Whether you like a challenging jigsaw or are fascinated by Admiralty charts, as used by mariners, these will remind you of the sea when you can’t be there in person. You will also get to know the various features quite well as you pit your wits against those tricky little cardboard shapes! These puzzles are not as dif? cult as they look – although you do need quite good eyesight to read some of the smaller details. Not books, but just as enthralling.

Only available from The Sea Chest Nautical Bookshop, Plymouth, on 01752 222012 or at www.seachest.co.uk.

Price £13.99 plus £3 postage The lifeboats story by Edward Wake-Walker Former RNLI Public Relations Director Edward Wake-Walker has used his extensive insider’s knowledge to write The lifeboats story. He chronicles the earliest lifeboats designed by Lionel Lukin and his contemporaries, through to today’s computerised Tamar class.

Lifeboats have come and gone: some have been tragically lost at sea with their crews, while others have come to a respectable retirement and been lovingly restored. From the rowing and sailing lifeboats through to steam and motorised craft, the author takes us along a touching and fascinating journey of lifeboats and their indomitable crews. Published by Sutton Publishing ISBN 9780750948586 Price £8.99 hardback Available from the RNLI gift catalogue or at www.rnlishop.org.uk, plus postage. Lighthouses of England and Wales – a complete guide by Tony Denton and Nicholas Leach This illuminating (!) reference delves into the history and tradition of lighthouses, one of the earliest being that at Dover Castle and built in Roman times. The authors, both members of the Lifeboat Enthusiasts’ Society, have worked their way along the coastlines of England and Wales gathering information and taking beautiful photographs of all of the known lighthouses including the famous Eddystone, Spurn Point and Needles lights.

The centuries-old tradition of resident lighthouse keepers sadly ended in 1998 yet lighthouses remain architectural icons in their own right, conjuring up some of the most evocative of maritime images. They represent the drama of heavy seas breaking over lone beacons perched perilously on menacing coastlines, safeguarding mariners from danger. Published by Landmark Publishing ISBN 9781843063193 Price £19.99 paperback (See the RNLI gift catalogue or www.rnlishop.org.uk for some handpainted 1:150 scale lighthouse models.) Left for dead The untold story of the tragic 1979 Fastnet Race by Nick Ward and Sinéad O’Brien Reviewed by Bethany Hope Left for dead is an uncomfortable read. It’s one man’s account of being caught in the 1979 Fastnet Race disaster. Nearly three decades later, after post-traumatic stress, the offi cial report, much press coverage and speculation, Nick Ward reveals how he was abandoned by his crew in a nightmare storm and how he lived to tell the tale.

Nick and co-writer Sinéad O’Brien tell you at the start who survives on the racing yacht Grimalkin and who perishes.

(It’s a gruesome hell, with only the body of Gerry Winks for company.) Although you know how the story ends, it’s still a gripping read. Nick’s enthusiasm for sailing and excitement at being part of the race is stirring stuff: ‘Hearing the boat’s beautifully straight bow, sharp as a knife, slice easily, effortlessly into the gentle chop was magic. I knew that sailing was something I could never get enough of, ever.’ His passion for sailing is only equalled by his desire to stay alive through his subsequent trial. It shows Nature at her best and worst, from ochre skies through to blood, bilge and broken bones. It’s a real page-turner. Here’s an extract from the book, the build up to the fi rst of many terrifying knockdowns: ‘ “Behind you … to port … look … LOOK!” Suddenly Matt and Dave were shouting and gesticulating manically with, if it were possible, an even greater sense of fear and urgency in their voices.

‘Mike and I looked behind us, slightly to port. An unusually large, unsynchronised wave was poised above us, its curling lip about 10 feet above our heads. At this time we were sur? ng along at a terrifying angle down the face of a breaker – as we bottomed out in the trough, we had no choice but to go with it. “HANG ON!” Gripping the tiller tightly, readying myself for the roar coming over my left shoulder, I heard Mike bellow to no one in particular: “Jesus Christ!” ‘The wave roared under us and lifted Grimalkin’s stern up. It wrenched the tiller from our hands and rendered the rudder useless. Grimalkin was out of control – the wave’s mass completely overtook us. I felt the straps of my harness tighten, and a huge gaping pit seemed to open in my stomach. As we began to tip over to a 45-degree angle, my harness tether jarred under pressure at its fullest extent. My attempts to cling to something, anything, failed. I was sucked from my seat and thrown through the air. Thoughts – quick and immediate, like electric shock – shot through my brain. Was this it?’ Throughout the book there is an underlying air of tension, and not just from the threat of the storm. Much of the intensity comes from the anger that Nick feels towards his fellow crew members who took the liferaft, leaving him and Gerry for dead. Although by the end of the book he does write that the three men were ‘blameless’, the bitterness he felt for years at being abandoned permeates every chapter.

This survival account is awesome yet, like Nick, we feel dissatisfi ed, left wanting answers from the crew who left him.

Published by A&C Black ISBN 9780713682816 Price: £16.99 hardback Unless other ordering details are stated, all books reviewed are available from good bookshops and online from Amazon via the RNLI website at rnli.org.uk/amazon.

Amazon will donate a minimum of 5% of the value of all such orders to the RNLI (but you must access Amazon via the RNLI website and not go direct). Additional postage and packing charges may apply.

Offshore members will fi nd reviews of: Dee Caffari’s Against the ? ow, The wrong kind of snow by Antony Woodward and Robert Penn, and Through the French canals by David Jefferson in their accompanying supplement.

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