Old Man Sailing: Some dreams take a lifetime

Love this book! I bought it for something to read in a drear week in February this year, and found myself laughing, crying and perched on the edge of my seat (sometimes all at once...). The author, once a journalist, has a way with a torrent of words that holds your interest to the end. As a sailor, though not a very tech-y one, I enjoyed the 'at sea' accounts and descriptions, but think that non-sailors would also find the wealth of anecdotes and dry humour in this book absorbing. John Passmore's views on life in the 21st century are often controversial but always interesting - long live the lone voices of reason! Recommended.

I found myself at the beginning of Covid on a small Island in the middle of the Pacific, where I was living, worrying for friends and family about to go into lockdown in the UK. Having read this book, a lot of people's mental health would have been improved if they have followed John's approach. The way he tells the story is eloquent, but to the point. Some great insight to the pleasures and frustration of sailing offshore and a thoroughly entertaining read. Not a technical sailing book by any measure, but some great insights about what can, and usually will, happen on long passages. An inspiration for all those sailors who think about life aboard, John has managed to live that life that most will only dare to dream.

A very enjoyable read that is well written and gives just the right amount of detail to maintain interest and also gain a feel of what it was like . I would have given five stars but it lacked a bit of excitement but remains an accurate account of his experiences.

This is a truly excellent read, all the better for not having been ruined by editors trying to make it more appealing to a wider audience.

As a far less experienced sailor than John and spending far more time ashore than he does, I'm always on the look out for a good read to keep me connected with the sea and adventure. John provides that in spades. As soon as I'd finished Book One I downloaded Book Two and continued my binge. An entertaining, frank, modest and humerous account of one sailor's lockdown in the North Atlantic Ocean and the lifetime voyage that got him there. John demonstrates that self isolation doesn't have to be boring. His accounts of escaping Lowestoft before the bridge locks down; of his tactics to avoid the French and English Covid blockade of the English Channel; and of his dealings with the bemused Azorean authorities who just couldn't understand why an Englishman had sailed all the way to their locked down islands just to use their internet connection; are a joy to read. In Book 2 he modestly demonstrates his resourfulness in coping with the consequences of his hurried departure from the UK. Highly recommended for sailors and landlubbers alike.

I long ago decided that messing around in boats, sailing, and water sports generally, was not my thing! So why then did I buy and read, Old Man Sailing? Well, a friend recommended it to me as being a “damned good read!” And it is! I so much respect John Passmore’s courage for deciding to have a go, and then getting on, and doing it. He so clearly explains the preparations, the work involved in sailing single handed, and the risks! Especially the risks! Would I want to be up to my waist in water, hoping, praying that the rescue helicopter found me in time? No thank you, but Passmore had exactly that experience, and survived. Even if you have never been within a mile of a sailing boat, this book is well worth reading.

A good read even if you are not a sailor, John's description of life on a small yacht adventuring through gales and sunshine, calm seas and angry waves is an easy and compelling read. It even has one wishing they could sail off into the sunset for a while.

The book expands on his blog. An ex Fleet St star reporter he knows how to write a page turner. It is not a “pilot book” nor is it introspective. It promotes self reliance, quite a lot of understatement...especially when the weather deteriorates and he keeps going. He shows that age is not an impediment where there is a will. It sets out the realities. However, as clearly set out in the dedication he has one secure anchor which must allay gnawing personal anxieties apart from the physical anchor which held his boat as he wrote the book. Neither can be taken for granted and like all equipment as he describes need care and maintenance... It does encourage me to read his other published book. So do buy it...a positive story which if taken with the website shows that hard work and dedication not gizmos are essential..do also read the story about back pain and the supplement which are re also very encouraging.