Voyages of a Simple Sailor 

by Roger D. Taylor 
published by the Fitzroy Press 
RRP £8.95 (219pp; 216mm x 138mm) 
  Here is a book that came to us by a circuitous route – via fellow Afloat contributor, Graeme Andrews. The English author, Roger D. Taylor, was looking for a way to assist him in getting the book distributed in Australia. In setting out to read the book, it was not immediately apparent just what a strong connection the author has to Australia (and New Zealand). So there should not be great difficulty in gaining a readership for Voyages of a Simple Sailor, a collection of three short stories. 
  In fact there are two strong connections between the author and sailing in Australian waters. First, and the subject of his first short story, Shipwreck, is the famous loss of the Endeavour II in Parengarenga Harbour on the North Island of New Zealand. The ship had played a central role in the 1970 bicentennial celebrations of James Cook’s landing in Botany Bay. 
  The 94-foot, 3-masted barque, renamed for the celebrations, set sail from Brisbane, after her role in Sydney was completed, for the somewhat late New Zealand celebrations of Cook’s voyage, only to be washed into Parengarenga Harbour and wrecked in a wild tropical storm. Our author, Roger Taylor was a crewmember aboard Endeavour II for her final voyage. 
  Shipwreck tells the story of his joining the ship for the Tasman crossing. His initiation to the crew, the voyage around North Cape, the confusion and competition between master and first mate, and the fierce tropical storm encountered, are revealed. In the end, as history tells us, the gallant Endeavour II went to a sandy grave, smashed to bits on a lee shore. 
  The second story, Capsize, tells of his ultimate and lucky return to Australia at the end of a 1974 Trans Tasman single-handed race. This tale of near disaster as its name implies, tells more of the author’s motivation for sailing. A record of the endless, physically-demanding days following the capsize, it reveals a great strength of purpose. 
  As Roger Taylor notes, it was in an article in Afloat (May’05) ‘Do you remember – When the ‘cyclone’ hit Sydney?’ that recalled the 1974 ‘Sydney Cyclone’ that he read that his plucky little yacht, Roc, and himself had been lost at sea. [All the evidence now points to Taylor and Roc surviving this event and Afloat is now happy to report that news of his death was an exaggeration. – Ed] 
  Finally, Taylor takes us single-handed sailing in his own Atlantic waters with the third story, Calm. In the story of his competing in 2006 in the very first (and gloriously named) Jester TransAtlantic Challenge, a race for junkrigged vessels, Taylor completes his sailing opus covering nearly four years and a host of close scrapes. All in all, an entertaining trilogy, supported by some nice black and white snaps, which should have perhaps acknowledged the author’s luck in its title. 
  Voyages of a Simple Sailor is not yet available in Australia, but can be ordered from the author’s website at www.thesimplesailor.com 

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