Three Ways to Capsize a Boat : An Optimist Afloat

If you're wondering what Chris Stewart did before he and Ana moved to El Valero, their Spanish farm, here's one of the answers.

He took to the sea, landing a job as skipper for the summer, sailing a Cornish Crabber around the Greek islands.

It was his dream job - and there was just one tiny problem.

He hadn't ever sailed before and had not the foggiest how to start. In a series of madcap and hilarious adventures we follow Chris from a shaky start in Chichester harbour to his epic Odyssey to Spetses (a bucket would have been handy), and then on to the journey of a lifetime - battening down the hatches on a trip across the North Atlantic.

It's a journey crackling with Chris's zest for life, irresistible humour, and unerring lack of foresight.

Dry land never looked more welcoming.