Sailing Adventures Aboard the Mighty Zircon: book review

Sailing Adventures Aboard the Mighty Zircon explores Lizzy Bolan's journey from novice sailor to liveaboard cruiser. A good read for those just starting to sail

Book jacket for Sailing Adventures Aboard the Mighty Zircon
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Sailing Adventures Aboard the Mighty Zircon
Lizzy Bolan
Amazon £9.99

When Lizzy Bolan met her future husband Rob she met his boat as well.

Rob owned a Gibsea 92, appropriately named Cloud Nine which he kept near Portsmouth.

A summer sailing in the Solent inspired Lizzie to spend the winter studying for her RYA Day Skipper.

The couple moved in together, Cloud Nine moved to Fareham to be near them. They joined the Fareham Sailing and Motor Boat Club.

The following spring, they found the confidence to make their first channel crossing.

Sailing Adventures aboard the Mighty Zircon details the step-by-step process by which they build their sailing confidence, encouraging each other to explore a little further on every summer holiday and making the most of the friendship of other club members.

Lizzy is clearly a good organiser as well as innately positive personality and volunteers to become club cruiser captain.

Most of this book describes their excursions to the Channel Islands and Brittany, venturing as far as the Gulf of Morbihan.

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Quite early in their relationship, Lizzy and Rob became inspired by the dream of sailing to the Mediterranean and living aboard their boat.

They replaced Cloud Nine with a centre cockpit Beneteau Oceanis 36CC which they renamed Zircon.

They made steady progress towards the moment when they had drawn up their budget, rented out their homes, sold or stored their possessions and resigned their jobs.

The book ends as they say their goodbyes and move on board.

In some ways it’s an everyday story as there will be other couples who take up sailing in middle age and develop similar pre-retirement dreams.

Many, however, will never finally turn the dream into reality.

One of the strengths of this book is its steadiness of purpose and positivity – favourite adverbs are ‘enthusiastically’, ‘excitedly’, ‘eagerly’, ‘happily’.

Lizzy Bolan may not be a natural writer but she’s clearly determined and well-organised.

If she says she intends to carry on enjoying and writing about their sailing adventures, I have no doubt that she will.

Buy Sailing Adventures Aboard the Mighty Zircon at Amazon UK

Buy Sailing Adventures Aboard the Mighty Zircon at Amazon US

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