Dolphins Under My Bed
Sandra Clayton
Paperback, 6x9 in, 292 pages, Illustrated
Wheatmark, January 2008
ISBN: 9781587368165
Description
In declining health, overworked, and living in the cold, damp
north, one winter evening David has one of those Eureka! moments
that most people experience at some time in their lives. His is:
Why don’t we sell up and sail away to a better
climate?
‘Living on a boat is cheap compared to a house,’ he
tells wife Sandra, ‘and the difference to our health would be
enormous.’
One problem for Sandra is that it isn’t that cheap, and
with the retirement pension still light-years away, she has visions
of ending her days a bag lady. Another problem is that she
hates sailing.
But things have a habit of working out, and Dolphins Under My
Bed charts their 2,000-mile voyage on a forty-foot sailing
catamaran from England to the Channel Islands, down the Atlantic
coasts of France, Spain, and Portugal to Gibraltar, and into the
warm waters of the Mediterranean.
Conditions are sometimes maddening, occasionally dangerous, and
often magical. Marine creatures enchant their days, while ships
that pass in the night add a touch of romance—just so long as
they do actually pass. It’s the ones that make a sharp left
turn across their bows that are the big worry.
But it is the people of the host countries—many of whom
share little or no language with this linguistically challenged
couple—whose kindness and courtesy light up these pages.
Dolphins Under My Bed is an entertaining, humorous, and
thoughtful book by someone who finds herself in places and
situations where she never expected to be. No previous experience
of sailing is required to enjoy it.
www.sandraclayton.Web.officelive.com