Most of my deepwater sailing I’ve done in conventional yachts or classics. Board sailing and windsurfers, although I tried my hand years back and enjoyed it, are a world of mystery, so when Jono Dunnett’s book landed on the doormat I was intrigued. Within the pages of In the Balance, Jono tells of his voyage around Europe without backup, from the arctic border of Russia and Norway to the Black Sea, leaving the continent to port all the way.
But this is more than a tale of physical endurance, skill and mental toughness on a par with the great explorers of the early 20th century, the prose is so good that reading it is not far off an epic poem. His self-sufficiency on a vessel that promises so little but which, in his visionary hands, delivers so much, is an inspiration
This is a thoroughly modern man who embraces what technology is available to so basic a craft, yet who remains in uniquely tactile contact with the nature that surrounds him.
“Welcome aboard for a tour of my ship. Up front we have a spray deck, sewn from orange PVC, with a transparent top pocket for a solar charger. Beneath this is a waterproof backpack stuffed with lighter, bulkier items including sleeping
