An offer comes out of the blue from an old family friend to borrow his magnificent 70 ft timber ketch. El Oro is a beautiful yacht, elegant and stately; built in the 1970's with ocean racing in mind. She's also heavy, complex and there's a lot to go wrong.

This book is the story of an unexpected opportunity realised. It's also a tale of resilience, tenacity and fears confronted as the author and his wife almost bite off more than they can chew. Often short-handed they overcome multiple dramas and near disasters as they make their way down the east coast of America, to the Caribbean and then across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. Helped by a litany of friends, family and random people met along the way, they make a journey that turns out to be as rewarding as it is challenging.