Ever doubted you might achieve something - even something as simple as being happy? Ever felt utterly isolated or alone, with no-one to help you? Ever struggled to breathe when life seems to overwhelm you? Often, knowing our fears are being heard and felt by others can help us to find the courage within ourselves to try one more time, to take another step, to exhale and inhale again and so to regain our confidence.

These poems have been born in such times of challenge - and in times of joy and delight - while attempting to sail single-handed around the world. Alone on the ocean, or upside down in the engine room, on days when disaster was moments away or the unthinkable happened - these poems capture the raw emotions and sudden insights of the exceptional adventure of a woman who was told as a girl that she wouldn’t go far. Recognizing and sharing the feelings of the darkest days and the days of pure sunlight - which we all feel - can give us strength, make us more capable and deepen our resilience.

We are all on a voyage of adventure - welcome aboard sailboat Tuppenny!