The Breath of Angels

By John Beattie

From Coastal Cruising, Oct./Nov. 1998:

“John Beattie is like a lot of people who are bitten by the bug to go cruising. He doesn't have much experience at the outset, but he has a dream: to sail around the world. Sparked by a book he read as a child, the dream nurtured over 20 years, he finally decides to take the plunge, get some sailing experience, buy a boat, and go.

“He chooses a seaworthy boat which serves him well, but in the true manner of most boats WARRIOR QUEEN consumes money beyond his expectations. Beattie's lack of experience is offset in part by his common sense and his research, but the venture is beset by contrary weather, equipment failures, and crew problems. After a late start from England, sailing to Ireland and then on to the Canary Islands, Beattie finds himself behind schedule with a severe shortage of funds, a lack of crew, and a dream which is turning into a race to keep up with a schedule. Undaunted, he revises his plans, forges on alone to the Caribbean, and discovers what he has been searching for: the rapture of the ocean.

“Continuing his journey to Grenada and Trinidad and along the coast of South America, he takes a foray into the rain forests via uncharted tributaries. The book reaches an amazing climax during his return voyage from Venezuela when, hundreds of miles from land, he comes across a man dying of thirst in a drifting, open boat.

“Beattie's humor is delightful and he's a good storyteller. His love, longing, anger, and frustration are described with candor that is eloquent. Aside from his concerns about the journey, Beattie's love for the woman he's left behind is paramount, and he writes about it – and his fears that she won't wait for him – with a poignancy which is touching. His descriptions of the people who befriend him and the land and seascape are vivid. His recounting of Carnival in Trinidad leaves the reader with a sense of actually having been there and participated in the revelry.

“This is a book that will be enjoyed by armchair travelers who have never been aboard a boat and have no desire to do so. For those of us with a passion for boats and travel it's a book to savor. Buy several copies, you'll want to share it with all your friends.”

WoodenBoat, July/August 1997:

“Ocean cruising story about a planned circumnavigation that became only a transatlantic passage, from Ireland to the Caribbean.”