Sailing Promise: Around the World on a Catamaran

by Alayne Main

Will You Marry Me... And Sail Around the World? Alayne Main was 28 years old with an exciting medical career and minimal sailing experience, but she lived up to her sailing promise. She and her husband quit their jobs, bought a 33-foot catamaran and blithely sailed away! The challenges were immense - storms at sea, a collision with a whale and the threat of pirates - but her greatest challenge was the emotional turmoil their adventurous and uncertain lifestyle created. Her relationship deteriorating, Alayne was forced to deal with her fear and understand what drove her to continue to sail across vast unpredictable oceans - with only her husband to turn to. After four years, they came home as circumnavigators - and still married. An honest, deeply moving and wonderfully woven tale of a young woman's journeys - into herself, her marriage and around the world. Anyone in a partnership - man or woman, sailor or not - will benefit from this book.

Genres: Travel

308 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1999

Reviews

[Emil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this book, it is an interesting and fun read.

It is not written by a pro, and it shows. But any shortcoming with the writing are compensated by the fact that this is a true story written by one of the main characters.

Alayne is painfully candid in her book. She shows her fears, her limitations. She also is mostly focused on her relationship with her husband and how it is affected by the long voyage. I did want more details on the repairs of the ship, on the navigation and geography. I was not quite interested on the human aspect when I started the book, I wanted a book on a sailing adventure. But I got my adventure fix, and I also got a good human story that is relevant to everybody.

[L.Magne · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much paranoia

If you dream of sailing around the world, don't read this book, you'll never go. The author is mentally breaking down every other page, crying and freaking out each time the wind comes up. She forces herself to continue, but agonizes every step of the journey. How the husband didn't throw her over the side is beyond me.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book - I wish I had read it before my wife and I spent a year traveling around the world! I'd probably have come to understand her perspective a lot earlier.