The Taming of the Crew

by Michael Brown

For Michael and Sue and their two boys, Andrew and Sam, the Alderman voyage was the fulfilment of a dream many have but few turn into reality -- to sell up everything, buy a boat and sail away. It took four years of preparation, starting from scratch, knowing nothing, enduring criticism about taking innocent children into danger. When they did set sail from New Zealand for Tonga and then Fiji, they struck the worst winter gales in half a century, including the killer April '92 storm off the Wairarapa coast. To survive, all four - including six-year-old Sam - had to learn team work never demanded of families on land. They also had to learn how to live with each other for long periods in a metal box, which in a storm was like living inside a drum. But there were also times of magic. Of beauty. Of serenity and satisfaction that also cannot be found on land. The Taming of the Crew does what few true adventure narratives have done before. It's a highly personal portrayal of what danger, hardship and challenge does to a family at sea. It is a serious subject, but written with wry humour and compassion, making it a book that is impossible to put down.

219 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1994

About the author

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