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Moving On: A Memoir of Life at Sea
What do you do when your world comes crashing down around you? It could be a chance to move on.....
At the end of Paid to Live the Dream he was not quite sailing off into the sunset, but almost. Cruising along the coast of the Cote d’Azur in a beautiful ketch with his beautiful wife and his beautiful cat, it was a dream come true. But he had no notion then of what fate had in store for him. In retrospect, it seems that what happened was meant to be.
As books about sailing adventures go, this stands out for having a movingly honest aspect to it as he contends with personal problems and setbacks but manages to still see the funny side and enjoy the journey. Life at sea continues, with all its trials and disasters. There are new challenges from accidents and yet more troubles from boats that were determined not to work as they should.
If you are looking for a boating memoir with its share of misadventures and humour, as well as a love story and a smattering of philosophy thrown in, then this is for you!
Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite:
This volume continues the author’s full autobiographical journey as we move on from the events of Paid To Live The Dream.
As the title suggests, the work focuses on a period in the author’s life when he was working at sea a great deal of the time, but it is also a tale about what happens when your dreams start to fall apart at the seams. Beset by disaster, this seafaring story examines one man’s strength to overcome and shape a new life despite his hardships.
Author Anthony Edwards offers a fascinating slice of life that most of us will never experience, particularly in his many sailing adventures in and around the Mediterranean. Having visited most of these places myself, I found that I was viewing them in a new perspective thanks to the author’s well-researched history and atmospheric language usage.
The memoir has a really emotional core to it as well, as we see Edwards experiencing some very sharp shocks and difficult circumstances which he must overcome. The raw honesty of the prose gives inspiration to readers as we see him pick himself up and indeed move on as the title suggests. Overall, I would highly recommend Moving On as an extremely well-penned memoir that offers an honest and realistic portrayal of life’s dramas but also a unique look at living mostly at sea.
At the end of Paid to Live the Dream he was not quite sailing off into the sunset, but almost. Cruising along the coast of the Cote d’Azur in a beautiful ketch with his beautiful wife and his beautiful cat, it was a dream come true. But he had no notion then of what fate had in store for him. In retrospect, it seems that what happened was meant to be.
As books about sailing adventures go, this stands out for having a movingly honest aspect to it as he contends with personal problems and setbacks but manages to still see the funny side and enjoy the journey. Life at sea continues, with all its trials and disasters. There are new challenges from accidents and yet more troubles from boats that were determined not to work as they should.
If you are looking for a boating memoir with its share of misadventures and humour, as well as a love story and a smattering of philosophy thrown in, then this is for you!
Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite:
This volume continues the author’s full autobiographical journey as we move on from the events of Paid To Live The Dream.
As the title suggests, the work focuses on a period in the author’s life when he was working at sea a great deal of the time, but it is also a tale about what happens when your dreams start to fall apart at the seams. Beset by disaster, this seafaring story examines one man’s strength to overcome and shape a new life despite his hardships.
Author Anthony Edwards offers a fascinating slice of life that most of us will never experience, particularly in his many sailing adventures in and around the Mediterranean. Having visited most of these places myself, I found that I was viewing them in a new perspective thanks to the author’s well-researched history and atmospheric language usage.
The memoir has a really emotional core to it as well, as we see Edwards experiencing some very sharp shocks and difficult circumstances which he must overcome. The raw honesty of the prose gives inspiration to readers as we see him pick himself up and indeed move on as the title suggests. Overall, I would highly recommend Moving On as an extremely well-penned memoir that offers an honest and realistic portrayal of life’s dramas but also a unique look at living mostly at sea.
363 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 7, 2020
56 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Edwards
7 books1 followerAnthony Edwards was born in Gravesend, a hub of maritime activity 25 miles downriver from the centre of London. His father had been injured in an industrial accident, but once he had squandered his compensation, money was tight. Growing up, you had to make your own amusements. Catching eels on the marshes, riding ponies at the nearby riding school before the owners were awake and long cycle rides on an old bike which had to be shared with his best friend – one standing pedalling and the other sitting on the seat.
Another favourite occupation was watching films. They were an insight into what life could be like if you didn’t live on a council estate. If you wanted to go to Saturday morning cinema, the best option of amassing the necessary sixpence was to have a paper round – unless, of course, you were prepared to risk the ignominy of a heavy hand on your shoulder as you were climbing through the toilet window.
Although he would amuse himself with writing and illustrating stories, Amazon had not yet been invented and the only recourse to fame and fortune, or at least the fortune, was to get a job working on the Steam tugs, which he joined when he was 15. Like all new recruits, he started as cook, but went onto working on deck until he left nearly 7 years later. The hours were long – on average 140 a week – but the pay was good. If by the end of the week you were still alive that is!
There was then a mind-blowing eureka moment when he saw a film clip about ocean racing. He knew at once that this was what he wanted to do and directed all his energies into achieving that goal. He got a job as permanent crew on an ocean racer and later qualified as a yacht skipper. This was the beginning of the life he had dreamt of, and the escape from the dark skies, the rain and the cold that had been the norm when he was working on the tugs.
He ended up in the South of France, which was a Mecca for anyone searching for work on yachts, as the Cote d’Azur, with its climate and scenery, was a sailing and boating paradise.
Later on, he bought a ruin on three acres of land near a Provençal hill village, which he renovated with his wife and turned it into a self-sufficient organic smallholding. He went on to study complementary medicine and established a successful practice as a Kinesiologist, Hypnotist and Psychotherapist and has made guest appearances on several radio programs in France and the U.K. He later moved to his present house, where he now lives with his wife and thoroughly spoilt, and self-opinionated cat.
Another favourite occupation was watching films. They were an insight into what life could be like if you didn’t live on a council estate. If you wanted to go to Saturday morning cinema, the best option of amassing the necessary sixpence was to have a paper round – unless, of course, you were prepared to risk the ignominy of a heavy hand on your shoulder as you were climbing through the toilet window.
Although he would amuse himself with writing and illustrating stories, Amazon had not yet been invented and the only recourse to fame and fortune, or at least the fortune, was to get a job working on the Steam tugs, which he joined when he was 15. Like all new recruits, he started as cook, but went onto working on deck until he left nearly 7 years later. The hours were long – on average 140 a week – but the pay was good. If by the end of the week you were still alive that is!
There was then a mind-blowing eureka moment when he saw a film clip about ocean racing. He knew at once that this was what he wanted to do and directed all his energies into achieving that goal. He got a job as permanent crew on an ocean racer and later qualified as a yacht skipper. This was the beginning of the life he had dreamt of, and the escape from the dark skies, the rain and the cold that had been the norm when he was working on the tugs.
He ended up in the South of France, which was a Mecca for anyone searching for work on yachts, as the Cote d’Azur, with its climate and scenery, was a sailing and boating paradise.
Later on, he bought a ruin on three acres of land near a Provençal hill village, which he renovated with his wife and turned it into a self-sufficient organic smallholding. He went on to study complementary medicine and established a successful practice as a Kinesiologist, Hypnotist and Psychotherapist and has made guest appearances on several radio programs in France and the U.K. He later moved to his present house, where he now lives with his wife and thoroughly spoilt, and self-opinionated cat.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 10, 2022
very enjoyable sequel to his first book
I was looking forward to reading the second book in the series and it did not disappoint. His easy writing style makes pleasant reading with some really enjoyable descriptions of his time at sea and on land. There were some really exciting moments. If you read the first book you’ll enjoy this even more.
I was looking forward to reading the second book in the series and it did not disappoint. His easy writing style makes pleasant reading with some really enjoyable descriptions of his time at sea and on land. There were some really exciting moments. If you read the first book you’ll enjoy this even more.
July 17, 2021
Unusual and Very Interesting
This is the first 'Sailing' adventure memoir that begins with Tugboats! But I pressed on and was not disappointed. Tony inserts historical facts that bring the many European areas they visited to life. Love the photos too!
This is the first 'Sailing' adventure memoir that begins with Tugboats! But I pressed on and was not disappointed. Tony inserts historical facts that bring the many European areas they visited to life. Love the photos too!
November 10, 2022
envious
Being a sailing man I can appreciate all the highs and lows along with the problems that come with boats. Now too old to sail it is good to hear the accurate descriptions that accompany the places he has visited. In all a rattling good book.
Being a sailing man I can appreciate all the highs and lows along with the problems that come with boats. Now too old to sail it is good to hear the accurate descriptions that accompany the places he has visited. In all a rattling good book.
April 20, 2025
This is the second book by this author and I’ve enjoyed his writing style. He presents a historical overview of the areas he visits along the coasts of Spain, France , and Italy mostly. There is also a nice mix of challenges and humorous antics thrown in to keep the narrative moving. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to the upcoming boating season here in Michigan to create some of my own adventures! 😎
December 14, 2025
An excellent read
This is the second book I've read by this author and it is also an unusual mixture of sea-going anecdotes, history and personal research into beliefs and philosophies.
Despite a fairly uneasy childhood, he was plainly always a ferociously driven and intelligent man, leading to the life described in his books which makes for a very interesting and sometimes challenging read.
This is the second book I've read by this author and it is also an unusual mixture of sea-going anecdotes, history and personal research into beliefs and philosophies.
Despite a fairly uneasy childhood, he was plainly always a ferociously driven and intelligent man, leading to the life described in his books which makes for a very interesting and sometimes challenging read.
March 16, 2024
I bought this book because I’d enjoyed two of his earlier books which were mostly about sailing adventures, so being a bit of a philistine, I found myself skipping through the many pages he’d written about the history of the places visited.
If you can put up with history written by a sailor this book may “float your boat”, but if you just want sailing stories, give it a miss.
If you can put up with history written by a sailor this book may “float your boat”, but if you just want sailing stories, give it a miss.
July 10, 2024
Page Turner
As an amateur very part time sailor, I thoroughly enjoyed these stories from the sea. Also enjoyed the stories from the hard. Real life stories with Good humor, seriousness and history. I also read part one of the series and recommend that book too.
As an amateur very part time sailor, I thoroughly enjoyed these stories from the sea. Also enjoyed the stories from the hard. Real life stories with Good humor, seriousness and history. I also read part one of the series and recommend that book too.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews