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Somewhere Down A Crazy River
Robyn Catchlove wasn't destined for married life and two and half kids in the suburbs of Adelaide.
So, in her early twenties, she walks away from a passionless marriage to seek out adventure and lead the life she always dreamed of. As a spunky 25-year-old, she meets her match, Les Coles, in balmy Cairns, and together they set about building the boat of their dreams. By the time the Jean King launches, Robyn and Les are fiercely in love and ready to take on the challenges of the professional fishing game.
This is the start of a gripping eight-year sea journey set in the hallucinogenic tropics of Far North Queensland. It also takes Robyn deep into the heart of the exclusively male world of professional fishing. It is physical, tough, and often perilous, but Robyn won't give up until she has not just silenced, but completely won over, even her toughest critics.
Along the way, Robyn develops a remarkable bond with the environment, experiences a deep relationship with indigenous Australians, and collects a swag of colourful and gutsy fishing mates.
But when her one true ally unexpectedly turns on her, Robyn is going to need more resilience and courage than she ever needed – even in the toughest storm at sea.
Robyn's is a quintessentially Australian story about passions: where they can take you, how to walk away from them if they threaten to destroy you, and what is left if you have the courage to do so.
Author Information
Robyn Catchlove is a passionate gypsy wanderer, on the move her entire life, and has lived all across Australia, in California and in New Zealand. She is a jack of all trades, and has worked at a range of jobs, including a car yard manager, a real estate agent and a nanny. She also holds a skipper's licence which enables her to master certain trading vessels in all Commonwealth waters. She is now a Tibetan Buddhist, and has spent time in India, Nepal and Tibet. She embraces the unknown willingly.
So, in her early twenties, she walks away from a passionless marriage to seek out adventure and lead the life she always dreamed of. As a spunky 25-year-old, she meets her match, Les Coles, in balmy Cairns, and together they set about building the boat of their dreams. By the time the Jean King launches, Robyn and Les are fiercely in love and ready to take on the challenges of the professional fishing game.
This is the start of a gripping eight-year sea journey set in the hallucinogenic tropics of Far North Queensland. It also takes Robyn deep into the heart of the exclusively male world of professional fishing. It is physical, tough, and often perilous, but Robyn won't give up until she has not just silenced, but completely won over, even her toughest critics.
Along the way, Robyn develops a remarkable bond with the environment, experiences a deep relationship with indigenous Australians, and collects a swag of colourful and gutsy fishing mates.
But when her one true ally unexpectedly turns on her, Robyn is going to need more resilience and courage than she ever needed – even in the toughest storm at sea.
Robyn's is a quintessentially Australian story about passions: where they can take you, how to walk away from them if they threaten to destroy you, and what is left if you have the courage to do so.
Author Information
Robyn Catchlove is a passionate gypsy wanderer, on the move her entire life, and has lived all across Australia, in California and in New Zealand. She is a jack of all trades, and has worked at a range of jobs, including a car yard manager, a real estate agent and a nanny. She also holds a skipper's licence which enables her to master certain trading vessels in all Commonwealth waters. She is now a Tibetan Buddhist, and has spent time in India, Nepal and Tibet. She embraces the unknown willingly.
376 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2010
1 person is currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 10, 2024
This book was okay but it didn’t keep my interest. I found it hard going in places
September 22, 2023
This was a very good read. Catchlove describes leaving her life behind in Adelaide and off up to north queensland, working on prawn trawlers and then spending time on a boat with her man living the idyllic life swimming, sunning and sailing. I gave the book to a friend who then passed it on through her network and was said to be enjoyed by all. Reading such a book is living the life by proxy while staying at home on the lounge.
April 10, 2013
What a life and what a way to write it all down. Robyn has had a life that to most people will not even cross as remotely possible, and yet she did it. Through sheer hard work, she has managed to carve out a connection to life, love and heart that takes my breath away.
I thoroughly recommend that you read it and see what IS possible in one single lifetime.
It is written with good Australian humour and a rare thing - realness. It is a joy to pick up and, let me tell you, almost impossible to put down. Yes, I have had many many sleepless nights of which I would not wish any to be otherwise. This is a book I will return to savour a few more times.
If you are lucky enough to have this book cross your path, I would just say this: expect it to stir your soul, make you laugh out loud in the middle of the night, shed tears of joy and pain..... don't wait a second.
Miro
I thoroughly recommend that you read it and see what IS possible in one single lifetime.
It is written with good Australian humour and a rare thing - realness. It is a joy to pick up and, let me tell you, almost impossible to put down. Yes, I have had many many sleepless nights of which I would not wish any to be otherwise. This is a book I will return to savour a few more times.
If you are lucky enough to have this book cross your path, I would just say this: expect it to stir your soul, make you laugh out loud in the middle of the night, shed tears of joy and pain..... don't wait a second.
Miro
December 26, 2013
This is such a good read. The funny, silly and outrageous things Robyn Catchlove does and lives, makes this a fascination and very enjoyable read. The hippyish lifestyle, the crackpot ideas, the inane ways of doing things, somehow just fit into this rednecks way of life. Building a boat when you know nothing about boat building, and setting off out to sea when you have zero to nothing experience, is one of the most insane things anyone can do, especially sailing into crocodile infested waters and trying to outrun storms along the Great Barrier Reef.
Getting into mischief and upsetting the natives on Thursday Island isn't everyones cup of tea but Robyn seemed to have an innate ability to skim out of these situations by the skin of her teeth.
I loved this book so much...I think this would be my second favourite book for the year, after Fragrant Rice...and I will read it again.
Getting into mischief and upsetting the natives on Thursday Island isn't everyones cup of tea but Robyn seemed to have an innate ability to skim out of these situations by the skin of her teeth.
I loved this book so much...I think this would be my second favourite book for the year, after Fragrant Rice...and I will read it again.
February 5, 2015
I really wanted to love this book but sadly only just managed to finish it.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews