Book Review: Mingming & the Tonic of Wilderness

I really enjoyed Roger D. Taylor's Mingming & the Art of Minimal Ocean Sailing - and not just because he described sailing in waters I'd just returned from. It's a great read, describing vividly how to sail single handed to interesting, high latitude destinations with one of the smallest of yachts.

So it was an easy decision to order the next book, Mingming and the Tonic of Wilderness, though I think I read it all wrong. Most of it was consumed while commuting to work with one ear open for news about points that have failed and signals set to red, and I've just finished it while watching the sun set over the Thames eating smoked salmon pate on toast washed down with a glass of Waitrose white - not exactly wilderness conditions.

But despite that I again found this to be an enjoyable read, even if there wasn't quite the same thrill as the last book.

That might have been because I was now familiar with Mingming and her slow but steady cruising style, or maybe because the first half describes a voyage had to be curtailed after an injury during a knock-down. But the second half's voyage all the way up to 80N was pretty dramatic stuff.

Overall its definitely a good read, though maybe better stored on-board to be read while cruising or kept for when the rain is lashing down and its freezing outside - which, given our current weather, could well be next week.