The Sea Was Our Village

Miles Smeeton is a byword among yachtsmen the world over, especially for his pertinacity and seamanship in sailing Tzu Hang safely to a Chilean harbor after she had capsized when attempting to round Cape Horn. Since then they again capsized off the Horn, but at the third attempt made a record passage. They have also, as a family, cruised more extensively than has ever been done before or since in a yacht. How was it that the soldier and mountain climber wife became so much at home on the sea? Perhaps this book is the most valuable of all his compelling writings to those who plan to cruise in yachts themselves, as it starts off where the Smeetons knew practically nothing of seamanship, and tells how the family acquired the knowledge by their numerous adventures. At the same time, Miles Smeeton's vivid and witty style introduces to the reader so many intriguing characters and places encountered on their voyage from England across the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal to the Galapagos, up to Vancouver, to Hawaii, the South Sea Islands, New Zealand, and Australia. The author has a genius for mixing with people; his book is not too technical for non-yachting readers, as it is high in human and travel interest.