Tale of Oceans
Surrounded by 15,000km of coastline, it’s little wonder New Zealand’s cultural identity and history is firmly anchored to the ocean.
Born and raised on Auckland’s North Shore, author of Ocean: Tales of voyaging and encounter that defined New Zealand, Sarah Ell, has never lived more than a few kilometres from the ocean.
Ell trained as a newspaper journalist before working in magazines and book publishing, including a stint as editor of Boating New Zealand, and has a Bachelor of Arts in New Zealand history from Massey University.
A lifelong boatie, she has raced a variety of classes from Sunburst dinghies to sportsboats and keelboats. She still lives on the North Shore, with her husband, yacht designer Rob Shaw, their two children, and a growing collection of boats.