HOW TO BUILD A BOAT

Jonathan Gornall, Simon and Schuster

Jonathan Gornall reached later middle age haunted by failures, particularly the mid-atlantic abandonment and sinking of his boat Star Challenger. He was rescued, emotionally, by the magical experience of late parenthood. Gornall decided to build his daughter a boat and became fascinated by the long history of clinker construction. He chose the Nottage dinghy design, rented a shed in Pin Mill and sought guidance from Essex boatbuilder Fabian Bush. Although this book is more memoir than manual, it contains clear explanations of the technical problems he encountered. Burnt fingers, lost pencils, backache and squiffy strakes lead doggedly to the final triumph: his boat floats.