Sailing Solo Alone: A yachting novel written as a warning to all those who would be foolish enough not to give the sea the respect she deserves.

JJ James had spent some time in the Merchant Navy and should have known the dangers of the sea, but armed with a little knowledge and a bit too much faith in his own ability, he decided to jump into a boat and sail away. This is the very true story (I'm sad to say) of Sailing the yacht 'Solo' Alone.Never having owned a boat before and after only a few weeks trying to learn the intricacies of sailing a small eighteen-foot six-inch yacht, the sailor of 'Solo' finds himself two miles out to sea and quietly wondering, what the hell is he doing there?...The plan was a quick dash around the Kent coast to move the yacht closer to home. It was a wonderful plan. Our budding Salty Old Sea Dog spent hours pouring over it. Well... It would have been a wonderful plan, if he hadn't forgotten about the six-foot dingy Solo would be towing.It should have been all done and dusted by ten o'clock that same night. The Captain (newly promoted) sitting in the pub, pint of beer in hand with a smug smile on his face at a job well done.No!... Have to say, it didn't quite go according to plan.Our hero (for want of a better word) instead of being in that bar, was in the middle of the North Sea. It's the dead of night. October. Extremely windy, and he's out there alone. Not entirely sure, but I think the smug smile was missing too.The Sea had one attempt at killing him. The boat stayed upright, more by luck than anything else. Bit of fortune turns his way again. This time in the shape of a small harbour. Here he can lick his wounds and spend the night. He even manages, despite the closing darkness and howling gale, to get through the pier heads and strangely, without smashing the yacht, or indeed himself, to bits... Does he stay there? No!... He actually sets out to sea at three o'clock in the morning. If you wanted to be charitable, it was quite a nice night for a bit of a sail, and it was... At first... But this was the North Sea... The North Sea in winter.As he left the pier heads, looking seaward, it was as dark as doomsday out there... And was only going to get darker.It wouldn't be long before, he realised buying a yacht called 'Solo' may not have been one of his better ideas. All a little late by then.