How this man has had the time to fit in all the things he has done in his life is quite amazing and here we have another of his adventures. Along with being the original drummer in Genesis, getting a pilot’s license, learning to shear sheep, joining a circus and much, much more Chris also became skipper of a Cornish Crabber sailing to the Greek Islands with no experience at sailing whatsoever. This is his story of the following months learning as he went and not always making the best decisions. One thing Chris Stewart does do is make you believe anything is possible, you just have to give it a go!
Three Ways to Capsize a Boat - An Optimist Afloat Synopsis
This title is a top ten bestseller - new in paperback. Chris Stewart's sea-faring 'prequel' to Driving Over Lemons was launched into the hardback bestseller list in May, where it's been bobbing about happily ever since. Sort of Books plan to make this paperback plain sailing too. It will be published in the same format and price as his ever popular Spanish trilogy.
'A charming and lyrical read, awash with the joy of discovery...' Rory Maclean, Guardian
'It is easy to enthuse about the simple pleasures of life, but hard to write about them well. Stewart's gift is to do so with the carefree manner of someone you've just met in a bar, and who is buying the drinks' Hugh Thomson, Independent
'Witty, self-deprecating and charming, Stewart makes wonderful company even if you do get soaked in the process.' Kathleen Wyatt, The Times
'His enthusiasm and sheer good nature are infectious. Like Bill Bryson, he's a hard man to dislike.' Mail on Sunday
'It'sa book with a big heart and a great belly laugh' The Times
Author
About Chris Stewart
Chris Stewart shot to fame with Driving Over Lemons – Sort Of Books’ launch title in 1999. Funny, insightful and real, the book told the story of how he bought a Spanish peasant farm on the wrong side of the river, with its previous owner still resident. It became an international bestseller and together with its sequels – A Parrot in the Pepper Tree and The Almond BlossomAppreciation Society –has sold more than a million copies in the UK alone.
Chris prepared for life on his Spanish farm with jobs of doubtful relevance. He was the original drummer in Genesis (he played on the first album), then joined a circus, learnt how to shear sheep, went to China to write the Rough Guide, gained a pilot’s license in Los Angeles, and completed a course in French cooking. Three Ways to Capsize a Boat fills in his lost years as a yacht skipper in the Greek islands and dodging icebergs in the Atlantic. It is that rare thing: a book about sailing equally fun for people without a trace of sea legs.
Chris, his wife Ana and their daughter Chloë continue to live on their farm, with their numerous dogs, cats, chickens, sheep and misanthropic parrot.