Passage From Goodbye

Adrienne Howley

Random Boats

£22.30

Widowed Australian nurse, Adrienne Howley, was recovering from a serious operation when she fell in love with Kelasa, ‘a beautiful pea-green boat’. Believing she might not have long to live, she said goodbye to her two sons and signed on as crew to irascible skipper Harry Gilbert. In 1968 they sailed from Sydney and she remained on board for 4 ½ years, sailing many thousands of miles in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans before living with Harry finally became intolerable and she left the boat in Honolulu. Adrienne is a wonderful writer as well as a remarkable person. This book has been compiled from her Journals by her son David Matzenik and friend Graham Cox. It’s gripping in both human and sailing terms.