Off the Deep End: A History of Madness at Sea

Nic Compton

Adlard Coles Nautical

£16.99 paperback (+ Kindle & audio)

Columbus was delusional and manic-depressive; Nelson’s sailors were brain-damaged from hitting their heads on Victory’s low deck beams and drinking too much rum; Slocum was dysfunctional and unemployable and the methodical insanity of Donald Crowhurst continues to fascinate sailors and non-sailors alike. Nic Compton’s wide-ranging survey of madness at sea goes beyond these headline grabbing stories. He investigates the records of patients in the Navy’s Haslar asylum and teases out the psychological implications as the Age of Sail became the Age of Diesel. Perhaps most interesting of all to yachtsman are the chapters on hallucinations, cabin fever and outbreaks of violence on board. Highly recommended.