The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow

In 1998 Sandy Mackinnon set off from his home in England in a Mirror dinghy on what was supposed to be a one-week jaunt down the Severn river, only to find himself, one year later, sailing out onto the Black Sea. Simply by rowing and sailing in an open dinghy less than eleven feet in length, he crossed the English Channel, cruised across three thousand miles of rivers, canals and open sea, and through eleven countries, including war-torn Yugoslavia at a time of crisis. This book highlights his adventures during this unlikely journey, such as getting arrested by the River Police as he was being swept out on a night-tide under Westminster Bridge; meeting Michael Palin; being shipwrecked in a storm off the east coast of Britain; the solo crossing of the English Channel; being tear-gassed in the Budapest Metro; being trapped without funds in Serbia under threat of bombardment; he was even captured by Romanian river pirates in the Danube Delta. All this, plus 60 finely drawn pictures and maps, result in a book with a blend of high adventure, immeasurable charm and comedy.