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Reviews
WHEN THE WIND BLOWS
July 2007 - Royal National Lifeboat Institute - Review
January/February 2007
“Here is a spellbinding story of a cruise on a vessel with a chequered past that will keep you interested from the start to the finish. Take a trip with the author from the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal and into the world of Polynesia. This South Pacific Paradise turns to terror in the Coral Seas, and will keep you riveted as you keep turning pages to see how the voyage will end. A good book to read while on watch, but not late at night!” – Latitudes and Attitudes, December 2006, USA
“When the Wind Blows is a definite prerequisite for all who have the desire to venture offshore. It is more than “just a story,” it is a factual, intriguing, brutally honest, sometimes funny, gripping account of Maggi and Robin’s true life sailing adventure. A highly recommended book that piques the reader’s interest from beginning to end… Couldn’t put it down!” – Vi & Del McConnell, Realtors, Canada
“Maggi, I just finished the book. I loved it. You are a very good writer and what a fascinating tale! Now, more than ever, I hope to meet you and Robin. Great job!” – Pilot of the C130 Hercules involved in the rescue, Cdr. Robert Spratt, US Navy, Retired
“I was so involved with the book. It provokes
such a range of emotions – almost in tears one moment to fits of laughter
soon after, what a magical journey!
Your incident with the suspicious chemical in the parachute anchor tether often
features in my sea survival courses. This is the RYA (Royal Yachting Association,
UK) basic sea survival course which was instigated by the RYA & D.O.T. (Department
of Transport) post the '79 Fastnet incident. It is a one-day course with 2 hours
spent in a pool with a raft: inflating, righting, and entering it along with
general survival principles. The rest of the day spent in the classroom looking
at the theory side: flares, E.P.I.R.B.S., S.A.R.T.S. and helicopter rescue.”
– Maurice Humberstone, Sailing Instructor, Southampton, UK
“I’ve finished When the Wind Blows and
I want to congratulate you on what you’ve accomplished. It is unfailingly
interesting, with just the right mix of nautical detail and storytelling. I
was certainly reminded of my own experience of a (lesser) blow in Biscay.
If I say I read it in four sessions, each lasting way past my bedtime, you’ll
know you achieved that “couldn’t put it down” quality. You
got the juices flowing. Well done!” – Dave Jarrett, Sailor,
Canada
“We both really enjoyed the story, very nicely
written and very well done. The story flowed well, each chapter merging nicely
into the next and that kept the involvement with reading it keen…it was
a great read and we look forward to the sequel... From Ship to Shore...?”
– Nik van den Bok, Entrepreneur, Mono and Multi-hull Sailor, Australia
“I’m not sure how to start – I laughed out loud, I felt indignant, I envied you, I was terrified for you and the tears flowed freely when you were rescued… Wow! Congratulations on a wonderful read!” – Jeanette Rooseboom, Structural Steel Designer, Port Alberni, Canada
“I finished the book, cover to cover, a great yarn!! Except it’s all true.” – Jerome Wallace, Professional Engineer, Grand Cayman
“I’ve just finished reading your book. I had to fight to get it away from my son… It was wonderful, it felt like being there with you.” – Lisa Aylard, Farmer, Canada
“I read your book while I was away in California. That’s quite a story. Well done! I couldn’t put it down!” – Florentia Scott, Tai Chi Instructor, Vancouver Island
“I just wanted to let you know that I am enjoying reading your book so
much. Your descriptions of events and emotions to go along with it all are so
real, I feel like I was there. At one point, I half expected to not be able
to walk properly, that I would get up and lapse into the sailor's swagger.”
– Marjorie Jarrett, Retired Government Official, Canada
“I enjoyed When the Wind Blows very much. I read it straight through,
starting as soon as it was delivered… VERY WELL DONE!” – Janice
Sheehan, Artist, Port Alberni, BC
“It was just wonderful! What a fabulous author you are… I outright
cried when you were both winched from Orca…It is so sad that she was never
seen again… thank you so much for sharing your adventure with me, I really
feel like I did it all with you.” – Clare Wright, London, UK
“...you have recalled an extraordinary amount of detail and it makes for
good reading… I am an avid reader, and this type of book is definitely
my cup of tea – stories of adventure and survival. Some of my favourites
are Adrift by Steven Callaghan and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and now I can
add When the Wind Blows. I have also read most of Tristan Jones’ seafaring
adventure stories and Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum. I have
a propensity to read non-fiction… You have immortalised a great adventure.
Congratulations on such a fine piece of work!” – Tony Walsh,
Civil Aviation Authority Airworthiness Surveyor, and Sailor, Cayman Islands
“I just started reading your book and I love the way you write. Don’t want to put it down!” – Sue Hetherington, Artist, Vancouver, BC
“Beside your wonderful story it was a pleasure to read without being distracted by incorrect grammar and spelling errors!” – Loyola Edwards, Nun and Retired Teacher, Tacoma, Washington
“I can see a movie in this!” – Derek Hanebury, English/Creative Writing Professor; author of Ginger Goodwin: Beyond the forbidden plateau; and Nocturnal Tonglen: Poems.
“…I read it eagerly. Maggi taught my three elder sons to scuba
dive in Libya: how they loved it…she was such an enthusiastic teacher
they have all retained their love of the water.
Two of them came to visit me and I showed them the book. Both started to read
it and wanted to take it when they departed. I kept my copy and bought one for
each of them … they raved over it!
…It is a wonderful read and beats any fiction thriller! I impatiently
await her next…” – Capt. Michael McFarlin M.N.I., Marine
Pilot
PRESENTATION REVIEWS
Darryl Gretchen, English teacher at Alberni District Secondary School.
“This semester I was given the assignment to teach a Tourism 11/12 course. I had been looking for speakers to help me engage my class of blasé 16 and 17 year olds. Maggi’s book had come to my attention and because she is a local resident, I couldn’t resist inviting her into my classroom.
“In the two weeks previous, my class and I had been engaged in a virtual exploration of Oceania and I had come to realize that the kids had no idea of how or what it took to convert a fantasy into a reality. Maggi was just the person, if only she would agree to come. My hopes weren’t high, as it takes a patient, confident and courageous person to face thirty unfamiliar teenagers. I couldn’t believe my luck when Maggi agreed to give us a PowerPoint presentation the following week!
“Perhaps because my class is mostly female, Maggi Ansell had instant credibility as she is a female “adventurer,” not “just” a writer. I was impressed that in spite of the entirely alien environment, Maggi seemed at ease and engaged the class completely. They had never been that attentive with me! She told her story with alacrity and a natural friendliness that set the class at ease. After the presentation, they gathered around and in speaking with Maggi, maybe for the first time, recognized that with a bit of determination and courage, they too might someday realize a dream.
“I didn’t actually read When the Wind Blows until a few weeks later. Because I was grateful to Maggi for the visit, I was prepared to hold my bent for literary criticism at bay—but it wasn’t necessary. In my opinion, the book is well written and reads well. The reader is comfortably drawn into the story and remains empathetically engaged throughout homely anecdotes, sailing in doldrums and, of course, harrowing adventures.”
Jim Swift, Rotary Club of Port Alberni
“Having followed Maggi’s writing I was looking forward to the launch of When the Wind Blows and was not disappointed. She captivated the audience with her reading and sense of humour. It was one of the most enjoyable book launches I have ever attended.
“The success of the book launch prompted me to invite Maggi to our Rotary Club to talk about her book and her experiences. Once again she held the attention of the Rotarians with one of the best talks of the year. The interest she aroused was evident in the number of questions and in the fact that many members went home with copies of her book.”
Leanne Moore, Continuing Education Programmer, North Island College
“Maggi provided a great presentation for our ElderCollege Arm Chair Travel Series last fall, talking about her extraordinary sailing adventures.
“The group she presented to were adults 50 years of age and older. The
feedback I received from this session was very positive. They also really enjoyed
her beautiful photos which Maggi prepared for a PowerPoint presentation. The
session was interactive with time for “Questions & Answers.”
In fact, it was so well received that the ElderCollege advisory committee has
requested that Maggi offer her presentation again in the winter semester, to
which she has agreed.”
December 2006
"The charm of this book lies in
the narrative. Maggi Ansell's account of their adventure brims over with enthusiasm,
which is infectious even for people who have read many "sell up and sail"
books. Her story starts in the Cayman Islands where her husband bids for a seized
drug boat. This 50-ft ferro-cement ketch eventually becomes their home before
they sever land ties altogether. Their adventures take them round the Caribbean
through the Panama Canal and into the Pacific. Their joys and tribulations are
told with warmth and the wonder that comes from experiencing the marvellous
for the first time.
Their dramatic rescue in a cyclone off the Great Barrier Reef has an appropriate
place in the book. It neither dominates, nor is the enormity of the danger played
down. Fears are honestly expressed as they are swept towards a reef whilst laying
to a sea anchor... a compulsive page turner and an all round good read."
- Cruising Association, UK
A 'must read' for the would-be cruiser!
If you are thinking of sailing to distant lands you should read this book. This
is a wonderful tale of two people determined to live out the dream of sailing
the oceans in a yacht restored with a labour of love from a derelict hull. The
author has done a splendid job of blending the romance of sailing with some
harsh realities! – T W, Cayman Islands
The perfect adventure story, "sea faring" with a modern day twist.
For the regular reader who knows nothing of sailing, I loved getting a first
hand view of what a very difficult experience sailing is. We are talking hard
work! This before the boat even hits the water. This Canadian couple shows remarkable
fortitude in their courageous adventure with a yacht named Orca. Their reward
for this labour of love is to breathe in the essence of so many exotic, exciting
places in the South Pacific.
This true life adventure lets the reader be part of their experience. From the
Cayman Islands to Australia, from exiled to exhilarated, this book keeps up
a quick pace and is packed with humour, honour, and honesty.
For those of us with little sailing experience, Maggi provides a "glossary
of terms" to help the novice sailor. A must read for anyone who wants to
sail the seven seas and an enjoyable read for anyone who loves a great adventure.
As I read this book I felt I was with Maggi & Robin Ansell on "Orca"
and I think this is the greatest attribute of the book.
Spellbinding, a fabulous read and a great first book by this author. –
M de V, BC, Canada
From Iceland: I finished the book; it kept
me awake all last night. First you are superb writer and I also like the way
you could read your husband thoughts as not many women have that skill. That
again kind of tickles me as from experience, as mechanically minded, we are
often submerged in different kinds of thoughts than what we call normal people.
I mean also Robins skill of keeping all in order in case of emergency when some
people can be carefree and not even think that neglect will pile up and pay
back at different situations.
I can see now that this has been a tremendous experience there the last day,
not forgetting that the trip in all must have been a wonderful experience.
I am glad you wrote that book as it can help others
in often hopeless situation and that there is always hope and therefore to try
not to panic. It also emphasizes that sailing is continuously team work and
engineering skills are a must and good common sense brains.
I want to recommend the book for translation here in Iceland and advertise it
at the local boat club. I have contacts in Norway in the boating industry that
I will recommend the book to. - James Valdimar, Iceland.
October 2006
... is about Maggi and Robin Ansell’s incredible voyage in a boat with a chequered past. It will take you by sail from the Caribbean, and Panama, through Polynesia and the South Pacific to Australia. From passion on a Tongan beach to terror in the Coral Sea.My love affair with the sea began in England at
the tender age of five, shipping out with the trawlermen from Whitby on the
North Yorkshire coast. I also learned, from these professionals and sometimes
the families they left behind, what a cruel mistress the sea could be. Ignorance
is bliss and, in skippering my own yacht, I’ve often been referred to
as Capt. Bligh.
I was delighted that, with Orca, two very good friends realized their dream,
but I was also disappointed. I lost two very able crew members. In more than
fifty years of sailing, not many people have made that grade in my book.
For those who only sit by the fireside and dream, ‘When the Wind Blows’
is a fascinating nautical travelogue, well worth the read. For the day sailor,
it is required reading before pointing your bow at the horizon. ‘Blue
Water’ veterans will be in awe at what Robin and Maggi experienced
and survived.
It is my secret hope that some little thing that helped, rubbed off from Capt.
Bligh. - Jeff Parker, Grand Cayman
I read it spellbound in two sittings, I couldn't put it down! It was like reading something written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Adventure on the high seas... time suspended on remote tropical islands... and a cyclone to make it all so very real. Have they had a rich and exciting life or WHAT! - Victor Shane, Author, Book of Life
It’s funny, tragic and romantic, it has it all –I can’t speak highly enough of it. – Jan Glende
Poignant and spellbinding. Better than The Da Vinci Code! – Peter Pejunis
I had to stay up until 3:00 am to finish it, I couldn’t
put it down. I just had to know the outcome! – Julie Huot
| Home | • | About the Book | • | Reviews | • | About the Author | • | Excerpts | • | Photo Gallery | • | Buy the Book | • | Contact the Author | • | Links |
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