James McCaughan

'Vigo to Virginia: Seamogs and the Prudent Mariners' (due to appear in Flying Fish 2019/1), is an enjoyable account of a passage from north-west Spain to the Canaries, and thence across to St Lucia, by a young and inexperienced crew – none of the five had made an ocean passage before – in s/v 'Seamogs', a family-owned Nicholson 48. They suffer a variety of gear failures and malfunctions along the way, and though the author (also the skipper) is modest and good-humoured throughout, he and his crew are clearly pretty competent and resourceful, and demonstrate sound seamanship, including heaving-to off Porto Santo to await daylight and better weather for entry.