Racundra's Third Cruise

Most people know of Arthur Ransome, the author of the classic children's sailing tale, Swallows & Amazons, and many other books in the same series. But besides his exciting tales of children on the water there is much more to the man. Before he wrote Swallows & Amazons, Ransome was a journalist for the Daily News, based in Russia. He is reputed to have played chess against Lenin and he married Trotsky's secretary. He cruised extensively in the Baltic in the 1920s on board his beloved Racundra. His account of his first cruise on that boat was his first commercially successful book, Racundra's First Cruise (also available from Fernhurst Books). The second cruise was spoilt by bad weather, but the third cruise was special – it was his honeymoon having married Evgenia Shelepina.

Ransome clearly intended to publish the account of this cruise, but never finished it. Ransome enthusiast, Brian Hammett, got hold of the unpublished manuscript and found Ransome's hand-written notes, diaries, logbooks and photographs in the Ransome archive at Leeds University. Brian compiled this book, adding his own notes from his cruises in the same area. The result is a glorious volume which has delighted Ransome enthusiasts, sailors and landlubbers equally. This new paperback edition and eBook will be published on 8th May – the very day that Ransome and Shelepina got married in 1924 before their honeymoon cruise which is recounted in this book.

Praise for Racundra's Third Cruise

"Here's a book that's worth taking with you to that special anchorage, a book worth hiding away with… It's pure gold dust."
— Sailing Today

"An intriguing insight into how we went yachting in the first quarter of the 20th century… For anyone interested in the early days of cruising, it's compulsive enough. For anyone who first set sail with the Swallows and Amazons, it's an absolute must."
— Practical Boat Owner

"A superbly well-written book which is worth reading at a suitably leisurely pace and savouring every exquisite minute."
— Lifeboat

"There isn't a paragraph in it that is not a delight to read… Few books have been edited with more enthusiasm and dedication… This is a labour of love for which Ransome's many admirers have reason to be enormously grateful."
— The Independent

"Inside you find a rare treat in the form of pure-unedited Ransome... Fans will not be disappointed."
— Yachts & Yachting

About the Author

Arthur Ransome, world famous for the hit series Swallows & Amazons, had, as a young man in 1917, gone to Russia as a foreign correspondent and journalist. He fell in love with Evgenia, Trotsky's secretary, whom he later married. Together they owned two small yachts before commissioning the building of Racundra in 1922 at Riga in Latvia.

About Fernhurst Books

Fernhurst Books was founded in 1979, initially publishing books related to dinghy racing. The list soon expanded to include cruising and other watersports. In 2006 the business was sold to John Wiley, but in 2013 a group of sailing enthusiasts (including the original founder) bought the list and name back, once again creating an independent nautical publisher owned and run by sailors. Fernhurst continues to publish books that instruct, inform and inspire those with a passion on, in or under the water. Their 140+ titles range from how-to guides to narrative to coffee-table books, covering sailing, surfing, canoeing, kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, swimming, diving and fishing.