The Sea Takes No Prisoners

Peter Clutterbuck was lucky enough to be a teenager in the 1960s, when long summer holidays meant uninhibited opportunities to find freedom – and danger. He proceeded to set out on incredible voyages across the high seas in a 16-foot open dinghy. With a series of intrepid crew, he first sailed across the Channel, then braved the notorious Bay of Biscay, cruised the Mediterranean, before tackling the North Sea and Baltic.

Sailing on the edge, often on stormy nights, Peter and his crew survived towering waves, gales, capsizes, dismasting, nine rudder breakages, getting lost in fog, and hallucinations caused by sleep deprivation.

Beautifully and charmingly written, with plenty of offbeat humour, this is a lovely insight into a golden age of freedom and adventure. With a foreword by world-famous yachtsman Brian Thompson.

About the Author

Peter Clutterbuck has been a professional yachtsman and sailing instructor in the UK and the US. He has crossed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans under sail, participated in the Singlehanded Transpacific Race, and campaigned the ocean racing trimaran Spirit of England to 15 wins and four international race records. He still sails the same Wayfarer dinghy.

Praise for The Sea Takes No Prisoners

“Torn between staying at sea to face probable disaster and running onto a lee shore where they may yet have a ghost of a chance, what follows is seamanship of the highest order.”

– Tom Cunliffe, Yachting World

“The sailing is white-knuckled, the resourcefulness breathtaking.”

– Yachting Monthly

“A tremendous book.”

– Classic Sailor magazine

“A classic real-life story of derring-do on the high seas, complete with extreme risk, last-minute ingenuity and many near-misses.”

– All at Sea

“An object lesson in how to turn dreams into reality, of how to complete extremely risky challenges.”

– Brian Thompson, Foreword

“The events described, and the hardships not described, are so extreme as to seem suicidal.”

– John Mardall, Editor, Maritime