A Child of the Sea is the true story of Jimmy
Cornell's daughter sailing around the world on the
family's small yacht from the age of 7 to 14, based on
Doina's diaries, letters and memories. From 1975 to 1981
the Cornell family visited 54 countries, sailed more
than 68,000 miles, and travelled about the same distance
overland. The story is told from Doina's point of view,
although the main part of the book focuses on the
family's three-year stay in the Pacific when she is aged
between 10 and 13. Child of the Sea is unusual in that
it gives a glimpse into a life that most young children
couldn't imagine, swimming, diving and playing the days
away in deserted anchorages; visiting some of the most
beautiful islands in the world; falling in love with the
sea in all its ever-changing moods, from balmy trade
wind ocean passages to the treacherous breakers that
crash onto tropical reefs, and taking a full part in
sailing and handling the yacht on passage.The book also
tells the story of a girl's coming of age in the South
Pacific, understanding different cultures and values,
and experiencing at first-hand how people judge each
other depending on the colour of their skin - from the
time on Easter Island when tourists mistake Doina for a
Polynesian girl, to her and her brother's hostile
prejudiced reception back in an English school at the
end of their journey. What do children need to grow up
happy and healthy? Security with their family; an
element of risk; freedom to explore the world; openness
to other peoples and cultures; closeness with nature and
the elements and an appreciation of the environment and
our finite resources. The sailing life offers all this
and more, and this book captures it all. |
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