by E.E. Middleton
The extraordinary story of the first Single-Handed circumnavigation of England.
E.E. Middleton had never before cruised in a small boat when, in 1869, he decided to sail single-handed around England in the 23-foot Kate, choosing the route 'as the most difficult one I could think of, on accout of its powerful tides." He sailed from the Thames, going sout about, crossing to Ireland and then being towed through the Crinan--now Forth & Clyde--Canal to Grnaemouth and the inhospitable east coast of Britain. He had no engine, and since he preferred to sleep and eat on land, he was constantly exposed ot the dangers of inshore waters. Moreover, in order to make the best use of the tides he forced himself to astonishing feats of rowing. His detailed and idiosyncratic account of one of the best cruises ever undertaken single-handed brings to life the conditions of small-boat sailing more than a hundred years ago, when square-rig merchantmena and men-of-war were commonplace and the author could count 'seventy-one ships in Flamborough Roads.'
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