Paul and Rachel Chandler

A YEAR AT GUNPOINT WITH SOMALI GANGSTERS

On 23 October 2009, British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler were kidnapped from their sailing boat in the archipelago of the Seychelles.

Their yacht, Lynn Rival, was recovered six days later by naval forces, abandoned off the central Somali coast.

After the attack, Paul and Rachel were taken first onto a previously hijacked merchant ship and then to Somalia, where they were held for over a year, enduring threats and intimidation while their captors tried to extort millions of dollars from their family.

In this remarkable book, the Chandlers recount their terrifying ordeal, revealing the inspiring and poignant story behind the dramatic headlines. At the heart of their survival was their unshakeable belief in each other and their determination to survive, making Hostage an unlikely love story; for Paul and Rachel, death, at times, seemed preferable to being separated.

Once again a box full of kiddies clothes and teddy bears has arrived safely, My contact in Cape Town will deliver them to the most needy Thanks everybody and heres a word from Jo

HI Nicky,

Thanks once again to all your friends in Mallorca – the parcel arrived on Monday.  Sorry it has taken me a while to confirm its arrival, but Mandela’s 67 minutes got in the way.  Many groups spent their time making sleeping bags for the homeless which meant I was on duty to demonstrate.  UCT have taken on this project in a big way – not the students yet, but the staff of various faculties.

I hope you won’t mind but I am giving the latest parcel to Dr. Paul Roux who is taking a whole heap of stuff up to Peddie on Friday.  I think I might have mentioned that he has started a clinic in the rural area and the people there are unbelievably poor.  Paul and Debbie (both members and ex Presidents of my Rotary Club) cycled 1000 kms from Peddie to Cape Town to raise enough money to purchase a vehicle to transport the ill and elderly patients from surrounding areas to the clinic. This they did while I was away.  They raised enough and Rotary then paid in the difference for the required vehicle.

Paul has come and gone with his 4 x 5 fully laden with kids clothing, adult clothing, toys, two bags of shoes and about 40 kgs of health bar off cuts I collected from Michaels & Michaels this morning.

I am trying to sort out my garage and to distribute anything I no longer will need in Shady Pines. I thought I had got rid of everything when I moved, but found two huge containers of photographs going back about 60 years.  I doubt my daughter will be interested once I am gone, so albums (minus a few photographs of friends) are all going into the garbage bin.  All the toys I bought for the grandchildren have gone with Paul as my spoilt grandchildren have enough of everything.  Books and puzzles will go to the paediatric ward at Groote Schuur.  See everything has a home somewhere.

Many many thanks Nicky – you know how much I and everyone appreciates the trouble you go to.

I will now have to make friends with the chaps at the Howard Centre Post Office in Pinelands.

Warmest regards and sincere good wishes to all,

Jo

Jo Maxwell

5 Pillans Court

Pillans Road

Rosebank

7700

Tel: 021 685-4517

Pat Manley

The subject of boat Electrics can be daunting. Essential Boat Electrics will remove the mystique, bring understanding, and show you how to carry out the many electrical jobs on board properly and safely for yourself.

• Full Colour throughout
• the most asked about boat topics
• Covers motorbats and yachts
• Electrics troubleshooting is a major feature in ths book.
• writen by a technical contributor to the Practical Boat Owner magazine

ENGLISH * FRENCH * GERMAN * DUTCH * DANISH * SPANISH * ITALIAN * POTUGUESE * TURKISH * GREEK

 Third edition, which has thoroughly revised and updated to cover all the subjects the boater might need, including words for several thousand onboard items as well as the latest developments in electronic and mechanical equipment and the patterns of charter and flotilla sailing. Arranged in helpful subject categories for easy use, it is a unique, comprehensive reference for any boatowner venturing abroad.

RRP: 28.00€

The Complete course for the RYA Coastal 6 Offshore Yachtmaster Certificate - Alison Noice

This is a major reference book for anyone following the RYA Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Offshore course. Extensively updated for the 2nd edition, it includes elements of revised Yachtmaster course, plus:

• Chartwork - including useful worked examples
• Electronic navigation - How to use the latest technology for safe navigation, radar, electronic chart plotting and GPS
• Pilotage - bouyage fully explained and illustrated
• Communications - curent maritime communications including GMDAA
• Weather - the elements of meteorology, weather sources and forecasts
• Safety and Survival - all the new SOLAS regulations
• Stability and Bouyancy - the princaple simply explained

With its refreshingly practical approach, no one enrolling for the RYA yachtmaster course - whether for sail or power - can afford to be without this lively, helpful study guide to compliment the course.

30.00€

The British Presence in Spain from 1830 to 1965 - Simon Grayson

A Colourful account, illustrated by 80 photographs, of the British presence in Spain from 1830 to 1965, including early travellers who put Spain n the tourist map, The Englishwoman who became the queen of Spain, Writers and Poets, British Volenteers who fought in the Spanish civil war, The genteel tourist invasion that later brought a social revelution to the Spanish Costas.

7.50€

Tom Cunliffe

18€

For those who do not wish to be caught short when modern technology fails on board, knowing how to chart a path with the aid of a sextant is an essential navigating skill. In Celestial Navigation, veteran yachtsman, Tom Cunliffe, reveals how any boat owner can master this seafaring technique, without complex mathematics, using his simplified approach. Readers begin with a sound foundation of basic concepts and definitions, before moving on to the hardware–the sextant and how to use it. Within a few pages, you′ll be working out your latitude from a noon sight, and learning how to plot a position from observing the sun, planets, moon or stars–or wherever you may be on the world′s oceans.

• Helps readers prepare for the RYA Yachtsmaster Ocean Exam, which includes celestial navigation as a requirement
• Includes clear diagrams and worked examples to help guide the novice navigator
• New edition has downloadable material, a new chapter on electronic navigation as well as the bonus feature of online video demonstrations

Whether setting out to sea on a short or long journey, Celestial Navigation is an essential guide to using the sun, moon, planets, and stars as your guideposts home.

Royal Yachting Association; 2nd Revised edition Author Chris Tibbs

22.50€

Written by a sailor for sailors, the RYA Weather Handbook explains the complexities of weather and is full of practical and useful advice on how to understand weather maps and improve your forecasting skills.

“The RYA Weather Handbook has been written to complement the the RYA Dayskipper and Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster syllabi and is recommended reading for anyone taking these courses.

“It’ll enable you to make more informed decisions and it’s full of practical advice on how to understand weather maps and improve your forecasting skill.

“Chris Tibbs has 250,000 seagoing miles under his belt, so the book is written by an author who really knows and understands sailing. It explains the complexities of the weather using full and colour diagrams and illustrations and it’s remarkably jargon-free.” Boat Mart

Royal Yachting Association 2nd edition revised

9€

This book is essential background reading for anyone taking a VHF radio course. It covers all radio procedures from routine calls to urgency and distress and includes an explanation of the new GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System) requirements

Each of the knots described in this reference is clearly identified by category and step-by-step instructions and colour photographs explain how to tie or splice them. The author also includes information on ropes, their strengths and their uses. Price 9.50€