I’m re-reading Eric Hiscock's Wandering Under Sail. A few years ago my old and treasured copy disappeared over the horizon with a cruising friend and it wasn’t until recently that I got a replacement through Amazon. com.

This was Hiscock’s first book, written in the 1930’s and is quite different from the later accounts of Eric and Susan Hiscock’s 50 years of cruising and circumnavigations. It’s a delightful story of a completely inexperienced young solo sailor who began “wandering” in an 18 ft, 1898 vintage sloop, the first of many "Wanderer"s. His first efforts were punctuated by groundings, falls overboard and all the errors of optimistic youth. Despite his inexperience he singlehanded his little boat along the difficult coast of England, learning from his mistakes.

"Wanderer II" was a bigger 20’ LOD cutter, built to Hiscock’s specs, very simple,rugged, easy to sail, and again engineless. Sailing Wanderer II, his skills grow, mostly through trial and error. He tells the story in clear but literate language that is a joy to read; matter-of-fact but intimate. It was a different world that he sailed in, one where a singlehander routinely worked sail and rig with only the most basic advantages. No winches, no radio, and always with the understanding that he was on his own, by choice and by custom.

With casual precision,Hiscock navigated the currents, shoals, and the miserable weather of the British Isles. his descriptions are captivating, defining for me real meaning of seamanship. It’s humbling, too, to see this level of sea awareness in action and it reminds me that sailing is most beautiful when it is most simple and most personal.