John Quirk – författare

Based on a series of highly popular articles written for Classic Boatmagazine, this witty collection dwells on the scrapes people getthemselves into when building and sailing boats of all descriptions.Most sailors will find something to relate to in the escapades and fauxpas detailed here, and the stories will undoubtedly bring a wry smileto any boater''s lips. John Quirk''s terrifically witty cartoons helpbring these anecdotes to life.Some quotes from the book:Her jeans fitted like the fuzz on a peach.With the horror of watching a hedgehog run amok in a condom factory.With the ship sinking beneath us, the owner frantically fumbled through the warranty.We hit the dining room with the etiquette of escaped lab rats.''Quirky is the sea-going version of Bill Bryson and Jeremy Clarkson - and he draws better!'' - Dan Houston, Editor of Classic Boat

Based on a series of highly popular articles written for Classic Boat magazine, this witty collection dwells on the scrapes people get themselves into when building and sailing boats of all descriptions. Most sailors will find something to relate to in the escapades and faux pas detailed here, and the stories will undoubtedly bring a wry smile to any boater''s lips. John Quirk''s terrifically witty cartoons help bring these anecdotes to life.Some quotes from the book:Her jeans fitted like the fuzz on a peach.With the horror of watching a hedgehog run amok in a condom factory.With the ship sinking beneath us, the owner frantically fumbled through the warranty.We hit the dining room with the etiquette of escaped lab rats.''Quirky is the sea-going version of Bill Bryson and Jeremy Clarkson - and he draws better!'' - Dan Houston, Editor of Classic Boat

John Quirk loves history, drawing and boats and these three elements come together in this attractive and entertaining book. He has sought out obscure episodes or familiar events from the past and written engagingly about them, illustrated with his excellent colour cartoons.Where possible he relates the historical happenings and maritime moments to the present day, be it when tracing the history of the screw, misinformation (fake news) during the Second World War, plague ships in the fourteenth century, or Russia’s ill-fated war with Japan in 1904.The events covered range from Henry V’s invasion of France in 1415, consisting mainly of chartered French ships and paid for partially by Dick Whittington, to episodes in the Second World War, like the Somali Camel Corps capturing a German U-boat.Other historic figures involved include Horatio Nelson, Napoleon, Rudolf Diesel and Lawrence of Arabia.The 25 stories and over 100 cartoons are a treasure-trove of compelling, salt-infused, tales told with imagination and humour, with an eye on the present day, which will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in maritime history (or even just history).