Tranquila Darling

When the lightbulb suddenly came on in Andy Shaw's shrivelled brain it took him three minutes to find the advert, three hours to find the boat, and three weeks to actually own it and sail away. This was the beginning of an eighteen year voyage of love, pain, joy, fear, and ultimately freedom aboard the Atlantic Power Ketch "My Fair Lady".

This journey would not have happened without the total support and love of his new wife, Cheralie, a Devon maid from Torquay who loves horses, dogs, laughter and wine.

"Tranquila Darling" traces the first six years of this self-healing adventure as Andy comes to terms with the devastating effects of war and deep personal pain. The learning curve was steep and the margins for error negligible, but through rain, hail, gales, snow, and sometimes shine, Andy and Cheralie persevered in their search for their version of paradise, which they finally found in the Balearic sub-tropical island of Formentera.

This is not a book about sailing, per se, but one of learning opportunities, born of a necessity to rediscover a meaningful purpose in life, and a solution to a hideous nightmare. Andy's salvation is entirely due to Cheralie, "My Fair Lady", and a large portion of luck.