Open boat or dinghy cruising has held a perennial interest for a special type of sailor since yachting began. And in the 1970s the handy Drascombe Lugger was a great boat to be getting afloat and sailing off along the coast if not sometimes over the horizon. If you were lucky your best girl came too and that is the background of Ken Duxbury, ex Royal Navy (WWII) and ex wreck demolition expert, a yachtsman of the 1950s ilk who also took up writing and journalism. This book is republished by Lodestar and forms the trilogy of books Ken wrote about cruising the 18ft (5.5m) Drascombe Lugger Lugworm in the 1970s. The first part is sailing the Greek Islands, the second is sailing home to the UK and the third is sailing the Isles of Scilly and the Hebrides. It’s inspirational stuff and reading it is like hearing Ken telling it in the pub. Not just for the nautically minded, this is great travel writing in itself. Softback, Pub Lodestar, 2014, £16