Blink Book Review: "A Marriage at Sea" by Sophie Elmhirst

If you’ve ever considered trying to sail around the world with only your spouse, this book may make you reconsider.

I discovered this book as a frequent listener to the NY Times and NPR book review podcasts. I heard the author interviewed twice within a couple of days and was intrigued (a good British accent will always draw me in).

The premise of the book revolves around an oddly matched young English couple, Maurice and Maralyn Bailey, They have a dream in 1972 to sail from England to New Zealand with no directional or radio transmission devices, save a basic compass and sextant.

While the story line follows the couple’s process to plan the trip, build the boat, set sail, get smashed by a whale and drift in the Pacific Ocean for 117 days, what I found most interesting was how the author integrated the couple’s marriage story into the sailing adventure story.

Since both Maralyn and Maurice have died, the author relied on interviews with people who had known them, transcripts, broadcast archives, news stories and journals to weave together the book. The author’s narrative overlays the facts of the voyage with the human side of how their personalities, strengths and quirks impact both their marriage and their travel and survival strategies.

Maurice was the more studious of the two spending hours poring over maps, navigational options and reference books. Maralyn was the practical one who also served as the cheerleader keeping Maurice’s spirits up during their time adrift. The author adroitly weaves both of their perspectives into almost every situation in the book.

I listened to this book in a couple of days. It’s easy to follow and the writing is fun to listen to. But it did nothing to inspire me to desire an adventure such as this!