By Emma Bamford
Published by Adlard Coles Nautical, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc 310 pages paperback $15
Untie the Lines Setting sail and breaking free
Our introduction to author, journalist and sailor Emma Bamford was her first book, Casting Off (our review is archived at windcheckmagazine.com). Her ‘fairly normal life’ as a reporter in London was boring, working 80 hours a week was stressful, and her love life was non-existent. Answering a ‘crew wanted’ ad on the internet, she decided to take a break from her career and booked a one-way flight to Borneo to live on a boat with a man she’d never met.
Picking up where Casting Off left off, Untie the Lines finds Emma in love with Guy, a handsome sailor she’d met in Casting Off. They’re living on a yacht in Malaysia and planning to sail to exotic locations around the globe together. As they sail to ports in Asia, America and the Caribbean, she sets aside the recollections of things that didn’t quite work out the last time and tells herself this time will be different. Sometimes, however, ‘living the dream’ can exact a high price, and the author is eventually forced to return to her old, fast-paced life in the UK. She provides a frank account of her struggles with anxiety and panic attacks and dealing with a nervous breakdown as she tries to strike a balance between head and heart. Beautifully crafted and often humorous, Untie the Lines is an emotionally honest story about the importance of being true to one’s self.
A resident of Derbyshire, England, Emma Bamford has worked at The Independent, Daily Express and the i newspaper, and she is currently Deputy Editor of Sailing Today magazine. Her entertaining blog can found at emmabamford.com. ■
