Book description
A Child of the Sea is the true story of Jimmy Cornell's daughter
sailing around the world on the family's small yacht from the age of 7
to 14, based on Doina's diaries, letters and memories. From 1975 to 1981
the Cornell family visited 54 countries, sailed more than 68,000 miles,
and travelled about the same distance overland. The story is told from
Doina's point of view, although the main part of the book focuses on the
family's three-year stay in the Pacific when she is aged between 10 and
13. Child of the Sea is unusual in that it gives a glimpse into a life
that most young children couldn't imagine, swimming, diving and playing
the days away in deserted anchorages; visiting some of the most
beautiful islands in the world; falling in love with the sea in all its
ever-changing moods, from balmy trade wind ocean passages to the
treacherous breakers that crash onto tropical reefs, and taking a full
part in sailing and handling the yacht on passage. The book also tells
the story of a girl's coming of age in the South Pacific, understanding
different cultures and values, and experiencing at first-hand how people
judge each other depending on the colour of their skin - from the time
on Easter Island when tourists mistake Doina for a Polynesian girl, to
her and her brother's hostile prejudiced reception back in an English
school at the end of their journey. What do children need to grow up
happy and healthy? Security with their family; an element of risk;
freedom to explore the world; openness to other peoples and cultures;
closeness with nature and the elements and an appreciation of the
environment and our finite resources. The sailing life offers all this
and more, and this book captures it all.
