WALKING ON WATER – Geoff Holt. Published in paperback by Seafarer Books [www.seafarerbooks.com] at £9.95 / $19.95. 376 pages, 16 of them photographs. ISBN 9-7819-0626-609-7 (UK), 9-7815-7409-276-9 (US)

When our editor asked me to review this book she said: "It’s not really about ocean sailing, but take a look at it and see what you think....". The reality is that Geoff Holt’s story makes the average ocean passage look like a walk in the park.

On 5 September 1984, 18 year old Geoff Holt dived into the sea, hit his head on the sand and broke his neck. The accident left him completely paralysed from the chest down, facing the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Twenty-three years later to the day, on 5 September 2007, Geoff crossed the finishing line of what he had called his ‘Personal Everest’. He had sailed 1500 miles singlehanded around Great Britain.

Walking on Water is subtitled A voyage around Britain and through life, and Geoff uses his greatest sailing achievement as a framework for the story of his life. He tells of his humble beginnings and complicated childhood; how he walked out of school at the age of sixteen to become a professional yachtsman; how the accident two years later changed his life forever; how he spent many months in hospital and fell in love with his nurse, Elaine, now his wife of twenty years; how against all the odds he carved out a successful business career; and how he helped to found a national charity, RYA Sailability, which provides opportunities for thousands of disabled sailors each year.

When Geoff Holt broke his neck it was clear that he would never walk again, but his optimism, determination and perseverance are a lesson to us all. Barely capable of lifting his arms, and completely paralysed from the chest down, Geoff was quick to exploit every technology to his advantage. Overcoming pain, frustration and prejudice he trained himself in computer skills, and within five years had not only gained employment but was in charge of a marketing department for an international firm of accountants. Later he gained an Honours Degree in Fine Art Valuation, and is now a qualified auctioneer.

In 1997 Geoff sailed his 15ft Challenger trimaran around the Isle of Wight, setting a new record for disabled sailing. Then during the appalling summer of 2007 he sailed 1500 miles around Britain, in 51 stages over four months, supported by an impressive team of helpers who drove a Landrover and a motorhome, and followed him on the water in a RIB. With the weather almost continually against them the going was tough, and one feels exhausted just reading about their problems. A four hour watch on a cruising boat in bad weather can be unpleasant – imagine clawing to windward for eight hours in an open trimaran. Geoff had to wear a drysuit, helmet and visor to have any chance of keeping dry.

Why do some people feel the need to push themselves to their limit? For Geoff Holt, it clearly has much to do with his realistic attitude – that bad things don’t happen for a reason, they happen as a result of human error or sheer back luck. Then one has a choice: to rise above the situation or let it crush you. Geoff hasn’t just risen above it – he’s triumphed. But he could never have achieved what he has without the devoted care of his wife Elaine, something he is very aware of and mentions frequently. At only 5ft (Geoff is 6ft 3in) all the lifting must be especially tiring, and Elaine emerges from this book as an icon for the many thousands of carers everywhere, all of whom deserve more recognition.

This remarkable book – typed with just one finger in its first draft – is something Geoff Holt can be justly proud of. The chapters jump to and fro from his childhood to the Round Britain voyage and back, which is mildly distracting, but that’s a minor quibble. As the publicity information says, Geoff’s story is ‘a powerful affirmation of the potential of the human spirit’. Highly recommended.

EHMH