Painted Ocean

The Caxton Press , Christchurch 1961/1962

The opportunity to cross the oceans in small sailing craft is not given to many men - and rarely more than once. Some jump at the few chances offering but most must be content to sail the seas from the fireside. Neill Arrow took his chance with Miru. In a long and often arduous voyage across the Pacific he formed opinions of his own as to how such an expedition should be conducted. And when, after limping home to New Zealand the main chance came, he jumped at it. His skippering of the 30 foot ketch Taihoa in one of the most hazardous ocean yacht races in the yachtsman's calendar left little to be desired and victory was well deserved. Where other sailors before him have confined their stories to the sea and their craft, Arrow tells the story of the people as well as the passage - and his people are as variable as the weather. This, then, is more than the story of two yachts and two oceans - and it is told with considerable zest and a bright sense of humour...