The Unlikely Voyage of Jack De Crow: A Mirror Odyssey from North Wales to the Black Sea | 
| Author: A. J. Mackinnon
Publisher: Sheridan House
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 229842
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 1574091522
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.916336
EAN: 9781574091526
ASIN: 1574091522
Publication Date: May 2002
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Product Description
In 1998 Sandy Mackinnon set off from his home in England in a Mirror dinghy on what was supposed to be a one-week jaunt down the Severn river, only to find himself, one year later, sailing out onto the Black Sea. Simply by rowing and sailing in an open dinghy less than eleven feet in length, he crossed the English Channel, cruised across three thousand miles of rivers, canals and open sea, and through eleven countries, including war-torn Yugoslavia at a time of crisis. This book highlights his adventures during this unlikely journey, such as getting arrested by the River Police as he was being swept out on a night-tide under Westminster Bridge; meeting Michael Palin; being shipwrecked in a storm off the east coast of Britain; the solo crossing of the English Channel; being tear-gassed in the Budapest Metro; being trapped without funds in Serbia under threat of bombardment; he was even captured by Romanian river pirates in the Danube Delta. All this, plus 60 finely drawn pictures and maps, result in a book with a blend of high adventure, immeasurable charm and comedy.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
English eccentricity mixed with Aussie determination September 29, 2008
This veteran reader has come across many books in his time - books that deal with important subjects; books about important people; books that have increased his knowledge and understanding of the world, a few that have been plain dreadful and a penance to plough through, but every so often books that are unadulterated entertainment and an absolute pleasure.
The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow sits firmly in the final category. I did not want to put it down, and I was sorry when I turned the last page and realised there would be no more. End of story.
But what a story. A.J. (Sandy) Mackinnon, born in Australia, but with strong links to Britain, is teaching at a school in Shropshire, close to the Welsh border, when he decides that it is time to move on "not by the Inter-City 10.15 to Birmingham with a suitcase in each hand, not by a lift to the airport checking the whereabouts of my passport every three minutes....but like dear Doctor Doolittle, by sailing away in a jolly little galleon and seeing what I bumped into on the way."
The "jolly little galleon" was in fact a Mirror dinghy called Jack de Crow after a pet jackdaw, long since departed, which had in turn taken its name from the school's headmaster. Initially planning to take Jack down various canals and minor rivers to Gloucester near the mouth of the River Severn, Mackinnon just decides to keep going, cutting back across Britain to the Thames, then across the English Channel to France, Germany and through the heart of Europe and eventually to the Black Sea - 4900 kilometres in a tiny vessel more suited to a sunny afternoon on Lake Burley Griffin.
And what an adventure it was. Hardly ever out of sight of land he nevertheless encounters a succession of obstacles including obstructive lock keepers, stifling bureaucracy, drunken revellers, a burgeoning Balkan war and Danube River pirates. Forced to strip off and swim out to a wayward Jack swept downstream by floodwater on the River Vyrnwy in Shropshire he inevitably encounters a party of female canoeists as he is rowing back to his camp site with nothing but a trusty pith helmet (an essential part of his equipment until it is stolen somewhere in Germany) to cover his modesty.
Mackinnon is without doubt an eccentric and while the British are known for their love of them, the Europeans also embrace him. He is fortified by a throng of friends and acquaintances along the way, but several times damage which could easily have ended his voyage is repaired, usually without cost, by kindly strangers bemused and intrigued by this intrepid adventurer. Many times, wet, miserable, and in Serbia penniless and starving, he admits he is on the point of quitting, yet the new day somehow recharges his enthusiasm often simply by finding a warm, dry Laundromat where he can wash his clothes and write letters.
"An astonishing question kept insisting: why wasn't everyone doing exactly as I was? For there was no doubt about it: this was the most perfect occupation known to humankind."
The story is aided by its author being not just an adventurer, but an artist, philosopher and keen observer of the world around him. Details of birds in flight, the plants and animals of the riverbank work their way into his narrative, often with appropriate extracts from the great nature poets, Masefield, Keats, Wordsworth and so on. Anyone with an education that predates the computer age will delight in the classical references and there are moments in the journey painted so vividly one is almost inside the writer's head, sharing his experience completely.
One of my favourite passages among many comes as he is struggling to take Jack through London on the Thames at night and (illegally) without lights. Desperately dodging party boats and giant barges which had no hope of seeing him in the darkness he still has time to observe the Houses of Parliament, towering above him.
"As I passed, one youngish-looking man came to the window and stood staring out beyond the glass into the darkness over the Thames. He rested his forehead for a moment against the cool glass. He looked tired and a little glum, I thought, as though he longed to be away from that lit room, its secretes and its linenfold panelling. Perhaps he longed to be in a small sailing dinghy off to foreign parts on an outgoing tide under the stars."
Finally, I will commend this book for its illustrations, drawn by the author, which add greatly to the gentle humour of the narrative. Sandy Mackinnon is now on the staff of Geelong Grammar at its Timbertop campus in Australia. His students are fortunate to have such a teacher.
The right stuff of travel September 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A. J. Mackinnon writes like an eccentric Englishman, just perfect for this type of travel. Just imagine going out one afternoon with almost no preparation and embarking on an epic journey, really this is the stuff most of us would like to do, but can't for all the obvious reasons and now here A. J. Mackinnon has gone and done it and written it all up for us. Heck, maybe it might motivate you enough to have a go at it one day. Certainly A. J. Mackinnon can write in a way that is easy to relate to, though you can't help but be in awe of his intellect when it comes to a command of the english language, not to mention history, culture and all things worldly wise that we all should know....
Delightful! September 10, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I think a lot of us who sail in small boats have occasionally thought about getting in our boats and seeing just how far we could manage to sail. Sandy MacKinnon set out in a Mirror dinghy, thinking he just might be able to reach the channel.. and ended up in Eastern Europe!
Beside being a great adventurer, MacKinnon is a first-rate storyteller. He paints a vivid image of his adventures large and small, whether he's crossing the English Channel in his tiny open craft, or simply trying to navigate the shallow rivers that mad up a good part of his early journey. He has a knack for putting the reader into the boat with him, sharing his trials and triumphs alike.
If you own a small boat, have ever thought of owning a small boat, or if you're a fan of Swallows and Amazons, or even The Wind in the Willows, you'll love Sandy MacKinnon's real life adventure. As Toad of Toad Hall says, there is nothing quite as nice as simply messing about in boats- and few authors describe it better.
Best book I've read since Riddle of the Sands June 8, 2008
Sandy Mackinnon says it himself - 'I exaggerate, for effect'. I loved the description of the journey from small streams in the north to the tidal rivers of the south and the crossing over to France. It all rings true to my own much more limited experience of rivers and canals in small rowing boats and canoes. But this man is much more capable than you might think from a superficial reading of the book - I know this because I'm on my third reading and have no intention of leaving it there.
The only other book I've loved this much is Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers, in some ways the complete opposite of this book where the main character convincingly describes the skill and expertise of Davies, the owner of the small yacht Dulcibella. A J Mackinnon as a single-hander must write of his own journey himself, so to preserve modesty and to entertain the reader he presents himself as a bumbling amateur with little idea of how to row, sail or maintain his eleven foot boat, but he still gets to the Black Sea by way of rivers and canals that would challenge any experienced sailor. His self-deprecation mightn't fool me but I'm left feeling even more impressed by the journey he describes so well.
 " LOTS 'O' FUN " May 16, 2008
I'm not a sailor nor intend to be after reading this wonderful adventure book but, I love adventure stories especially true ones where someone goes off on their own and let's nature do what she will.
This book had me laughing out loud as I think our boy here bit off more then he could chew at the start . seemed like a good idea at the time I suppose : ) altho he did manage to become learned about the nautical jargon thru trial and error . buy it, borrow it ...have a laugh .
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