Winter in Fireland : A Patagonian Sailing Adventure

After tough assignments as a Canadian diplomat abroad, Nicholas Coghlan and his wife Jenny unwind by sailing Bosun Bird, a 27ft sailboat, from Cape Town, South Africa, across the South Atlantic and into the stormy winter waters around Tierra del Fuego, South America. Coghlan recounts earlier adventures in Patagonia when, taking time off from his job as a schoolteacher in Buenos Aires in the late 1970s, he and Jenny explored the region of southern Argentina and Chile over three successive summers. This time, as they negotiate the labyrinth of channels and inlets around snow-covered Fireland, he reflects on voyages of past explorers: Magellan, Cook, Darwin, and others. Sailing enthusiasts and readers of true adventures will want to add Coghlan's world-wise narrative to their libraries.

Nicholas Coghlan and his wife, jenny, sailed around the world on their first boat, Tarka the Otter, between 1985 and 1989. Upon return, he joined the Canadian Foreign Service and has written books about two of his postings. Following the adventure described in Winter in Fireland, Coghlan accepted a two-year posting as Deputy High Commissioner in Pakistan. Now, he and Jenny are living aboard Bosun Bird somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.