The cruise of the Nona The story of a cruise from Holyhead to the Wash, with reflections and judgments on life and letters, men and manners

About the book

Belloc's account follows a cruise in the Nona from Holyhead toward the Wash, but the route is only one of the book's organizing principles. Winds, tides, anchorages, navigation, and the habits of a small vessel repeatedly open into reflections on history, literature, friendship, judgment, and the passage of time. The practical sailor and the opinionated essayist occupy the same voice, so that an immediate nautical problem may lead to a recollection or an argument far from the boat. Affection for particular places coexists with a strong awareness of loss and the limits of human plans. The book invites readers to follow these digressions as part of the voyage, accepting changes of thought much as the sailor responds to changing conditions.

• Seafaring
• Memory and loss
• Independent judgment

Why read it

Read it for a sailing narrative whose digressions make the voyage a form of extended personal conversation.

English text