Imperator Publishing

A Family Outing in the Atlantic by Jill Dickin Schinas

Twenty years ago, a young woman took some time out from her usual way of life to embark on the journey of a lifetime : an Atlantic crossing. Within a few weeks she would be back at her desk; that was the plan. But as it happened, she is still out there now.

A Family Outing in the Atlantic is much more than a travelogue. It is the story of one woman’s transition from home-loving weekend sailor to ocean going hobo, long-term liveaboard – and Mum. Woven between the tales of ocean storms, shoaling turtles, and West African natives in grass skirts is a vivid picture of an alternative and very independent lifestyle.

Two Gulls and a Girl by Roxanne Schinas

If she had been born into a conventionally minded family, living in a house in an ordinary English town, Roxanne Schinas would never have had the chance to write her book. But as it is she happened to be born to a pair of eccentrics, living on a yacht and travelling wherever the whim and the wind take them. She has never been to school, and while other girls and boys spend their days sitting at a desk, 10 year old Roxanne spends hers exploring the world – and, in particular, the world of nature.

Like the young Gerald Durrell, Roxanne Schinas is forever acquiring insects and other animals to study. At the age of eight, she won the RSPB’s Nature Diary Competition in the 8 – 12 year old category with her observations of the insect life inhabiting a patch of waste between two tower blocks.

Two Gulls and a Girl  describes events in a seagull colony, from the day when the first egg was laid through till the time when the gulls had all fledged. Running parallel with this tale is the story of two gulls which Roxanne brought home to the boat and hand-reared, one from a chick and the other from an egg.

This work is no childish offering. The author’s fascination with nature and her diligent attempts to study and understand the behaviour of the gulls place it on a par with the work of professionals. In the words of Richard Williamson, who wrote the foreword, Roxanne’s book “is quite remarkable … [and is] compelling because her enthusiasm is compelling.”