Not Another Day

Please note: This book is a print-on-demand title and will only be printed on receipt of your payment. Printing will take approximately 3-4 working days.

Not Another Day is a sailing book, that’s not about sailing. You don’t need to know or care about the proper use of a boat hook to enjoy every twist and turn of this yarn. Born at Cape Point Lighthouse in South Africa, the author lived an idyllic life of freedom before being forced into the city for schooling. We are taken on his personal quest to break free from the city life, which he realizes is literally killing him. We follow him as he fights his inherent fear of the ocean and a deeply rooted lack of confidence, until, in a dramatic and defining moment, he breaks the chains of his self-imposed prison.

Things do not go as planned.

What follows is a series of wild ocean adventures, each one its own perfect storm of incidents and revelations. We cross the Atlantic Ocean to St Helena and Ascension Island, are tossed into an adventure along the Wild Coast of South Africa, so extreme, it almost ends in tragedy. What should be a routine road trip back home with his good friend turns into a dystopian nightmare. Finally, we are led on a round trip across the Atlantic to South America on a boat made of stone.

This is no ordinary mariner’s tale; this is no ordinary memoir.

Reviews

A life well-lived. A story well told.

I’ve read a bunch of sailing memoirs including many of those Ben mentions in his book, in fact, but few have had me turning the pages quite as avidly as this one. Not Another Day is a ripping good yarn–and an inspiring one, at that. At its heart, though, it’s not really a sailing story at all. It’s an ode to adventure. And much more: to heeding the inner call to living one’s best life. It’s a candid tale about grit, authenticity, and about being fully present in this great, wide, wonderful world.
– Dominique le Roux – Reader, writer, publisher, and lover of the Great Outdoors.

Ben sent me a copy of his book Not Another Day and asked me if I would read it and offer my thoughts on it. Even though I am not a yachtsman/woman, Ben’s writing style grabbed me enough to read it through in one go. He has a way of capturing the reader with his honesty, sharing his shortcomings and challenges. For me, having completely different interests, it says a great deal that I read it and enjoyed it to the very end. I found it inspiring and exciting, and if I was younger, I would certainly want to try something like that. I think you will find ‘Not Another Day’ a most interesting read.
– Emmalen Kriel – Author of ‘Close the Door Softly Behind You’ and ‘Jam Every Other Day’.

Loved the book, read it in two days. Enjoyed the style of writing and turn of phrase – keeps the reader interested. One can relate to his emotional journey – appreciated the sharing of anxieties, the highs, and lows! Yet he does not go on and on about this – leaves it to the reader. The sailing accounts were fascinating, both scary and informative (especially to the non-sailor) Did not go overboard (no pun intended) with details but gave enough to sketch the actual immensity of the undertaking.
– Carol Van Niekerk – Book club reviewer.

Written with delightful humour and vulnerable honesty of those crux points in life of ‘not. one. more. day!’ when we bravely step into the unknown with no path laid out neatly ahead, on blind faith with inner guidance alone. Few authors have the gift to write in such a way that words wash over and touch your very soul. Where the world disappears and you’re catapulted into life experiences as if they’re your own, touching familiar places of courage, misery, self-doubt, the indescribable beauty of ‘home’, love and the soaring freedom of life’s adventures, joy and success. A book not to be missed. A promised enjoyable read.
– Jennifer Jen from Northland, New Zealand.

Not Another Day, by Ben Swanepoel, is more than a sailing novel and will appeal to sailors and non-sailors alike. Anchored through a series of page-turning ocean sailing adventures, Ben paints a picture of a young man growing up sailing and surfing along South Africa’s coast while navigating life changing decisions. This first novel by Ben will definitely leave you wanting more.
– Sean McNamara from Cairns, Australia

Through three trips in the Ocean (that don’t go as planned), we follow the growth of a young man as he sails away from an unwanted lifestyle to satisfy his curiosity and overcome his insecurities, finding a balance between love for adventure and his loved ones. An exciting and honest memoir that will be interesting, even for those who are not into sailing.
– Janina Bokova – Latvia

If you haven’t purchased a copy of Ben’s first book Oman Oracles, Buy it here!

Preview pages

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