The Baby Boat: Alternative Edition

By Karen Cross

A tale of adventure, love and life at sea.

NOTE: This Alternative Edition features all photographs in black and white, with the same text and page layout as the original.

The 1970's was a time when there were no GPS's; no computers; no communication via VHF or SSB radios and satellite phones; no access to weather forecasts; no emergency position indicating radio beacons; no lightweight small-boat refrigeration; no water makers; no disposable baby nappies: no yellow margarine and only limited dehydrated foods. And this was the time when a young Johannesburg couple fulfilled their dream adventure, embarking on a 27 000 nautical mile voyage, in a 25 foot Vertue Class yacht.

This is a story of survival at sea, a husband's resourcefulness in the face of huge difficulties, running out of food and water and an amazing reunion with the author's Danish roots. It reaches a climax when they have a baby and decide to return to South Africa from England when he was just four months old. The wooden sloop's voyage of 27,000 nautical sea miles concluded, with the return to South African shores after a 53 day passage in the Southern Ocean.

"An amazing voyage and a great adventure completed successfully by this young couple in the early 1970's. A journey undertaken with incredible grit, determination and faith."
Roger Robinson of VertueYachts.com

"Their passage from Rio to Cape Town through the Southern Ocean with a lively baby in tow must be ranked as one of the greatest Vertue sailing stories ever told."
Graham Cox, Author of 'Last Days of the Slocum Era'

"The vividness of Karen's writing transports the reader to the open sea, allowing you to almost feel the wind and waves as you journey with them."
The Cape Times

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FJXF8DDH
• ISBN13: 9798293710102
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 392 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"