Book excerpt: Buying a 42' ferro-cement boat for £1500 and what started as a retort to a wind-up led to the adventure of a lifetime. RYA Yachtmaster Max Liberson had been drawn to the sea all his life, but it was the chance acquisition of a yacht that apparently only he could see the potential of that allowed him to fulfil a dream. What followed was a true story of ingenuity, persistence and more anecdotal tales of woe than most sailors would want to admit to as their own. For anyone aiming to make a similar voyage, the story goes into detail of his plans beforehand and the many pitfalls and triumphs he encountered on his 9-month round trip from Battlesbridge in Essex over to the Carribean.