The Hereford Times

Rosie's on the crest of a wave

12:25pm Thursday 24th April 2008

THE call of the high seas proved irresistible eight years ago when Rosie Austen was offered the chance to sail around the world.

Throwing caution to the wind, she took early retirement from her job running an alternative therapies school and set off from Falmouth on an adventure that was to last four years and provide her with the material for a book she has recently published, based on her experience.

“I’d always done spontaneous, off-the-wall things, so when my then partner invited me to circumnavigate the globe with him, I didn’t have to think too hard before saying yes.” Increasing levels of bureacracy in the part of her job that involved teaching in council-run colleges were already making her think about change, so the invitation couldn’t have come at a more opportune moment.

Sadly, the relationship didn’t survive the trip, and Rosie jumped ship in Jamaica after four years at sea.

“But I had had such a brilliant time – one of the most memorable moments was entering New York harbour under sail. We left just a week before the attacks on the World Trade Center.” Along the way there was dancing in Cuba, a trek to the Angel Falls and “drifting in idyllic conditions around the Caribbean islands”.

The experience left such a mark on Rosie that she felt compelled to write her novel, Sunset Breezer, based on this once-in-a-lifetime trip. In the book, a talisman is passed between a cast of characters on similar journeys, linking their emotional and physical experiences.

Having written and published this one, Rosie is thinking about putting pen to paper again, possibly using characters featured in Sunset Breezer. “But I don’t know when I’ll start,” she admits. “I’m a completely undisciplined writer.” Since Sunset Breezer was originally published, it has attracted interest from the yachting world, with Rosie already booked for signings at Southampton Boat Show, which runs from September 12-21, and a commitment from one of the biggest names in the maritime world to feature the book on their website.

Having started life as a print-on-demand title, Sunset Breezer has also been picked up by a small publishing company, TQWM Press, which specialises in women’s fiction. The book, priced £8.50, is available from amazon.co.uk