Mistress and Commander: High Jinks, High Seas and Highlanders

by Amelia Dalton

Weary of her Yorkshire county life of grouse moors and hunt balls, Amelia Dalton threw herself instead into converting a deep sea trawler into a holiday cruiser. Unprepared by her background, she had to deal with the closed community of fishermen in NE Scotland in the '90s, negotiate red tape, oversee shipyards and deal with engineers, while coping with demanding shareholders and wayward employees. What began as a love affair with the romance of the sea became a battle to stay afloat – financially and literally. This is a lively account of an adventure like no other – and a voyage of self-discovery.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nautical

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 18, 2017

Reviews

[Liz Mckay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable journey and a great read

[Sophy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just okay in my opinion. The synopsis of the story made this tale sound much more daring and convoluted than it actually was. Upshot is, she is in an unhappy marriage and bored by high society and money people (lucky her!), she gets a big ol' fishing boat, turns it into a charter ship to take tourists round the Scottish waters mostly. The boat is a bit dodgy, people are initially wary of her, then they warm to her and she gets to know the technical workings of the boat. We don't get to find out much about her otherwise. The writing feels a little flimsy and superficial for my liking and the details of boaty technical stuff (particularly talk of pink boat fuel) become a little monotonous after a while. I would give it a miss unless you want to become proficient in boat maintenance.

[Laura (Reading is a Doing Word) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable account of Amelia turning her hand to running an expedition boat after a personal tragedy.

[Lilias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully atmospheric, that is the Scotland I love. What a courageous lady!

[Taran Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amelia Dalton’s memoir about her time running, captaining and living on the Monaco is a fantastic gift for anyone with a love of travel, the west coast of Scotland and drunk highlanders. I enjoyed every page!