In Darwin's Wake: Revisiting Beagle's South American Anchorages - Hardcover

John Campbell has been messing about in boats since he was eight years old. He and his wife Lana met on board a brigatine in the Virgin Islands in 1975 and have been sailing together ever since. They built their own boat in England and sailed it to the West Indies, where they cruised for several years. For the last fifteen years they have run other people's boats for them and when not at sea live in a 250-year-old cottage in Mallorca, Spain.

...an engaging tale of adventure....Sailors, armchair travelers and readers interested in history will enjoy this book. (Publishers Weekly)

Campbell follows the wake of the square-rigger BEAGLE and its most famous passenger, naturalist Charles Darwin. Sailing on his 83-foot ketch, Campbell covers the same ground off the South American Coast as Darwin, finding some things changed and some of the same. A personal reflection, the book is also a practical cruising guide to a challenging sailing region. (Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal)

Sailing around Cape Horn, the island at the tip of South America is one of the pinnacles of the sailing life. The weather in those southern latitudes can be fierce and unpredictable and the long voyage into remote areas, which was once a major route for shipping, is undertaken by few today. When John Campbell and his wife Lana signed on as captain and first mate aboard the 83 foot yacht THALASSI, the owner had planned a circumnavigation of South America. The Campbells realized that they would be retracing much of the route followed by the BEAGLE on the voyage which was made famous by Charles Darwin. The opportunity to compare Darwin's observations and description from 150 years earlier was undeniable, and this book is the result. The book is well written and has many good photos. The places visited and the details of the voyage are at times fascinating. Its merit lies in the vicarious experience of such a voyage that few of us will even have the opportunity to make or even want to undertake. (Coastal Cruising)