A Scotsman's Odyssey

Ian G. Macpherson, BSc 1958

Synopsis of A Scotsman’s Odyssey, Ian Macpherson’s sailing autobiography, tells how his interest in boating developed from early beginnings canoeing on the River Tay to sailing on ocean-going yachts. He learned basic seamanship in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and he learned to sail dinghies and yachts in the west of Scotland.For 21 years he sailed with young people as a first mate on large yachts with the Ocean Youth Club. He gradually widened his sailing experience and qualified as an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore.

He tells of memorable cruises to Skye, Jura, Harris, St. Kilda, the Isle of Man, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Greece, and the Netherlands. Of special interest is his account of the Ocean Youth Club’s World Voyage in 1995-96 with particular reference to Leg 7 from Sydney to Darwin on which he served as a mate.

From 1997-2000 he was the OYC Scottish Area Governor and tells of the building and commissioning of a new Scottish Area yacht, Alba Venturer. He sailed on the yacht as first mate on Tall Ships voyages to the Shetland Islands and to Brest. A chapter on his own yacht, Rum Runner, includes an eventful cruise from Largs to Coleraine in Northern Ireland and back by the Inner Hebrides.

Concluding chapters cover three cruises in the Dalmatian Islands of Croatia as the skipper of yachts he chartered, sailing in successive years out of Dubrovnik, Split and Zadar. In the final chapter he declares how much sailing has meant to him and pays tribute to the Ocean Youth Club (now Ocean Youth Trust Scotland) which helped him to develop his seamanship and gave him the confidence to sail beyond his native shores.

ISBN: 978-1-913567-16-3