Trimming the Sails

<p><span style=color: rgba(91 91 61 1)>Don and Jeanne Pickers South African farmers had no sailing experience when Don built a 40 ft catamaran for their daughter Kathi's scuba diving business. Tragically Kathi died as the yacht was nearing completion. Facing political turmoil and violence in South Africa they named the yacht Katrine in her memory and used it to escape.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(91 91 61 1)>The worst storm in 25 years off the African coast was their baptism of fire and 9/11 changed their route from the Mediterranean to sailing east to Southeast Asia. They were caught in the tsunami in Thailand and were involved in an island community's recovery. While learning to sail across the oceans and through the adventures they experienced Jeanne writes letters to her daughter. It's a way she copes with her grief and talking to her as she did when she was alive helps her to find meaning in her new way of life.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(91 91 61 1)> </span></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(91 91 61 1)>Jeanne Pickers</strong><span style=color: rgba(91 91 61 1)> was born and raised in South Africa where she lived for 50 years. After completing her schooling she trained as a nurse and later married a farmer embracing the challenges of farm life. Her first book </span><em style=color: rgba(91 91 61 1)>One Settler One Bullet</em><span style=color: rgba(91 91 61 1)> is a vivid account of her family life on the land and the extraordinary project of building a 40ft catamaran Katrine. Her second </span><em style=color: rgba(91 91 61 1)>Trimming the Sails</em><span style=color: rgba(91 91 61 1)> continues the story chronicling her transition from rural South Africa to life on the sea and her journey through grief after the loss of her daughter. Jeanne has had numerous articles and stories published in different international magazines including a prize winning feature on trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal. Now retired Jeanne lives in Australia with her husband two of her children and five grandchildren where she continues to write.</span></p><p></p><p></p>