Publisher Description

Mick Dawson tells the story of kayaking around the Falkland Islands with friend and fellow Royal Marines veteran Steve Grenham, who was struggling to cope with the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the extraordinary tale of his 2,500-mile voyage in a rowing boat with his friend and former Royal Marine Commando Steve 'Sparky' Sparkes, who was not only a rowing novice, but also blind.



Sparky and Mick succeeded in rowing across the finish line after a truly epic voyage of over 2,500 miles from Monterey Bay in California to Waikiki, Hawaii. They'd hoped to break the record for a two-man rowboat and finish in less than fifty-five days, but a hurricane interfered with their plans. It took them eighty-two days, sixteen hours and fifty-four minutes to complete the race, but it was an even greater achievement for that, and Sparky became the first visually impaired person to row across the Pacific.



The race with Sparky was the second expedition of an organisation Mick had set up a few years earlier, The Cockleshell Endeavour, designed to help another former Royal Marine and friend, Steve Grenham, by kayaking with him around the Falklands, where both former commandos served during the 1982 conflict with Argentina.

Flap

Steve Grenham and Steve 'Sparky' Sparkes are both former Royal Marines who had been badly let down by the system put in place to support veterans struggling with physical and mental health issues. Fellow former Royal Marine Mick Dawson felt an ocean adventure could help both men. He was right, but he had no idea how life-changing those ocean adventures would become - for all three of them. Mick tells the stories of not one, but two epic ocean adventures: in the first, in an attempt to help Steve Grenham overcome the debilitating impact of post-traumatic stress disorder, he kayaks with him around East Falkland, where both men had served during the 1982 war with Argentina. In the second, he partners Sparky, also a Falklands veteran as he set out to become the first blind man to row the Pacific Ocean; in a 2,500-mile rowing race from Monterey in California to Waikiki in Hawaii. Steve Grenham had never kayaked before; Sparky is not only blind; he was also a rowing novice. Sparky and Mick had hoped to break the fifty-six-day record for a two-man rowing boat reaching Hawaii from California. This would also earn Sparky a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first blind person to row the Pacific . It was never going to be easy but they had no idea just how hard it would become as the Pacific Ocean conspired against them every step of the way, ultimately threatening their very survival let alone the successful completion of their voyage. These are very moving stories, well told, of remarkable men, helping each other to achieve seemingly impossible goals. They are also stories which create a timely reminder of the ongoing support society owes to it's service personnel dealing with physical and mental health issues.

Author Biography

MICK DAWSON is a former Royal Marines Commando, now a sailor, motivational speaker and adventurer. He saw active service in the Falklands War at the age of seventeen and then again in the Middle East. Following on from his military career he pursued his lifelong passion for the ocean. Mick became a professional sailor and then one of the most experienced and successful ocean rowers in the world.

Long Description

The stories of two veterans - one traumatised, one blind - who rediscover themselves with the help of a friend in the course of two epic ocean adventures, kayaking around the Falklands and rowing across the Pacific. Mick Dawson tells the story of kayaking around the Falkland Islands with friend and fellow Royal Marines veteran Steve Grenham, who was struggling to cope with the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the extraordinary tale of his 2,500-mile voyage in a rowing boat with his friend and former Royal Marine Commando Steve 'Sparky' Sparkes, who was not only a rowing novice, but also blind. Sparky and Mick succeeded in rowing across the finish line after a truly epic voyage of over 2,500 miles from Monterey Bay in California to Waikiki, Hawaii. They'd hoped to break the record for a two-man rowboat and finish in less than fifty-five days, but a hurricane interfered with their plans. It took them eighty-two days, sixteen hours and fifty-four minutes to complete the race, but it was an even greater achievement for that, and Sparky became the first visually impaired person to row across the Pacific.The race with Sparky was the second expedition of an organisation Mick had set up a few years earlier, The Cockleshell Endeavour, designed to help another former Royal Marine and friend, Steve Grenham, by kayaking with him around the Falklands, where both former commandos served during the 1982 conflict with Argentina.

Review Quote

An excellent read and one that will be enjoyed by all. It provides a great perspective on the human condition. The reader shares Mick's journey through every arduous challenge and specifically what Mick and Sparky had to endure crossing the Pacific. I know first-hand how humble and modest Mick is and how Mick and Sparky exemplify the attributes of excellence and of the Royal Marines (spirit, courage, determination, unselfishness and cheerfulness in the face of adversity). I am proud to play my small part in this adventure and grateful to see what a significant impact Mick and Sparky have had on the lives of veterans and in society as a whole, particularly those with visual impairment like my own father.Mick Dawson's second book is a tour de force bringing together the macro that is the history of the Falklands war with the micro that is three men's personal stories with their highs and lows shared frankly and intimately. He powerfully captures what it means to be a Royal Marine in both war and peace, and how the Royal Marines mindset - first to understand, first to respond, first to adapt, first to overcome - has helped Mick and the two Steves win their battles in and out of the water. Mick helps us really jump into the vessels and sit where they sat, sensing a little of the tension, despair, challenge to fight or flight, and exhilaration that these challenges have brought. In doing this he challenges us while we sit comfortably in our armchairs to reflect on our own lives, which "hang daily on the tightrope between disaster and success if we analyse them closely enough", urging us to get up and face our own battles. The indomitable brotherhood that is the Royal Marines is powerfully portrayed, a bond which holds men together over decades as a result of shared training and operations, underpinned by a total trust in your oppo to get you through - and never leave you behind.Mick Dawson's gripping Never Leave A Man Behind , effectively two adventure stories for the price of one, can be justifiably described as "unputdownable". Dawson is a man you would want on your side, whether in battle or tackling waves as high as houses should you ever consider rowing the Pacific. - Sports Book of the Month

Promotional "Headline"

The stories of two veterans - one traumatised, one blind - who rediscover themselves with the help of a friend in the course of two epic ocean adventures, kayaking around the Falklands and rowing across the Pacific.

Details