Anthony Edwards

Ex-yacht skipper Anthony Edwards entertains us with his experiences working on Thames steam tugs, which he joined at the age of 15, before 'Health and safety' had been invented. Like all new recruits, he started as Cook, but went onto working on deck until he left nearly 7 years later.

There was then a Eureka moment when he saw a film clip about Prince Phillip’s yacht Bloodhound. After that, he directed his energies into achieving the dream of sailing. He got a job as permanent crew on an ocean racer and later qualified as a yacht skipper at navigation school.

This was followed by his first ventures into skippering pleasure yachts. He brought the first one of these through the French canals to the Mediterranean and stayed there to skipper and charter future commands. It has been a longstanding ambition of his to record these events because of their improbable and humorous nature. 'Paid to Live the Dream' is the result.

Anthony Edwards was born in Gravesend, near London, but has lived in the South of France since 1975. After the events described in this book, he bought a run-down apartment in a hill village in the countryside North of Cannes as a pied à Terre.

He later sold this and bought a ruin on three acres of land near another Provençal hill village and eventually turned it into a self-sufficient organic smallholding.

After nine years there he moved to his present house, where he lives with his wife and thoroughly spoilt self-opinionated cat.

His blog contains photos relating to the book, and fills in with more information:

https://movingon111.wordpress.com