Hancock, Brian 1957(?)-

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1957 in South Africa; children: one daughter.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Marblehead, MA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Nomad Press, 2456 Christian St., White River Junction, VT 05001.

CAREER:

Sailmaker and racing yacht sailor, 1981—. Whitbread Round the World race competitor, including 1981, aboard Alaska Eagle (U.S.A.), 1985, aboard Drum (United Kingdom), and 1989, aboard Fazisi (Soviet Union); writer on sailing topics.

WRITINGS:

Spindrift: True Tales from Scattered Parts of the Planet, self-published, c. 2000, revised and expanded edition published as The Risk in Being Alive: One Man's Adventures across the Planet, Nomad Press (White River Junction, VT), 2003.

Maximum Sail Power: The Definitive Guide to Sails, Sail Technology, and Performance, Nomad Press (White River Junction, VT), 2004.

Contributor to boating magazines, including Sailing and Blue Water Sailor.

SIDELIGHTS:

As a youngster growing up in South Africa, Brian Hancock dreamed of sailing around the world. Hancock has achieved that goal on multiple occasions as a member of Whitbread Round the World racing yacht crews and on other long-distance sailing trips both team and solo. Hancock is also a sailmaker and a storyteller who is able to turn his ocean-going adventures into books and speeches. He self-published his first book, Spindrift: True Tales from Scattered Parts of the Planet, but it sold so well that Nomad Press released a revised an expanded edition under the title The Risk in Being Alive: One Man's Adventures across the Planet. This book includes not only Hancock's recollections of sailing with a Russianspeaking crew in the Whitbread race, but also autobiographical details of his life in South Africa and his travels—on land and sea—in remote parts of the world. Hancock's second book with Nomad Press, Maximum Sail Power: The Definitive Guide to Sails, Sail Technology, and Performance, seeks to translate the most up-to-date technology into terms that a general reader can understand and put to use in a sailboat of any size.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, April 1, 2003, Sheila Kasperek, review of The Risk in Being Alive: One Man's Adventures across the Planet, p. 118.

ONLINE

SailNet,http://www.sailnet.com/ (May 28, 2003), "Author Profile: Brian Hancock."

Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America,http://www.oceanracing.org/team-brian.html (March 9, 2004), "Brian Hancock: Sail Development Specialist."