Chasing Joy

Sailing to the South Pacific islands is a dream for almost anyone who has learned to sail. In this account of an eight-thousand mile voyage from California to French Polynesia and back in a forty-nine foot sailboat, Stuart Jackson describes the realities of daily life at sea, preparations to ensure safe passages and landfalls, crew dynamics, mistakes made and the author's personal reflections on "turning up the contrast on life" by finding joy and wonder in new experiences. The book includes 32 color photos from the adventure.

There are many books about long-distance sailing. At one extreme these often involve sailors in traditional cruising boats taking years to achieve their adventures after cutting their ties to family and homes on land. At the other extreme, there are all-out racers who cross oceans with little time to appreciate the extraordinary oceans and lands they pass through. This book describes one attempt at a middle ground involving a short sailing sabbatical on a modern sailing yacht configured for fast sailing and relative comfort with a capable crew. In this account you will find a detailed explanation of the boat's configuration and the daily demands and joys of ocean passages and remote landfalls, along with the author's reflections on finding joy and wonder in new life experiences.

Stuart Jackson is a devoted husband, proud father of three children, a successful businessman, an accomplished author and an enthusiast for all kinds of adventures. Stuart grew up in Hill Head, a village on the south coast of England where he learned to sail on a Mirror dinghy. In 1984, he graduated from Cambridge University and joined the London office of L.E.K. Consulting. He has now been part of the firm for forty years, having served as Chairman and Global Managing Partner for the years 2012-2021. Stuart's wife, Marisa, describes him as being on his "fourth mid-life crisis", having previously taken up guitar-playing, car-racing, flying various aircraft (including a Spitfire and a jet), and ocean sailing. His previous publications include "Where Value Hides" (Wiley, 2007), "Best Job in The World" (L.E.K. Consulting, 2023) and numerous articles published in journals such as the Wall Street Journal, Journal of Business Strategy, Forbes and Harvard Business Review. His favorite quote on life comes from the poet Seamus Heaney: "Walk on air against your better judgement".