Review of Bluewater Walkabout

[Moddesser Elahi]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Bluewater Walkabout" by Tina Dreffin.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Bluewater Walkabout: Into Africa is a memoir that takes us on a journey through the South Atlantic Ocean. Tina Dreffin undoubtedly lives life boldly; her family members are also part of this admirable way of life. They head towards the Bahamas from South Africa on a voyage on their private boat.

Tina has been an adventurer since her younger days; Tina’s husband, Peter, is also consumed by wanderlust. Together they seem a perfect couple who are not fond of the conventional ways of life. They have two sons who have been home-schooled on the boats. In this memoir, we travel with Tina on a three-month-long oceanic journey. We would witness a lot of exciting and memorable moments; I was even spellbound by certain events of the trip. There are enthralling locations covered in this journey – Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, St. Helena Island, and so on. And there is obviously the vast open sea.

Tina also provides some details about her life before she met her husband. She had been a victim of rape twice. This memoir comprises a safari in the famous Kruger National Park of South Africa as well.

I feel glad that I picked up this book. After reading this memoir, I only have positive things to talk about it. First and foremost, the descriptions of the sea journey (the central aspect of this memoir) were simply fascinating. I could only imagine how the experience would have been on such a vast oceanic trail; a family was all by themselves on a private boat. Several instances during this journey showed how a family could come together to carry out such a task. At one point in the journey, Tina was awake at night all alone to keep a watch when she faced a rogue wave – it almost swept her into the sea. This incident was breathtaking for her, but she came out more daringly. It was inspirational to see the unfolding of such a powerful character. In the end, we get to know that Tina had cancer, but she was determined to go on her next Pacific Ocean expedition. (Tina wrote this book a few years back. She is a cancer survivor and has also journeyed through the Pacific Ocean.)

There is a whole chapter dedicated to the safari in the Kruger National Park. I was fascinated by the descriptions in the chapter. It felt as if I was watching a wildlife show on television.

I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. There are a lot of exciting and even some inspirational moments in this adventurous memoir. I would recommend it to anyone who has even a bit of interest in adventure. There are just a few editing errors, like some typos and missing punctuation marks.

******
Bluewater Walkabout
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Onyeka Dibor]

In "Bluewater Walkabout," Tina Dreffin's family shows that the strength of their relationships is as unyielding as the challenges they face.