The power of maritime volunteering
Keeping a Puffer Afloat, by Henry Cleary
Over the years, many Nautilus members have enjoyed spending some of their spare time (or their retirement) volunteering onboard historic vessels.
Keeping a Puffer Afloat tells the story of how a group of volunteers – starting with just five in 1978 but over the decades comprising hundreds of people – overcame enormous challenges to preserve the VIC 56, a 1945-built steam-driven Naval Armaments Vessel.
It truly is a remarkable survival story, especially given how little attention was paid to looking after the country's history at the time, and hopefully will be an inspiration to others who would like to continue the work.
Keeping a Puffer Afloat
By Henry Cleary
Self-published, £9.99
ISBN: 978 18031 37512
Buy this book in the Nautilus Bookshop
While you're there, why not browse the rest of the titles in our unique maritime bookshop, which sells all the books reviewed on these pages.
Buy nowMore Books
The history beneath our hulls
Shipwrecks of the Solent, by Richard M JonesThis slim volume of maritime history is a fascinating book to have by your side when you're crossing the busy Solent sea area.
Bicentenary books about a beloved body
One Crew, by Helen Doe, and 200 Years of Lifesaving at Sea, by MirrorpixThe RNLI celebrated its 200th anniversary on 4 March this year. To mark the occasion, two attractive new books have been published: an official history and a 'life in pictures'.
Powerful academic appraisal of life at sea
Sea-Time: an ethnographic adventure, by Helen SampsonFew people have done more than Professor Helen Sampson to raise awareness and understanding of the lives of the world's seafarers.
Health reminder for maritime men
Sailing Through Life, by Nick ArdleyThis book is a helpful reminder to those working in the male-dominated seafaring industry that going for a checkup could save your life.