Alone on an engineless 27-foot wooden boat called Toad, Peter Nichols sets out to cross the Atlantic from Cornwall to Maine, taking on the physical battle of a solo sea crossing and the mental anguish of a failed marriage at the same time. Nichols' mettle is put to the test in more ways than one, as Toad springs a leak mid-ocean, and the trip becomes a very real battle of survival.Nichols takes a page from single-handed sailors like Knox-Johnston, Moitessier, and Captain Joshua Slocum as he sets off in his sparely provisioned craft, armed with only a sextant and his considerable seagoing instincts. Avoiding corrupt customs agents, furiously pumping seawater from the bilges, and reflecting on the diaries of his beloved ex "J", Nichols is beset by troubles but never begs the reader's sympathy.