Trimming the Sails

Don and Jeanne Pickers, South African farmers, had no sailing experience when Don built a 40 ft catamaran for their daughter Kathi's scuba diving business. Tragically, Kathi died as the yacht was nearing completion. Facing political turmoil and violence in South Africa, they named the yacht Katrine in her memory and used it to escape.

The worst storm in 25 years off the African coast was their baptism of fire and 9/11 changed their route from the Mediterranean to sailing east to Southeast Asia. They were caught in the tsunami in Thailand and were involved in an island community's recovery. While learning to sail across the oceans and through the adventures they experienced, Jeanne writes letters to her daughter. It's a way she copes with her grief and talking to her as she did when she was alive, helps her to find meaning in her new way of life.

Jeanne Pickers was born and raised in South Africa, where she lived for 50 years. After completing her schooling, she trained as a nurse, and later married a farmer, embracing the challenges of farm life. Her first book, One Settler, One Bullet, is a vivid account of her family life on the land and the extraordinary project of building a 40ft catamaran, Katrine. Her second, Trimming the Sails, continues the story, chronicling her transition from rural South Africa to life on the sea, and her journey through grief after the loss of her daughter. Jeanne has had numerous articles and stories published in different international magazines, including a prize winning feature on trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal. Now retired, Jeanne lives in Australia with her husband, two of her children, and five grandchildren where she continues to write.