Peter Firstbrook

Peter Firstbrook grew up in England, and from an early age he developed a life-long passion for sailing. After studying oceanography at university, he became a documentary film producer and worked for BBC Television for 25 years. Since then, he has developed a writing career, and his previous books include The Voyage of the Matthew (about the explorer John Cabot), Lost on Everest (about the climber George Mallory), The Obamas: The Untold Story of an African Family, and A Man Most Driven (a...See more

Peter Firstbrook grew up in England, and from an early age he developed a life-long passion for sailing. After studying oceanography at university, he became a documentary film producer and worked for BBC Television for 25 years. Since then, he has developed a writing career, and his previous books include The Voyage of the Matthew (about the explorer John Cabot), Lost on Everest (about the climber George Mallory), The Obamas: The Untold Story of an African Family, and A Man Most Driven (a biography of John Smith of Jamestown).Over the years, Peter Firstbrook has sailed extensively from the Baltic to the Mediterranean, on both sides of the Atlantic, the Caribbean, and the Pacific and Indian Oceans-sometimes with a crew, and at other times single-handed. This experience has given him a profound respect for those who commit to long ocean passages, often sailing against the odds (and sometimes in totally unsuitable craft).Firstbrook became fascinated by what motivates people to risk life and limb in pursuit of their dreams, and this led to extensive research to write "Daredevils of the Atlantic," in which he combines his love and expert knowledge of sailing, with a trained understanding of the weather and oceans, all told by a skilled and experienced story-teller.Lost on Everest was translated into six languages, and won the prestigious International Trento Mountain Book Festival award. Peter Firstbrook has also won more than thirty international awards for his work in television. He sails his classic Vindö 40 out of Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, southern England. See less