''A Star to Sail Her By is sure to entertain and inspire.'', Jennifer Castle, PBS
''A terri? c tale of an unbelievable upbringing'', KLIF, Clint Grantberry, Dallas
''In and of itself, this memoir of a 25,000 nautical mile voyage is informative, entertaining and eye-opening. That a high school student wrote it is astounding.'', Meredith Laitos, Editor, SAIL
''A case where youth is not wasted on the young'', Bill Sisson, Editor,Soundings
''Ellison's earnest, genuine style is reminiscent of Robin Graham's in Dove. In crafting a twenty-? rst century bildungsroman at sea, with a tender family spin, he'll leave you positively envious.'', Richard King, PhD, Mystic Seaport-Williams Semester at Sea
''A Star to Sail Her By'' not only made me feel like our future generation is in good hands. . .I also can't wait for the screenplay! Alex has written in a manner wise beyond his years. Great book!'', Faune Riggin, KZIM, Missouri
Written by a high school student, this memoir captures one family's remarkable sailing journey that encompassed five years and more than 25,000 nautical miles.
In 2003, casting their fortunes- and their lives-to the wind, the Ellison family embarked on what they thought would be a one-year voyage on their forty-seven-foot sloop, Promise. Five years and more than 25,000 nautical miles later, the family of four returned to the United States to dry land.
In this memoir, author Alex Ellison chronicles his family's adventures on the seas. Culled from a detailed daily journal that Ellison began keeping at the onset of the voyage when he was just eight years old, A Star to Sail Her By reveals his transition from enthusiastic child to capable sailor and reflective young adult. He learned two important lessons as they traveled from port to port: not everything always works the way it should, and change is really the only thing you can count on.