Alex Carter - The Edge of Life

From Falmouth to The Edge of Life

A Falmouth sailor’s extraordinary voyage of adventure,

survival and second chances

For many of us around sailors creek Penryn, the sea is

thankfully part of everyday life. We see the boats come

and go, watch the weather change, talk about engines,

sails, repairs and dreams of voyaging to far flung corners

of the world or just taking a trip out into the bay. It is a

community built around the water — and for me, that

connection has shaped the latter part of my life. My 39 ft

steel hull ketch Acid Rain has seen more than her fair

share of adventures, I am honoured to add to mine to her

story and to recover her from from the depths of the gulf

of Mexico.

My name is Alex Carter, and I’m a local sailor and author

of The Edge of Life, 'a risk worth taking' a true story about

a turbulent voyage that turned into something unimaginable.

The journey took me from the rugged coast of Cornwall to

the boiling jungles of Guatemala. eventually it became a

fight for survival.

During the journey I suffered a catastrophic brain

haemorrhage in Guatemala. Later, after getting back on

the water, the voyage took another dramatic turn when

equipment failure left me in a life-threatening situation at

sea. There were times when quite frankly I didn't know

whether I would live or die.

When I got home my dad told me I should write a book

about it. ultimately it was written to help me deal with the

trauma of it all and in lots of ways it did.

I never imagined it would have been such a

success and resonate with so many people.

The Edge of Life isn't only a story about almost dying. It

is also a cautionary tale about what happens when we

get too close to the edge of life. The book gave me the

courage to start rebuilding my life, re thinking what truly

matters, and that is my family and friends and our

precious time on this earth. It touches on finding the

strength to start again and discovering just how much we

can survive when we have no choice but to keep going.

The Edge of Life is ultimately about something we can all

understand:

I would be hugely grateful for the support of the local

community as I continue promoting the book and sharing

the continuing story of my voyage.

If you've got a copy, thank you. If you haven't, I'd love you

to discover the story. And if you see me around come

and say hello — and ill answer the inevitable question:

“So... what actually happened out there?”

The Edge of Life is available on Amazon.

At Falmouth book seller

At Falmouth Maritime museum

At Helston bookshop

At the edge of the world bookshop Penzance