What My Father Gives
A memoir of fathers, sons,
betrayal, grace and the sea
I began with a simple thought.
What would I want to leave my sons if I could not be there at every age? What would I say to Sam at twelve, eighteen, twenty-five, thirty-five, fifty? Not advice exactly. More like a hand on the shoulder. A few things learned the hard way.
A father’s voice, kept somewhere safe.
I wrote about this once as leaving crumbs behind: small pieces of truth, memory and love that might still be found later. That idea stayed with me.
In Horta, looking at the sailors’ paintings on the harbour wall, I wrote that this blog had become a breadcrumb for my sons, grandchildren, and their children: a small proof that I was here.
That small observation grew into an idea, then a concept, then a book.
What began as Letter to Sam became What My Father Gives: a full memoir of family, fathers and sons, betrayal, faith, sailing, failure, repair and grace.
The first draft ran to nearly 180,000 words. It has since been shaped into a private family edition, and a shorter public version is now being prepared.
And you know what the best thing is?
My twenty-year-old son read it in one sitting.