Publisher's website 2022
Views from Dorset's South West Coast Path present a wave-washed shoreline rich in maritime history.
On a tranquil summer's day it's almost impossible to imagine this stunning coast in the full force of its treacherous temper. However, the beaches, cliffs, reefs and rocks all bear witness to a tragic loss of lives and vessels.
Over many centuries a significant number of craft of all types from numerous nations have come to grief in these waters. In the days of sail as many as one voyage in six is thought to have ended in either a stranding on the coast or a foundering off shore.
Dorset Shipwrecks tells the human stories behind some of the most dramatic and unusual of these nautical disasters.
From Poole Bay all the way round to Lyme Bay the sea bed is so littered with the remains of stricken vessels it has been called 'The Bay of a Thousand Wrecks'. Every mile of Dorset cliff top and beach, every costal town and village has its tales to tell, not only of tragedy but also of unbelievable acts of bravery.
Terry Townsend who lives in Dorset with his wife Carol has walked the coast path through every season. In this book he recalls the characters of the men who commanded and manned the wrecked vessels and the courage and heroism displayed by those who risked their lives to save them.
