A new book celebrating the adventurous life of Sidbury's Wendy Smith has gone on sale today (Friday, October 29).

The book is called Come Sail With Me and it is about the life of Wendy Leo-Smith, who grew up at her parents' farm Lincombe in Sidbury.

The book recalls her adventures as a child growing up in Devon - including one in particular when she found a black panther on the family farm.

After working in the NatWest bank in Sidmouth for 20 years, she left to start a new life in Spain - and more recently, Wendy was given the chance to sail to Brazil.

The book explores her harrowing journey at sea. It also chronicles what lay ahead of her when she arrived, pondering life gone by and the sometimes perilous life in South America.

Amazon described Come Sail With Me as 'a must-read for aspiring sailors and escapists looking for an informative and action-packed true adventure paperback'.

The promotional notes add: "Would you give up everything to sail across the ocean with a businessman you barely knew? At 42 an emotionally-scarred Wendy unexpectedly receives an offer from Rory, a world-travelled South African, to help sail his 42-foot performance racing yacht to Brazil. Sailing Zingara, a demanding yacht, just two up, tests their endurance to beyond the limit, leaving them in mortal danger more than once. The ocean's unpredictable mood, various calamities and their adventures in exotic foreign countries demand a whole new level of resilience."

The e-book and paperback versions of Come Sail With Me are available now from Amazon Worldwide.


Sidmouth Herald: Come sail with meCome sail with me (Image: Wendy Leo Smith)

Want to know more? You can buy the book from Amazon in Ebook and paper format from today. Buy yours here