Mark Ashley-Miller; Harbours and their Masters (The Sherborne TWF, 11th April 2026, 10.30 am)

Mark Ashley-Miller was commissioned into the army aged 18 and was immediately sent on a sailing course, an experience that gave him a lifelong love of water-borne freedom. After a varied career of soldiering, farming and e-commerce, in 2019 he demonstrated that freedom by setting out aboard his yacht Good Dog to circumnavigate Britain and Ireland. Departing Dartmouth and turning to starboard, he spent five years sailing into every harbour and interviewing some 256 Harbour Masters. The result is his first book, Harbours And Their Masters, acclaimed as both “the most awe-inspiring circumnavigation" (Sam Steele) and “a hugely engaging and historically compelling book” (Paul Heiney). With just a C in O level English, Mark enjoys inspiring others on how they also can move from Instagram posts to finding a publisher.