Book signing - Shirley Cooklin Provisional

Blame Not the Wind" which tells how the square-rigger, Marques, sank in the Tall Ships Race, 1984, with a loss of 19 lives. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher claimed disaster was down to a rogue wind but the truth was darker. Marques had put to sea, without inspection and was unseaworthy. The man who had allowed this to happen was Thatcher's Transport Minister, Nicholas Ridley. Written by Shirley Cooklin, mother of 18-year-old crew member, Ben Bryant, the story is told through her eyes. Hours earlier, across the Atlantic, Ben laughingly told her that, as the slowest vessel in the race, they had just won the first leg. Later she hears of disaster via a radio newsflash. She knows her son has gone and must now take on a government. What she (and much of the world) want to know is how a 120ft sailing vessel that should "float like a cork" sank to the ocean floor in 45 seconds. Was it 'an Act of God' or was it negligence?

Last updated 2:18pm on 20 August 2025