Social Event
PGIslanders Book Group
Flares Up
Monday, March 9, 2026
Flares Up is the true story of adventure, tenacity and the capacity of the human spirit to triumph over adversity!
Firefighter Paul Hopkins, 55, survives a brain hemorrhage. The experience motivates him to undertake the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge – to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic.
He teams up with entrepreneur Phil Pugh, who is aged 65 but renowned for undertaking extreme physical challenges in honor of his disabled son.
They encounter major financial and physical setbacks, which cause years of delays and put a strain on both their marriages.
Finally, on December 12, 2019, in a fourth-hand 20ft wooden boat, they set off from the Canary Islands.
Violent storms, 30ft waves and equipment failure leave both men seasick, dehydrated and sleep-deprived.
Alone on the ocean, they are forced to examine their lives.
Was the decision to undertake this challenge brave, selfish or foolish?
After 70 days, nine hours and 11 minutes at sea, they cross the finish line, two changed men. Will either of their wives be there to greet them?
With a foreword by Jeremy Irons.
I think this book will appeal to any sailor that has had to exercise their courage, stamina, and commitment when sailing through rough waters as well as calm. Niamh is a talented and expressive writer. She brings her extensive technical sailing skills, traveling background, as well as her personal introspection as to why we return again and again to the sea and sailing in this entertaining book.
Join Dave and Catherine Stevens at their home,
2314 Via Veneto Drive
Punta Gorda
on Monday, March 9 at 1 pm
Register at https://pgica.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=799073&item_id=2890102