Former East Renfrewshire headteacher publishes sailing memoirs

A former headteacher of both Barrhead High and Eastwood High has published his sailing memoirs.
Ian Macpherson at the helm of the yacht John Laing in the Gulf of Carpentaria, AustraliaIan Macpherson at the helm of the yacht John Laing in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia
Ian Macpherson at the helm of the yacht John Laing in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia

Ian Macpherson, who is now 83, wrote A Scotsman’s Odyssey, a riveting account of four decades of sea adventures and exploration.

His love of sailing has taken him to out-of-the-way places ranging from the sub-arctic Faroes Islands to the

remote Barrier Reef islands in tropical Australia.

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A Scotsman’s Odyssey is a book as much about voyaging in the imagination as on the waves.

It inspires cruising yachtsmen and yachtswomen to sail beyond their native shores, young readers to seize opportunities to sail on Ocean Youth Trust voyages, armchair sailors to journey to northern Europe and ancient Venetian ports in Greece and Croatia.

Nature lovers will enjoy Ian’s encounters with basking sharks, dolphins, killer and humpbacked whales, and even salt-water crocodiles.

Ian was educated at Perth Academy and the University of St Andrews, becoming headmaster for 22 years at Barrhead High (1973-77) and Eastwood High (1977-95).

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An active Rotarian, he led a Rotary group study exchange to Namibia and South Africa, and is a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International.

As the Scottish Area Governor of the Ocean Youth Trust he had responsibility for the building and commissioning of their new ketch Alba Venturer.

A keen chorister, he sang with the Scottish Festival Chorus and the Scottish Philharmonic Singers. He is married with two sons.

A Scotsman’s Odyssey is published The Conrad Press, on sale at booksellers and on Amazon.

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