The Draw of the Sea Hardcover – 5 July 2022

In The Draw of the Sea, Wyl Menmuir investigates just that - the invisible force that pulls some of us to the coast, whether to simply gaze in awe at the vastness of the ocean or to fully immerse ourselves in its watery depths, to dive in, to swim, surf or sail.It's a beautifully written and often very personal view of the liminal world of the shoreline. The chapters are themed around different activities that take place in, beside or near the sea, such as beachcombing, freediving, watching wildlife or surfing. He tries new experiences, interviewing the people he meets, finding out what it is that draws them to the coast. These interactions are interspersed with recollections and meditative musings about what the sea means to him and his family as he tries to answer the question: why it is that some of us are unable resist the force of the tide on our souls?Most of the book is set around the Cornish coast, with occasional forays further afield to the Isles of Scilly and even Svalbard in Norway. He meets some fabulously interesting people, artists, scientists and passionate hobbyists alike, all of whom offer a different viewpoint about what is so vital to them about the parts of the coastline that host their work or play. It's an occasional and wonderful delight when a friend pops up in a book like this - Cornwall can be a small world!The Draw of the Sea is Wyl Menmuir's first nonfiction book, and I sincerely hope it isn't his last. I'm looking forward to hearing him speak at the inaugural Redruth Book Feast.

In this beautiful collection of essays the author journeys from place to place, person to person, examining his own relationship with the sea and encountering others who hold a mirror up to his own feelings and experiences. With each encounter, both author and readers come away with a little more of that answer to the question- what drives us to seek out the ocean?Menmuir’s prose is filled with the relentless curiosity and enthusiasm of someone for whom the sea is a genuine source of wonder. With each encounter, he draws out sometimes unexpected truths from those who work and play in Cornwall’s waters. Folk memories, maritime history, the contribution of the sea to mental health and recovery from trauma and illness all feature.The snapshots of the lives that touch him in his research each leave their mark on us. They are often eccentric, always passionate, sometimes otherwise ordinary people made fascinating by their connection with the water. Wonderful portraits of real people with watery hopes, dreams and experiences populate his pages.Menmuir writes with a reverence for the ocean and utter respect for the diverse water-people he encounters. The Draw of the Sea invites those of us who live near the ocean to see it in new ways and is a salty tonic for those who pine for the scent of seaweed on the air.

We're used to stories of the sea being a grand voyage; a tale of derring-do; perhaps a romantic escapade. Sometimes a combination of all three (hat tip to Shirley Conran's Savages).But what is less common is the sea as told through the eyes of people who work with it, play in it; live their lives in the unassuming everyday of the coastal off-season, barely brushing shoulders with the tourists seeking out shots for the 'gram.In this mesmerising collection of short sketches; Menmuir explores the lives and stories of people's different experiences of the sea, including his own. There's diving, art, surfing, sailing and talk of the mysterious Badlands (no, not Springsteen)... but there's also the simplicity of beachcombing, tales passed down from one generation to the next, a grandfather sharing his experiences out on the water.This is a book you can dip in and out of, a story at a time, or get fully submerged in. Beautifully written and truly unique, The Draw of the Sea is up there with the very best writing on nature and the great outdoors. One to treasure.

Each chapter can be enjoyed equally. An evocative, poetic book which instils a sense of peace and tranquillity within the reader. I loved this book!

Such a beautifully written book. It has faint echoes of Deakin’s Waterlog and the world of Nick Darke. The vast and ephemeral sea and the traditions of the Cornish coastal communities mix intimate portraits with epic themes in a very poetic way. The book is rooted in a feeling of shared memory and liminal places, the sea being both the watery edgeland we stand at, on the brink, and the imaginary space we look into (or sometimes actually venture into). Really loved it and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates the feeling of putting a book down after turning the final page with the satisfying sense that your world has been beguilingly transformed.

Wonderful book covering so many aspects of what the sea, and coastline, has to offer.beautifully written by someone who clearly loves the subject they are writing about

We are all drawn to the sea, some to stand and gape, others to dive in and discover. Wyl Menmuir has persuaded some of the great names of modern Cornwall, many of them very private people, to open their hearts and explain something of what draws them to the sea and keeps them engaged. In this wonderful and beautifully written book, he tells their stories sensitively and engagingly, with great respect. Free diving may not be for everyone but sailing, surfing, rock pooling may be. Who has not walked the strandline in search of treasure (and returned with little more than a mermaid's purse): enquire within for the stories of those who do it every day ... the Sea draws us to her and renews us while never quite revealing all her secrets

This is such an interesting book, full of stories from people with various associations and connections to the sea. Interspersed with stories of the author’s own relationship with the sea. I found it a fantastic, thought provoking read. Highly recommended!