From Lighthouse to Life

Set in South Africa during the 1960s and ‘70s, this is the first book in the Not Another Day series. As the son of a lighthouse keeper, the author lived an idyllic life along the coastline before being forced into the city for schooling. This memoir chronicles his coming of age as we hike over the mountains of the Western Cape, march through the trials of military conscription, and surf on waves of political change. We follow as he struggles to fit into normal life until, in a dramatic and defining moment, he breaks the chains of his self-imposed prison. However, things don't go as planned.

 What follows is a series of adventures, each its own perfect storm of incidents and revelations. We sail across the Atlantic Ocean to St Helena and Ascension Island, then are tossed into a storm along the Wild Coast so extreme, it almost ends in tragedy. Finally, what should be a routine road trip across the Great Karoo turns into a dystopian nightmare.

 Best fasten your safety harness—you may just end up ditching everything overboard to follow that one dream that got away.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART ONE – BENNY

PREFACE – THE QUESTION

SECTION ONE – DAYS OF WONDER AND LIGHT

Stories and lies

Desert lights

Danger Point

Deep River troubles

SECTION TWO – PRIMARY PROBLEMS

Black crayon blues

The age of Pentecost

Dust and destiny

The magic lantern

SECTION THREE – INTO THE BARREL

Somersaulting ahead

Gearing up

High anxiety

The ocean bites

Failing with distinction

End game

SECTION FOUR – MARCHING TO A DIFFERENT DRUM

Roofie (Scab)

Baby driver

Borderline mentality

Leaving in a jet plane

PART TWO – BEN

PRELUDE – WHAT’S IN A NAME?

SECTION 5 – DAZED AND CONFUSED

What to do?

Steve my accomplice

Bookstore in the city

Dazed

Military pulls the leash

Hardware and politics

Surfing is living

Sailing is super

Playground in paradise

Things fall apart

SECTION SIX – ATLANTIC INTERRUPTED

Not another day

UMZULI

Lost at sea

Dem be yachties

700 Pages to Ascension Island

Ascension Island exile

Homeward bound

SECTION SEVEN – COAST OF STORMS

The girl I’m going to marry

Agulhus showdown

Thumbing into trouble

Pete

POSTSCRIPT

NEXT IN THE SERIES

BOOKS OF THE ‘NOT ANOTHER DAY’ SERIES

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Author - Ben Swanepoel

Ben was born in South Africa, where he spent his formative years living on lighthouse stations along the South African and Namibian coastline. After his family moved into the city for schooling, Ben struggled to settle into city life. His spirit of adventure and independence standing out in stark contrast to his internal struggles with fear and a lack of confidence. It is this internal tension, along with his honesty, that makes his writing so relatable. Ben experienced life in ways many of us can only dream about. He has written extensively about his experiences, which include accounts of his ocean sailing voyage’s, long distance cycling adventures and his work in nature conservation. After serving as a conservation manager in South Africa for over 20 years, Ben moved to the Southeast Asian country of Lao PDR, where he currently lives, working as a technical advisor on protected areas management for the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The essence of his writing is best captured through the following statement he uses to describe the reason for his writing.

 ‘I believe that because of our personal set of circumstances, perspectives, and experiences, we each have a unique story to tell and genuine wisdom to impart, regardless of how small our lives may feel to us. The greatest inspiration lies within the confession of our failings, greater than all the collective boastings of our successes.”