As a journalist for the" Independent," Emma Bamford is swept along with the London rat race, lost among the egos of Fleet Street. Surrounded by budget cuts and bullies, the thrill of a breaking news story is no longer enough. And at 31, still struggling to get to a fourth date and surrounded by friends settling down to married life and babies, Emma decides to grab her life by the roots and reclaim her freedom . . . by running away to sea and joining a complete stranger (and his cat) on a yacht in Borneo.

Reflective yet humorous and self-deprecating, we share Emma's excitement and fear at...