Philip Walwyn was in the final miles of his 17th solo transatlantic crossing in August 2015 and the first draft copy of this book was ready for him to see on his arrival in England. But his friends waiting on the dock in Falmouth were shocked when the classic yacht "Kate" entered the harbour with all sails flying but without Philip aboard. It was later discovered that he had died of a heart attack and then fallen into the sea just a few miles off the coast.
Philip Walwyn (1947-2015) first came to St. Kitts in 1959 and in his words, “I will claim that I knew the place well before that visit because I have listened to the stories from way back. From 1790 my little Kittitian Estate of Mount Pleasant with its pretty wooden house and wonderful views had been home to my family.”
Philip was a man of unusual talents: boat builder, solo trans-Atlantic sailor, home designer, innkeeper, sugar plantation manager, drinker and raconteur. He was adventurous and resolutely refused to follow a conventional path in his life. Philip Walwyn was a shy romantic but also a deeply practical man. He knew what it took to make something work. A respected mentor of craftsman on land, a respected captain at sea.
More Rain, More Rest is full of the stories of island life and the days of sugar. Philip’s wry honest observations come from a long connection with the people in the field and the lives they lived. His sketches, awash with local colour and politics, provide a personal and unique insight into past Caribbean times. In her collection of paintings his wife Kate Spencer captures the people and landscape with her brush as Philip has with his words.
Kate's painting The Tempest was inspired by the hurricanes of 2017 and graces the back cover of More Rain More Rest. The original was donated to Art for the Islands and sold at auction November 2017 with the proceeds going to the relief funds for Barbuda and Dominica. Limited edition prints are available (enquiries to the contact page on this website)
This book is a memorial to the life of Philip Walwyn and has a special place in the social history of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Caribbean.