Flares Up: A Story Bigger Than the Atlantic

**SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2023**

Flares Up is a true story of adventure, tenacity and the capacity of the human spirit to triumph over adversity.

Firefighter Paul Hopkins, 55, survives a brain hemorrhage. The experience motivates him to undertake the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge - to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic. He teams up with entrepreneur Phil Pugh, who is aged 65 but renowned for undertaking extreme physical challenges in honor of his disabled son.

They encounter major financial and physical setbacks, which cause years of delays and put a strain on both their marriages. Finally, on December 12, 2019, in a fourth-hand 20ft wooden boat, they set off from the Canary Islands.

Violent storms, 30ft waves and equipment failure leave both men seasick, dehydrated and sleep-deprived. Alone on the ocean, they are forced to examine their lives. Was the decision to undertake this challenge brave, selfish or foolish? After 70 days, nine hours and 11 minutes at sea, they cross the finish line, two changed men. Will either of their wives be there to greet them?

Niamh McAnally is an Irish-born author now living in Florida. Many of her stories are inspired by her travels on land and at sea. Flares Up was conceived when she witnessed Paul Hopkins and Phil Pugh cross the finish line after rowing the Atlantic. Her short story ’Haul Out’ is featured in the anthology A Page from My Life, and she has been published in various magazines.