Ruth Taylor

I have a long association with the ocean, having emigrated twice to Australia by sea, and travelled by ship many times. My children's book 'The Cat and the Captain' is about Matthew Flinders and his cat, Trim. Flinders explored and charted the coast of Australia between 1801 and 1803 and gave the continent its name. Trim, his black and white cat, braved high seas, shipwreck and capture by the French alongside him. Flinders so valued the companionship of Trim that he wrote 'A Biographical Tribute to the Memory of Trim' in 1808. There are more statues of Trim in Australia, the UK and Mauritius than of any other cat in the world. I am currently completing a memoir about my experiences as a cruise ship doctor under the title 'Sea Sick'.