Nature spent millions of years sculpting her masterpiece, Praiano. This place awakens the senses: taste the lemon, the basil, and the wine; touch the smooth stones and the passionate people; smell the espresso, the jasmine, and the briny breeze; and see the chiseled Lattari Mountains that soar from the azure Tyrrhenian Sea-killer views.

Gerardo and Ciro, an easygoing pair from Praiano, have been best friends since their earliest memory, but this lifelong bond is put to a stern test after they rock Man's boat one fateful night. This chance encounter triggers a series of circumstances promising to alter the course of countless lives in tiny Praiano and beyond this serpentine coastline. Aspiring heroes, Gio, the yacht owner, and Ang, the tourist neurosurgeon, take action to unshackle Gerardo and Ciro from Man's invincible vow. Their unyielding intervention not only can resurrect Gerardo's and Ciro's friendship but also can unshackle us all!

Captain Brian Sloan joined the British Navy (RFA service) in 1976 and qualified as Master Mariner in 1987. He saw action in the Falklands war '82 and First Gulf War '90-91. He helped with the aftermath of hurricane Gilbert '88 and Hugh '89 while stationed in the Caribbean on UK/US anti-drug smuggling operations. His last naval job was 3 months on Operation Haven, taking Aid to the Kurds in southern Turkey in spring of '91.
He and his family joined Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in September 1991 and after their initial missionary training in Uganda and Kenya, he joined the 12,000 tonnes hospital ship "m/v Anastasis". Brian served as the chief officer, then the captain from 1996. In 1999, Brian became the first captain of what would be renamed "m/v Africa Mercy", a 16,500 tonnes replacement for "m/v Anastasis".
From 2003, Brian started pioneering ship equipped ministries for YWAM in the Amazon, Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania and the Mediterranean. Focusing initially on medical relief and aid delivery, then later on mainly training the next generation of YWAM mariners.
He married Anne in 1980, and they have two sons and six grandchildren. Studying the history of the many places he visits has been a lifelong interest.