Brave or Stupid Book | The Best Selling Book

Brave or Stupid

How does a middle-aged, seasick electrician with no money end up sailing around the world?

Dreams have a logic all their own. Some start with a flash of insight or a moment of recklessness. This one started with a handshake. When Yanne’s best friend Carl suggested they sail around the world together, Yanne blamed the wine.

Yet, the idea stuck and twenty-four hours later, the two had an iron-clad agreement; a handshake. The little details –buying a boat, learning to sail and saving up money – took five years, but in 2002, the two men left Helsingborg, Sweden on a three year voyage that would change them forever. Storms, tropical deceases, drama, love and comedy – their story is an adventure like no other.

Brave or Stupid is the best book for anyone who has ever gone beyond what is sensible and realistic to discover a whole new world outside and a whole new person inside.

A best selling book for anyone who still believes in the power of dreams. And handshakes…

About Us

Today, Calle and I lecture all over Sweden about our experiences. In response to audience reactions, we wrote a book in Swedish about the voyage.

Our story, however, is bigger and deserves a bigger audience. This is why I’ve brought in a talented writer, Tracey Christiansen, to help retell our story in English. Anders Nyman from Brunmedia has helped us with the layout to get the book ready to print. Thanks to all the hard work of Tracey and Anders the finished product is now ready.

The result is Brave or Stupid, a book for anyone who has ever had a dream, anyone who has ever gone beyond what is sensible and realistic to discover a whole new world outside and a whole new person inside. The book is full of photos and illustrations from a journey that is everything you would expect and much you wouldn’t.

Calle and Myself

Yanne Larsson

adventurer/sidekick

Was born and raised in Helsingborg, Sweden, across the water from Elsinore and Hamlet’s Castle. Yet, he rarely made the 20 minute ferry crossing due to seasickness. Yanne is a strong believer in the power of dreams and his perseverance has taken him on a rollercoaster ride from electrician to businessman to world sailor and back.

In 2002, he left Helsingborg to sail around the world with his best friend Calle Andersson, who, like him, originally had no sailing experience.

He is on his third marriage and his third career, and he isn’t even a rock star.

Calle Andersson

sidekick/adventurer

Born in Eslöv, Sweden, Calle started as an electrician, but his talent for mathematics soon took him to higher studies in electrical engineering. He eventually worked his way up to Managing Director of Peab’s electrical division. Since then he has had a long career of management positions at major energy companies.

Calle is well-liked wherever he goes, especially in northern Australia and Scotland where his karaoke version of My Way has become part of the local folklore. On the three-year voyage around the world, he showed a natural ability for stowing large quantities of wine. Even though he did his military serviced as an elite commando he did the dishes onboard for three years without complaining. (Yanne did the cooking.)

For better or worse, Calle is known for being 100% honest and 150% stubborn.

Tracey Christiansen

writer and interpreter

After travelling the globe for 25 years, British born Tracey Christiansen settled in Sweden with a Danish husband. Having unpacked the boxes from her numerous sojourns and hung the curtains, she decided to concentrate on writing full-time. To date, she’s translated and published numerous articles and short stories for a variety of publications and was just putting the finishing touches to her first novel when Yanne and Carl asked her to write their story in English. After being plied with copious glasses of wine, it seems she agreed.

When not being a run-off-her-feet mother, chauffeur of two girls, caretaker to one cat and mostly uncomplaining wife, she enjoys reading, napping on the sofa and embarrassing her teenage daughters by dancing in public.

Book Reviews

The descriptions are as colourful as they are irreverent and the net effect is a book i just couldn´t put down.
Tom Cunliffe
an amazing story about a journey around the world filled with bravery, inspiration, going after your dreams, and living life to the fullest.
Faridah Nassozi for Readers’ Favorite
The book is inspirational, entertaining and, above all, shows how determination and hard work leads to success. And, that you can have fun while doing it! I decided to give a copy to every member of the Ecophon management team.
Gert-Jan van Doormalen, President, Saint-Gobain Ecophon AB