The 8th edition of the Fairway Galle Literary Festival is back bigger than ever and will take place from 11 to 15 January 2017.

In the weeks leading up to the Festival, we catch up with some of the biggest authors set to attend the 2017 Festival!

We brought you Cathy Marie Buchanan and Philippa Gregory last. Today, Dom Mee. 

Ex-royal Marine, arctic explorer and maritime security expert, Dom Mee’s love for the ocean began at a very young age. An adventurer and explorer, Dom Mee’s travels have taken him to witness things only a few people have had the opportunity to. 

His book, Kiting the Hurricane, is a true story based on Dom Mee’s experiences. 

1. Your adventures began at a very early stage. You were just 17 when you left home.  What prompted you to begin exploring at such a young age? 

I hated school; the confines of the classroom used to drive me crazy. I was the kid always staring out the window imagining faraway places. Robert Louise Stevenson’s novel Treasure Island cast my young life adrift dreaming of adventure.   

2. What sparked your love for the ocean? 

I went on a yacht for the first time when I was nineteen; it blew my mind that we were being powered along by the wind and not an engine. It fired my imagination for ocean travel. I could go anywhere in the world using sails to harness the breath of nature.    

3. You’ve had many adventures and explored many things. What would you say was your most memorable? 
 

That is such a difficult question to answer as all my ventures on the high seas have been memorable. The most wonderful thing about the ocean is its inhabitants. I stumbled on a large sperm whale sleeping on the surface in the Pacific. I rowed right alongside and stroked the brow of this huge leviathan; her big black eye opened and seemed to stare into my very soul. I was very moved at the time. On my kite boat Little Murka being followed by a 15 foot Great White Shark is something I would rather forget.   

4. Your book, Kiting the Hurricane, is a true story based on your experience of being caught at the tail end of 5 hurricanes at sea. Was it a difficult book to write? 
 

Yes it was; at one point on the voyage in the raging tempest I accepted death and let go of life. I lay in a dark room for four hours reliving the moment before starting to write. It was emotional returning to the high winds and cold waters of the North Atlantic. 

5. How was the experience of putting your memories onto paper? 
 

It was liberating despite the voyage being incredibly harrowing. Writing about it years on soothed my spirit and helped me deal with some inner demons I carried long after the voyage.   

6. You are currently writing more books on your travels.  What helped you decide what you want your books to be based on? 
 

A literary agent in America was keen for me to write about my experiences fighting pirates in the Indian Ocean. Last year I finished the manuscript and the book will be published in the US this year. I really enjoyed writing this one, it is a real high octane adventure on the high seas. I have a number of other books to write but I am working on my first fiction Novella based in Galle.    

7. You have a family business in the tourism sector in Sri Lanka. In your opinion, what makes Sri Lanka an ideal tourist destination? 
I established Kew Villas in 2012. I had always loved the idea of having a home on the beach so I am living the dream and letting other people share it staying in our 5 star villas. Sri Lanka has so much to offer despite being a small island but the real gem is the Sri Lankan people and I think that is what most tourists take away with them.    

Want to get yourself tickets to meet Dom Mee?

Box office is now open!  Tickets  available online at www.mydeal.lk/fairway-glf- 2017 or at the box offices mentioned below;

Colombo - 740 Galle Road, Bambalapitiya.

Hotline number 0717 040011, 

Galle - 25, Leyn Baan Street Galle Fort

Hotline Number 0717 020011

Open Mon - Fri (9-6.30pm) , Sat (9-5pm)​​

Closed: Sunday and Mercantile Holidays