Christian

Useful, meaningful, well documented

Reviewed: 08-05-23

I offered this book, paper and audio, maybe ten times already. Highly recommended for anyone worrying too much.

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An unusual perspective on the Golden Globe race

Reviewed: 05-29-23

Having immersed myself in Bernard d Moitessier's 'The Long Way,' and explored the tale of Donald Crowhurst through his daughter's eyes, I found this unified account of the participants in that historic race really enjoyable and interesting. The author's decision to extend the narrative beyond the Golden Globe Race, delving into the subsequent lives of these sailors adds a lot to the race's story. I found the narration a bit slow to start with, but I ended up really appreciating the rhythm.

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Remarkable

Reviewed: 04-30-23

I'm an eager reader of survival stories, and this one is remarkable, with useful lessons on both practical and psychological levels. I liked the fact that the book does not end upon reaching land but goes on to describes the psychological recovery process, as hard as the survival itself. I have been puzzled a couple times, like measuring the current by the wake of the boat... which is not how current work, or about Polynesian navigators knowing their precise coordinates when navigating, which is not how Polynesian navigation works, and a few others. But these are marginal elements compared to the wealth of information and the quality of the well written, well narrated story.

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Excellent

Reviewed: 04-19-23

Perfect story/information balance, it has been really entertaining to follow these two Vikings on their trip.

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1 person found this helpful

The perfect balance

Reviewed: 02-24-23

This book is for me the perfect balance between information and anecdotes, serious considerations and humor, remarkably well written. One book covering, beyond the Pacific gems, less written-about routes and stops through the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Mediterranean and, cherry on the cake, inland across Europe through canals (good job Heyward, now my wife too wants to do it). And all that talking about places, people, routes, and people again, downplaying their navigation skills and making fun of their mistakes. Remarkable.
The narration was really good. All the French words have been badly butchered, but it’s still a solid five star as we can’t ask for everything to be perfect.

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2 people found this helpful

How a South Pacific loop from Seattle can be made uninteresting

Reviewed: 08-24-22

There are so many fascinating, informative, humble accounts of long voyages in the Pacific by young or older crews. This book is not one of them. A poorly written juxtaposition of mundane anecdotes brings the reader through this voyage, with a writer not even trying to do some research to use the right terms. When not mundane, anecdotes are good stories about what to not do. Like killing a tuna with a 357 magnum or collecting sea shells with the animal still inside and complaining about the smell. The book could have been about sharing emotions, bringing the reader along. But no. There are more emotions in a shopping list. I did like the narration though, same narrator as for Lin Pardey’s books, that I highly recommend instead of this one.

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A lesson in resourcefulness

Reviewed: 08-20-22

I always enjoy reading accounts of situations at sea that ended up well thanks to the resourcefulness, perseverance and creativity of the women and men involved. This book is now in my top three. Very well written, drawing from a multitude of sources, makes the story as alive and close to reality as it can be. I finished it with the sensation that I really scratched the surface of what it takes to survive in these hostile lands. I liked the narration as well.

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