Review
WL Rating
In the late 1960’s as man prepared to boldly fly to the moon, an equally dangerous but infinitely more archaic endeavor was underway across the world’s oceans. From various ports in the North Atlantic, an eclectic mix of sailors manning an even more eclectic group of sailboats set out with the goal to each sail alone, nonstop around the globe. Interestingly, it didn’t start off as a race, but an English newspaper got involved and manipulated the sailors into a contest with two prizes: one for the first sailor to complete the singlehanded journey, and another for the fastest time. In Voyage for Madmen, author Peter Nichols provides an entertaining and insightful look into what turns out to be one hell of a race. The narrative flows in sequence, covering each sailor’s motivation for the trip, delving just the right amount into their personal and professional lives for context. Using ship logs as reference, Nichols was able to document some of the more humorous and tragic elements around equipment failures, fraudulent position reports, storm issues, foods, etc. This book is a fast, very entertaining read that will keep you turning pages until the very end. If you like ocean-going adventures, this is a good one. (February 2010)
A Voyage for Madmen - Peter Nichols
