A Voyage for Madmen

In 1968 nine men set off in nine small boats to circumnavigate the Earth, unsupported and non-stop. This was a race, the brainchild of the London Sunday Times, inspired by the solo circumnavigation the year before by Sir Francis Chichester, Sir Francis, however, pulled into port along the way to make repairs and re-supply. The Sunday Times rules would not allow any stops for any reason.I am very familiar with the cast of characters in this story: Chichester, Robin Knox-Johnson, Donald Crowhurst and the inscrutable Bernard Moitessier in particular. For before I was a kayaker, I was a sailor, and my interest in sailing had just begun to blossom as the events surrounding this impossible race began to jell. I had read Joshua Slocum's classic book, Sailing Alone Around the world and Chichester's book Gypsy Moth IV Circles the World. I was filled with the romance and heroic nature of the solo quest, a personal test of strength and character that such an adventure would bring. I had followed the accounts of Knox-Johnson's voyage and Donald Crowhurst's tragic madness in my sailing magazines at the time. But all this happened over forty years ago. It's an old story, so I didn't expect this book to be too engaging.I was wrong! This is an extremely well written narrative of the race, weaving the timelines, characters and events into a wonderful story that kept me on the edge of my seat. I felt like I was with the various racers, almost simultaneously. The book is written like the best disaster accounts, with minute by minure reports about what is happening as the race progresses and various competitors drop out. In the end, two racers commit suicide, the leader and presumed winner says "to hell with it", and turns his boat toward Tahiti, leaving one man to complete the race. It is a great story with great characters written by a master at narrative writing. I recommend it highly.

I'll start this review by making a confession: I don't know much about the sea. I think it is fascinating, mysterious, and makes one reflect about so many things, it is a sort of a philosopher's fountain in almost a literal sense. But I know it makes me sick, and the sole idea of spending more than a couple days without my fair share of land is hard to bear, even when I think about the fascinating destination I might reach at the end of a trip. And despite all this, I find sea stories quite appalling, and actually I don't think I have found any book about the subject dissapointing, even when surrounded by hype (e.g. life of pi, another 5 star)."A Voyage for Madmen" recounts the story of the 9 sailors (9 brave men) who set out to circummnavigate the world non-stop, without assistance other than radio and the ocassional face to face encounter, on the Sunday Times' sponsored Golden globe race of 1968. The details given about their lives are brief and very well laid out and makes it very clear from the beginning know who the true seamen are, or who's testing their luck, in the the personalities pop out so nicely it makes me suppose the author knew them well personally. Peter Nichols loves the sea and respects those who dare to challenge it, having himself crossed the Atlantic on a solo trip.The prose is the kind you'd expect from such an exciting adventure. It might seem a bit over the top at times, but you just have to consider the years when the stories take place to realize how suiting it is, for in that era of marconi radios, not too many satellite systems and definitely no gps, the circumnavigation of the globe, let alone a solo race, was such a dangerous endeavour. There are several photographs of the participants and their boats, but I'd suggest you take a look at them after finishing the book to not spoil the ending (in case you don't know how it all played out, like myself). There were some "technical" terms here and there -at least for someone who, as I said before, doesn't know much about the sea-, but even though I'm not a native english speaker I could get most of it by simple internet searching or a quick look at the dictionary. I have no doubt that for the true seaman or old salt the reading will be easy breezy.I'd recommend this book to anyone who's interested in a good sea story, about the events surrounding the said Golden globe race of 1968, or any adventure in general.

Unbelievable true story. Have to wonder what most of the participants were thinking about. Don't know if this is a reflection of human nature in general, or a reflection of only this specific group. At a time when navigational technology was minimally advanced and accurate, particularly for the novice, only adequate, intense, and proper training could increase the odds of long distant sailing success. This group seemed to operate more on the "wing and a prayer philosophy" with an outcome that was almost guaranteed. Could have been better written, but the story itself is so amazing, that any literal shortcomings are minor.If you have any experience as a sailor, captain or crew, this book is well worth the read.

Great book for those considering a non-technical book about sailing and the endurance of human spirit.

I've heard this story before, somewhere, but this book is well-written and spell-binding.

This is an excellent book for those interested in high adventure. Highly recommended.

Fin bok, rekommenderar den!

I know the book is second hand but paying €9 when new it's €12 I was expecting the cover was in much nicer condition.

Me ha encantado. Esta muy bien escrito y la historia es trepidante. Totalmente recomendado.

This is a great read which keeps you gripped right up to the last page. Would recommend it to everyone