- Hardcover: 432 pages
- Publisher: W&N (30 Oct 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0297850792
- ISBN-13: 978-0297850793
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.2 x 4.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 374,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'one of the best-written and most gripping tales of recent years' (YACHTING WORLD )
Product Description
In 1975, when Adrian Flanagan was fifteen, he read Sir Francis Chichester's account of his record-breaking circumnavigation and a dream began to form. Thirty years later, on 28 October 2005, Adrian set sail from the south coast of England on his quest to voyage vertically around the earth by the most difficult route imaginable, via Cape Horn and the icebound waters of the Russian Arctic. Adrian mortgaged his house and bought a unique stainless steel boat with the unlikely name of Barrabas. With limited funds and no means of paying a professional support team, he persuaded his ex-wife Louise to manage the expedition. The challenges would test the limits of his endurance. Adrian faced death when a rogue wave swept him from the deck. He was chased by pirates off Brazil, dislocated both wrists and, at Cape Horn, Barrabas capsized in a hurricane. He also swam in water ten miles deep, sailed in the company of whales, hunted with a spear gun and came to appreciate the fragile balance of the natural world from a perspective that few have ever seen. After 30,825 miles, Adrian arrived home on 21 May 2008, with a Royal Navy escort. Over the Top is the inspirational story of an epic voyage, a life-changing adventure and a dream fulfilled.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Sorry... I have to disagree,
By Gary (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Over The Top: The First Lone Yachtsman To Sail Vertically Around The World (Hardcover)
Unfortunately Over the Top is just a 'good' book. It is worth reading, but its prime purpose is less about the story of the man and the journey, but as a vehicle for telling the world that the author 'should' be listed amongst the great sailors of all time...Adrian is certainly an epic sailor and the difficulties faced on the boat and off are astounding, but I became tired of the constant self promotion and the self placement of himself along side the greats...Just in case we forget, Andrian won't let us come to this conclusion by ourselves or by chance! It feels a little bit like a sailing adventure by numbers where Adiaian has 'ticked' a lot of the boxes required, but it lacks the modestly and warmth of Pete Goss or Tania Aebi and becomes tedious in the end... sorry Adrian, but it was 'over the top'
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed feelings,
By
This review is from: Over The Top: The First Lone Yachtsman To Sail Vertically Around The World (Hardcover)
The is a powerful book which conveys all the emotion and frustration of this remarkable voyage as he circumnavigates the world from north to south. Adrian writes well and you feel that you are there. The voyage is quite remarkable - given the obstacles that he faced en route with the weather, political issues, ice and the fact that he was a one man band with his very patient wife Louise (who deserves a medal) as project manager. The part I didn't enjoy so much was that most heros are quite self effacing but throughout the book Adrian wants to point out that he is amongst the sailing greats - sometimes less is more. It would have come through anyway. A love of sailing doesn't shine through the book his motivation appears to be a desire to be first at something. I guess for explorers now it must be difficult to find new things to do first. So it is a book that left me with mixed feelings.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Respect!,
By
This review is from: Over The Top: The First Lone Yachtsman To Sail Vertically Around The World (Hardcover)
This is a incredible, page-turning yarn, full of adventure, passion, elation, excitement, fear, pleasure, love, respect...and the best part is it's all true. I read it cover to cover in one session. Few would have the courage to undertake this truly unique voyage in pursuit of a boyhood dream. Even fewer are also blessed with the intelligence, visceral honesty and writing talent of Flanagan. He takes the reader with him through the twists and turns and highs and lows of planning and executing this seemingly impossible mission. Its an adrenalin-filled and inspirational account of how he faced up to the physical, emotional, financial, practical and, in the case of the Russian artic territory, bureaucratic challenges, not to mention the anxiety and guilt of leaving behind his ex-wife and two young boys. Flanagan's descriptions of the thrills, the horrors and pleasures of a solo circumnavigation are awe-inspiring. Whilst primarily an account of Flanagan's personal adventure and fulfillment of his life dreams, he skillfully weaves into the narrative extensive factual detail, managing to create at the same time a highly informative and gripping read.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
