- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Profile Books; New Ed edition (16 May 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1861974655
- ISBN-13: 978-1861974655
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.4 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 107,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
A Voyage For Madmen
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Rich with excitement, accomplished, gripping and authoritative, A Voyage for Madmen is the story of the yachting tournament from hell written by a man who is himself a gifted sailor as well as writer.
Peter Nichols' previous book, Sea Change, was the telling account of his own crossing of the Atlantic in a ridiculously small wooden boat. Now he's taken the skills he employed in that much-praised slice of autobiography to relay another quixotic tale. The subject this time is the infamous Golden Globe yacht race of 1968, when nine men, some French, some English, all bonkers (hence the title), undertook the most challenging adventure of their lives. The goal was to sail around the world solo, a feat no one had yet achieved; to make matters just that extra bit tricky some of the sailors were total novices.
The book analyses the fate of each sailor in turn. Using polished, craftsman-like, clear and sometimes moving prose, Nichols describes how the nine fought through storms and collisions, through the roaring 40s and the furious 50s, and how each man experienced those moments of solitary despair, lonely disappointment and occasional mystical elation that are unique to long-haul solo sailing. One of the most commendable features of the book is the way Nichols discusses the technical side of yachtsmanship with verve and passion without ever turning into an anorak. This is a fine and absorbing true-life tragicomedy, suitable for landlubbers and sea dogs alike. --Sean Thomas --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'A must for would be sailing adventurers.' Chay Blyth 'Told with verve and riddled with the drama of being overwhelmed by the sheer bloody-mindedness of the sea itself. Delivering shiploads of tension, Nichols makes sure we feel the loneliness, pain and struggle. You can smell the salty air and feel the spray on every page' Sunday Times 'What a tormented-looking hunk! But more to the point, Nichols is a very good writer' Daily Mail
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is "can't put down" read, about the rather disjointed Golden Globe circumnavigation race of 1968-9 in which 7 sailors risked everything for themselves rather than for fame and fortune. You do not have to be a "Yachty" to read this! the book is about the drive and determination of men to reach inner goals. Peter Nichols writes in an easy to read and at time quite light hearted way. One suspects that he himself has had brushes with madness on his various trans-ocean treks, Libby Purves comment that Nichols has a distain for Robin Knox-Johnson is in my opinion something that was not obvious. I would recommend this book as a 5 star plus read ideal for the beach !!!
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
More like fiction, but its accurate. The author has captured the spirit of ocean racing and the reason why men put to sea. I knew most of the yachtsmen he writes of, and for me it was a journey back in time. I too sailed some of the oceans and his descriptions are vividly real.
It's a must read for sailors, and for anyone interested in the sea and yachting. I was sorry to finish the book which read more like a fiction than fact, but its real though and as the nautical descriptions have been simplified for landlubbers its an easy and capturing read for anyone.
It's a good literary piece.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an amazing book about an amazing venture. In various points of the globe, a few rather odd people looked at Francis Chichester's circumnavigation - he returned to a certain amoung of fame and fortune, but he didn't do it non-stop. Just imagine taking it to the next stage, they thought...
All you needed then was for a UK national newspaper to decide that it was about time it sponsored a major sailing event, and the stage was set. Enter the players - here are just a few:
Robin Knox-Johnston, the Merchant Navy Chief Officer who had wanted to be in the RN and had a yacht he'd had built in India from plans he'd received by mistake.
Chay Blyth, the Parachute Regiment NCO who had rowed across the Atlantic and was looking for his next feat of endurance. The fact that he had never been on a yacht didn't put him off in the slightest. It did rather put him at the mercy of his boat supplier, and his trust there turned out to be misplaced.
Bernard Moitessier, the mystical Frenchman at one with the sea, never happier than when perched naked and alone at sea in the lotus position, to the consternation of his wife and family.
Donald Crowhurst, brilliant engineer, not-so-brilliant businessman, but with a sense of self-belief that caused everyone he met to get caught up in his enthusiasm for the race and his determination to win. In his pioneering multi-hull he could have been the fastest competitor - if his luck held and his dreams could be turned into working equipment.
This book reads like a thriller. Although it's very accessible to the non-sailor, it's also a rewarding read for those whose own experiences might help to understand a little better the psychology of those involved and the effects upon them of their experiences. The author pulls no punches in his descriptions of the personalities involved, and no-one named can have read this book without wincing in places. That said, everyone comes out of the story demonstrating extraordinary courage, even those whose lives were ultimately claimed by the event.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Read This Book
How is it possible to give this book less than five stars? A true story about, yes, nine 'madmen', brilliantly recounted by someone who knows his subject but whose explanations... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. Thomas P. King
An unbelievable story well told
Recently I heard the story of sailor Donald Crowhurst for the first time. A friend loaned me the DVD Deep Water which tells his story using vintage footage and contemporary... Read more
Published 2 months ago by TopCat
Interesting read even for non sailors
I enjoyed this book even though you basically know a lot of the results.
It cronicles the voyage of a mixed bunch of seaman around the world singles handed and non stop. Read more
It cronicles the voyage of a mixed bunch of seaman around the world singles handed and non stop. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Dunedin
A Voyage for Madmen
Great book if your into sailing as hard back its sort of book to keep arrived in good condition, took a few weeks but was worth it.
Published 7 months ago by jt
A voyage for madmen
Between June and October 1968, eight sailors of varying experience and competences set out on the first solo non-stop around the world race and it proved to be a story of... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mr. D. Rowland
why my wife won't buy me books I want to read rather than the ones she...
facinating and exciting glimps into male psychopathology as seen through endurance sailing in the middle of the last century. Read more
Published 10 months ago by RichE Yorks UK
Good Storyline
This was recommended to me by a girlfriend, so I just had to read it! Although there is a fair bit of technical information which I am glancing over, I am thoroughly enjoying the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Di
A Book That Every Man Should Read
I first bought this book almost 10 years ago, then gave my copy to a friend, who read it and then passed it onto someone else. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Balraj Gill
A voyge for madmen
A well constructed true story that showed many aspects of sailing characters,that showed how they coped with the challange of around world sailing. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr J Wheaton
Gripping Story
If you like sailing, then this is the book for you. I guarantee that once you start reading it you will not want to put it down
Published 20 months ago by D. Stanhope
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