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Title: The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst (The Sailor's Classics #4) by Nicholas Tomalin, Ron Hall, Jonathan Raban ISBN: 0-07-137612-7 Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press Pub. Date: 25 June, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Tragedy at Sea
Comment: Thanks to the authors' well balanced account of Donald Crowhurst's early years and his participation in the first non-stop sailing race around the world, this book transcends the nautical genre by far. As such, the story of a rather inexperienced sailor starting a grueling endeavor on a poorly designed and only partially finished boat contains elements from some eminent literary precursors and evolves into a true to life version of crime and punishment.
Devoid of any attempt to overanalyze, the authors start this book with an account of Crowhurst's early years. The daredevil character that is portrayed is well in line with a personality that would feel challenged by an impossible task like the one facing Crowhurst later. On top of that, the recurrent theme of a person breaking into new territory to leave tangled situations behind gives an important clue to his behavior under the stress of his sailing voyage.
Having burned his bridges and created a presumed win or lose all situation, Crowhurst sets out ill-prepared on a partially finished boat, that has already shown clear design flaws and was put together in too much of a hurry. Rather than face obvious defeat Crowhurst chooses the risk and the impossible mission of sailing around the world. Although he initially tries to make the most of the situation, he soon realizes that he will not win the race and possibly not survive a trip through the rough waters beyond the Cape. In a Shakespearean 'to be or not to be situation' this Hamlet decides to perpetrate fraud rather than admitting failure. Making up false nautical positions along the way and forced to radio silence not to give away true position, Cowhurst never leaves the Atlantic Ocean, makes some repairs in Argentina and bides his time while some competitors drop out or make real progress. Ending up in winning position Crowhurst turns himself in a real life Raskolnikov and philosophizes himself into madness and ultimately suicide.
Especially, since the approach in this book is entirely journalistic, analytical and objective this story gives a rare detailed 'play-by-play' account of someone going of the deep end. Based on a twisted interpretation of a line in Einstein's own book on Relativity, decent skills in mathematics and analytical reasoning and quite a bit of creativity, Crowhurst sets his mind on a track that degenerates in self destruction. While this is in no way the first account of advancing psychopathology, both Crowhurst isolation and hardships and the impossible task he has set himself make this a heart wrenching story. Thanks to the excellent introduction there is ample indication that both Crowhurst nurture and nature on the one hand, and Mother Nature on the other, provided him with a challenge he failed to meet.
Thanks to the journalistic approach and excellent writing this story is still gripping in a world whose technical advances have made a repetition of Crowhurst's attempt at pulling a fast one all but impossible. Thus, the portrayal of the sailor's slow mental degradation competes with the very best accounts in fiction.
Rating: 5
Summary: A view into an insane but crafty sailor who duped the world
Comment: This book pieces together one of the most fascinating hoaxes in modern history. The authors not only use their own knowledge of sailing and that of Donald Crowhurst. But they delve into his past and deduce the turn of events that led to the ultimate conclusion of the hoax. The inciteful writing and use of original log books are instrumental in weaving this fast and engrossing story.
Rating: 5
Summary: Aquatic madness
Comment: To echo an earlier reviewer, this is also my favourite book of all time. I tracked down a dog-eared and stained copy from the early 1970's, read it in just over a day then started back at the beginning.
The fascination of the book lies with Crowhurst. Here is a man who made a couple of wrong turns in life and just kept on going. A man who may, like many of us, have lived a long life had he not taken to the sea in a white elephant on a goose chase.
Tomalin and Hall had access to Crowhurst's logs and, through them, his thinking - however fuzzy that may be. From this, they constructed a well-written and gripping true-life novel.
FYI, The Teignmouth Electron now lies on a beach near a liquor store on the island of Cayman Brac.
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Title: The Long Way by Bernard Moitessier, William Rodarmor ISBN: 0924486848 Publisher: Sheridan House Pub. Date: March, 1995 List Price(USD): $16.50 |
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Title: A Voyage For Madmen by Peter Nichols ISBN: 0060197641 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 22 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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Title: 40,000 Miles in a Canoe (The Sailor's Classics #3) by John Claus Voss, Jonathan Raban ISBN: 0071373330 Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press Pub. Date: 19 December, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Saga of Cimba by Richard Maury, Jonathan Raban ISBN: 0071414274 Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Alone Through the Roaring Forties: The Voyage of Lehg II Round the World (Sailor's Classics Series) by Vito Dumas, Raymond Johnes, Jonathan Raban ISBN: 0071376119 Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press Pub. Date: July, 2001 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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