Customer Reviews

Cape Horn: One Man's Dream : One Woman's Nightmare

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recently had the privilege of meeting Reanne and her husband, Don (and knowing absolutely nothing about her book beforehand). This book was written in such a way that you almost feel as if YOU'RE experiencing everything - you feel like you're in Reanne's mind during the whole adventure. I couldn't put the book down. This book gets into the brutally honest nitty-gritty psychology of how people react to each other during normal times as well as life-and-death crises. Reanne tapped into and shared her most intimate thoughts during the most critical time of her life. Reanne told me that when she tried to get this book published years ago, the publishers wanted to her fictionalize the story and that it was too emotional and too psychological. Wake up publishers! Survival IS a psychological situation! As a sailboater, I totally admire and respect Reanne for what she went through and for "not selling out to the publishers" and sticking to the truth of their adventure, through her eyes. Reanne, you're so awesome!

This book is a great example of how NOT to cruise. The challenges experienced by this couple were largely of their own making - somewhat a cruiser's "No Exit".

All in all the book is about a battle of egos and self-fulfilling prophecies. The storm scenes are certainly page-turners and the book reasonably well written, but the people become boring with their self preoccupation.

For a far better example of circumnavigating the Cape, I would suggest Hal Roth's book - "Two against the Cape". The Roth's enjoy and have respect for the region.

hshlasky obviously missed the intent of this book. Ms. Hemmingway-Douglass gives us a breathless account not of a rugged "Endurance" type survival story, but of the emotional relationships that develop when balanced on the knife edge of survival. Hats off to Ms Hemmingway-Douglass for letting us into her soul during such a critical time. I found this book to be the equal of any of the great stories of survival at sea.

This woman's very personal account of voyaging with a driven husband should be read by all couples who are thinking about a cruising life. Hemingway-Douglass describes her fears and frustrations as she and her spouse sail from California to Easter Island and then attempt to round Cape Horn. A giant wave flips the small yacht end over end, causing extensive damage. The two hardy cruisers struggle to survive several harrowing days before they find shelter among the Chilean islands. Hemingway-Douglass is a frank and vivid writer, describing people complete with their warts. Her descriptions of the people who inhabited Easter Island at the time of her voyage are particularly telling. The only negative here is the poor quality of the photographic reproductions. The maps may require some readers to use a magnifying glass.

This woman's very personal account of voyaging with a driven husband should be read by all couples who are thinking about a cruising life. Hemingway-Douglass describes her fears and frustrations as she and her spouse sail from California to Easter Island and then attempt to round Cape Horn. A giant wave flips the small yacht end over end, causing extensive damage. The two hardy cruisers struggle to survive several harrowing days before they find shelter among the Chilean islands. Hemingway-Douglass is a frank and vivid writer, describing people complete with their warts. Her descriptions of the people who inhabited Easter Island at the time of her voyage are particularly telling. The only negative here is the poor quality of the photographic reproductions. The maps may require some readers to use a magnifying glass.

After the first chapter, I was convinced I had finally met a sailing book I didn't like. I just didn't have the heart to stay with a few hundred pages of what appeared to be self indulgent whinning by the author herself about her husband, written some nine years after the event and done seemingly as self therapy. But I'm glad I stayed with it, because the story of the couple's nightmarish voyage through the Straits of Magellan (weather was only half their problem) did rivet the attention. In the end, though, this is a hard book to recommend, either to another guy, because he will feel like he's attending a self-help group about marital relations, instead of reading a sailing yarn and by no means to a woman--for whom this book has the power to truly terrify.

Cape Horn by Reanne Hemingway Douglass is a well written and suspenseful book. I find the relationship between the male captain and his female first-mate (i.e. the author-his wife) fascinating! The insight into their personal reactions to stress and danger is masterfully portrayed in the book. There is nothing fake or artificially dramatized in the author's description of the voyage to Cape Horn and her trials during the trip.

This true story goes beyond the traditional male-dominated accounts of sailing adventures. It is also a testament to the skill and expertise of the Captain and the loyalty and love of a couple who had the "true grit" to face their problems. Cape Horn should be considered a classic in survival/adventure literature. My wife and I have shared our copy with many friends who readily agree with our appreciation of the book.

This book kept me up at night reading till I fell asleep dreaming of the adventures that lay ahead. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is on account of my biased preference for fiction classics like Sea Wolf, Moby Dick and Typhoon. Nonetheless the author takes us into uncharted waters where we are overwhelmed by towering waves and relentless ear screeching winds. It is a miracle this couple survived but it is a credit to their love and loyalty to one another that surpasses their strength and bravery. And brave you must be to sail the treacherous waters of Cape Horn. The author does not spare us of the shortcomings of herself and her mate but reading on a story emerges that every married couple should read. It is also a story for sailors, for here lye brave souls who can steer a boat through steep waves, reef sails in a storm and have the stamina to repair sails after the storm subsides. It is a log and diary of the voyage complete with maps and coordinates to follow. Along the way are adventures to Easter Island and many other places you are dying to see. This is a must read for sailors and all who love adventure.