Customer Reviews

Cape Horn: The Logical Route ; 14,216 Miles Without Port of Call

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

 

 

Moitessier is a marvelous story teller, and his seamanship is unquestionably excellent. The story of their voyage is absolutely a gem, and should be required reading for those who wish to cruise, or at least love sailing. Sadly, in some ways the book is a sort of time capsule, and scenes like his turtle-hunting in the Galapagos Islands are not as joyful as perhaps they once were, as the species in that area are now considered threatened or endangered. Of course, people were only later to become more conscious of the environment and the fragilities of ecosystems to outside forces, but these days, I can see some sailors cringing at certain paragraphs. I very highly recommend this book, I really do, but be prepared for some jarring moments.

This is one of those books that ough to be in every sailor library. It might seem outdated for these days, and the Moitessier's style might seem too "poetic" even surreal, but we are talking of a real pioneer of the sea

Moitessier had a keen sense of perception and a poetic / romantic French writing style that slips nicely into accounts of extreme crossings like this title. I can't get over the degree of generosity that his friends, family, and fellow navigators must have sustained to allow him to "escape from the shackles of land", I assume there must be some artistic license on his part as nobody has a boat of this scale built for the cost of materials, buys a parcel of land in France, and runs off with a new wife leaving the kids with relatives or at boarding school. His nuances include, how to roll cigarettes in 40 foot crests, modifying hatches to provide weather protection, eating turtles, idolization of Dumass, talking to his boat like it had sentience in spite of an Asian philosophy, learning Bowditch, and talking to his new bride like she is a halfwit. (Perhaps she was, but I pick up on a degree of self centered condescension with females in most of Moitessiers books.)

I get the impression that this man and I would have killed each other after two days at sea and think he was an irresponsible but socially gifted trust fund baby, but I can't bring myself to hate this book. I have read it three times and reference it constantly. It and all his other books are marvels of semi-self reliance, cunning, while exploring poetically the mindset of isolation and survival among beauty and force.

Enjoyed this book immensely, if you have a hankerin for sailing, this is a must read, very much enjoyed. Excited to read more of authors books.