Customer Reviews

My Old Man and the Sea: A Father and Son Sail Around Cape Horn

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

David and Daniel Hays are the first Americans to sail around Cape Horn in a boat under 30 feet in length. "My Old Man and the Sea" is the inspiring true story of a father and son's 17,000-mile voyage in a 25-foot yacht named Sparrow to the bottom of the world and back.
Although David and Dan sailed the easier route from the Pacific into the Atlantic with the prevailing westerly winds and currents they endured horrific storms that included Dan being tossed overboard during Sparrows dangerous sideways roll.
The tale is even more impressive when you learn that they chose to sail simply, without an engine and used a sextant and compass instead of a navigational system. David explains, "Our sport is to tune our senses not our instruments."
David and Dan's eloquent descriptions of the magnificence of the ocean and the magic of sailing brought back fond memories of my own six-month adventure hitchhiking on sailboats in the Bahamas. Like them, I was inspired to write a book titled "Earth, the Forgotten Temple." Tales concerning profound encounters with Mother Ocean and her other wilderness places need to be shared.
Most moving of all, despite conflicts, the deep love between the father and the son shine through to warm us all.

This book lived up to all of its reviews. The father and son team set out on a voyage to overcome sailings most famous foe only to find themselves forced to deal with their own relationship. Though the overlying theme is based on a sailing voyage, the authors use a boating vocabulary which doesn't alienate the non-sailng reader.

This book was a wonderful surprise, one I heartily recommend to sailors and land-lovers with equal enthusiasm. The thrill of this father-son journey 17,000 miles around Cape Horn is an exciting and entertaining adventure, recorded each step of the way in a jointly kept journal. Each man has a definite perspective on the trip, and their evolving relationship is as interesting as the ports of call. Cramped together in a confined space, virtually exposed to the elements and at sea for weeks at a time, a kind of role-reversal takes place on board -- David recognizes that he's not in charge and his son is the one who'll be responsible for taking them safely around the Horn, while Daniel grapples with the realization that comes to all children, that his father is only human.

Extremely entertaining and very readable. We discover through a profoundly human relationship between a father and son much hope and encouragement. We are reminded that life provides all of us with great oportunities for love, joy, laughter, and sharp pointed humor. Perhaps the best thing they both have ever done was to recognize and appreciate each others uniqueness. Dan reminds us of our common error of not seeing people as the miracles they are and not seeing ourselves as the miracles we are. A witty stimulating read. Davids writing is beautiful and earthbound. Dan is an absolute riot. We can only hope they do it again.

In a time where science and technology fill our every space, it is refreshing to know there are those who still want to live life without all those encumbrances. However, I am growing a little tired of reading adventures of those who made unwise sailing decisions that could have been avoided. It makes those of us who have made equally adventurous voyages (with much more intelligent sense) uneasy about the picture of sailing world being painted today. In my sailing community, things like not wearing a harness, or beaching unexpectedly, or sailing a different float plan (on purpose!) would not be looked on lightly. None of us would likely choose to adventure with the likes of Dan and David. For all their reading and preparation, my image of their trip is much like the all too familiar car we've passed on the freeway: turn signal on (no turn in sight), blue smoke coming out the exhaust, radio blaring with windows rolled down (no air conditioning), driver in animated conversation with passenger, oblivious to the fact they're tailgating a Mack truck down a five mile hill. Dan and David, while lucky, were clearly an accident waiting to happen. To the non-sailor, My Old Man and the Sea makes great reading. The father/son relationship is enlightening if not introspectful. On the plus side, I took particular amusement in their ability to describe situations at underway (when nature calls, pg. 156, laundry in port, pg. 140, and a perfect checklist, pgs. 142-145). I laughed out loud at several analagies and even dog-earred a few pages for future reference. The myriad of quotes from famous sailors of old were equally enlightening. Sorry to say, this is not a crew I would have sailed with, but happy to say, I'm glad they lived to tell about it. P.S. I'll never take a cat aboard a boat after readig this book. NEVER!

I found the book an inspiration. They challenged themselves and the sea. The authors conveyed the feeling that one has when, they discover one's ability to test oneself, and go further then they thought possible. Like jogging and going an extra mile when you felt you couldn't take one more step. The story spawns energy into the daily mundane routine that we have. If time and circumstances permit, I too may enjoy the same adventures and rewards that, these two have shared. This is a book about the coming of self. The story, although Nautical, transcends every aspect of life. If feel that anyone would find pieces of themselves in this book.

This father and son collaboration reminds me more of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" than the many other voyaging books I've read. It's not as high on drama as you'd expect, instead the emphasis is on the relationship between the two. Clearly there was plenty of drama during the voyage, but it's understated here. Overall an absorbing book, and quite often funny. It's a pity it doesn't have more pictures (the only photos are on the cover), especially to emphasise the size of this tiny yacht.

Do you have a son? Have you ever dreamed of a sailing
adventure? This is a book about fathers, sons and
adventures. David and Daniel Hays had a unusual
partnership. This father and son team built a sailboat
together and then sailed it through the Panama Canal
and around Cape Horn.

Just the thought of that accomplishment is enough to
stun me to silence. But wait, as they say on late
night TV, there's more. The narration of the voyage is
shared in alternate chapters by the two men. They are
each astonishingly engaging writers and very willing
to share feelings about this enterprise and each other.
There is no posturing in their writing, just the sense
of hearing the voices of a particular family.
And what voices they are! You would be hard pressed to
find two more engaging writers. Even Dan's account
of being rolled by a Brazilian prostitute is,you should
pardon the expression, infectious.

Ignore the snarky title. This book is much better than
that and would make the perfect Fathers' Day gift from
or to a man you would like to have share your adventures.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the forthcoming novel bang BANG from Kunati Books.ISBN 9781601640005

A great book with a mix of comedy and intesity. The book
grabbed me right from the start. The wonderful mix of humor
in Dan's journal and seriousness of Davids' keeps the
reader's attention. Though sometimes rather complex in the
terms used, the appendix at the end is very helpful in my
understanding of the book.

This is a great story about sailing around the Horn. The boat and the trip are somewhat unique when so many people are sailing around the world in larger boats and all trying to write books about it. They were brave an humble. The writing style is honest and pleasing. I have read lots of storys about circumnavigations, but this was refreshing and held my interest. Good technical information on sailing, but no boring details. Good stories about rarely visited islands. This story of a challenging sailing trip somehow seems like a reflection of the challenges of life we all face. I recommend it to my friends, sailers or not.