An Ocean to Cross: Daring the Atlantic, Claiming a New Life [Hardcover]

Liz Fordred (Author), Susie Blackmun (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2000

Premanently crippled in a fall from a horse, Liz Fordred refused to accept the limitations assumed for her in the Rhodesia of the late 1970s. She met and eventually married an equally (if more quietly determined) accident survivor named Pete Fordred, and together they hatched an audacious plan to build a boat and sail around the world. That they lived more than 1000 miles from the ocean and had never sailed before did not stop them. Neither would their lack of money or the fact that basic boat equipment was impossible to obtain in Rhodesia. Fabricating metal parts, learning carpentry, and resolutely tackling one seemingly insoluble problem after another, they built their boat in three years, trucked it to the South African coast, rigged it, learned to sail and ultimately sailed the boat to America, where they forged a new life in Florida.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Living far from the ocean in Rhodesia in 1980, Fordred and her husband, Pete, decided to sail across the AtlanticAeven though neither of them knew how to sail, and they are both paraplegics due to accidents in their teens. With Olympic-sized will and the support of family, friends and the innumerable generous strangers who befriended them along the way, the resourceful pair built a yacht customized to suit their strengths, then refined, tested and refined it. As Fordred's down-to-earth narrative makes clear, she and Pete don't measure success simply by the result, but by the process of doing the work and maintaining the determination and courage to carry on. With wit and biting realism, Fordred describes the six challenging years it took her and her husband to prepare for their journey against formidable obstacles (particularly their lack of funds, lots of bureaucratic red tape and unrelenting public criticism). Her account of successes and setbacks vividly conveys how it felt to be in the hull of their ship breaking a sweat. The book may appeal more to readers seeking a story of inspiration over adversity rather than a straightforward adventure story, however, since the Fordreds' yearlong journey from South Africa to Florida, where they have since settled, receives less emphasisAperhaps because both the author and her readers know that once the Fordreds have reached the point of departure, absolutely nothing can stand in their way. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A spirited story of adventure on dry land and the high seas....Highly inspiring for the disabled, and for anyone interested in making an adventure of life." -- Kirkus, October 2000 (starred review)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: International Marine Publishing (September 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071355049
• ISBN-13: 978-0071355049
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,437,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > Travel > Specialty Travel > Special Needs

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Is Impossible! Liz and Pete live it., October 28, 2003

By 

Van Hutchinson (Fort Lauderdale, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Ocean to Cross: Daring the Atlantic, Claiming a New Life (Hardcover)

From www.creativewordco.com

We all can get bogged down in our shortcomings and faults and then begin to mentally--and physically shut down. When this happens, I like to read about people like Pete and Liz Fordred--then I begin to remember that "impossible" and "possible" are states of mind. I met them last weekend (10/18/03) at the "Abilities Expo" while researching options for an exciting project for paraplegics called Eaglewings. ed.

Don't say, "You can't" to Liz Fordred, or her husband Pete. Paralyzed in her teens, Liz met Pete Fordred through her work at the same Rhodesian hospital where she had been nursed back to life. Pete was in a rollover at age 19, and some thought his career as an electrician would be over. Not Pete, and not Liz. Shortly after they were married, they hit upon an idea: Why not build a sailboat? Why not learn to sail? And why not sail the boat across the Atlantic?"

Many people thought they were daft and told them so. (There were no wheelchair ramps, let alone awareness of paraplegics' true capabilities in the late 70s in landlocked Rhodesia, which later became Zimbabwe.) With their families' amazing support, they built a boat from a concrete form in a huge hole in Mum's flower bed. The amazing couple worked day jobs and built every square inch of their boat at night and on weekends, using borrowed tools and improvized parts.

The part that amazed me in the detailed and often humorous narrative is the sheer willpower it takes to haul, grind, position, and weld heavy parts with only a wheelchair or arms for mobility. Moreover, the fiercest obstacles they overcame were not debt, bureaucracy, illness, lack of experience, or tropical storms. It was doubt and derision. Yet they overcame all these--especially the last, with wit and a will to show that disability is only the state of mind of those who think the disabled cannot do what others can. Read Liz's book--it will strengthen your resolve to cross the Ocean only you know you must cross.

(For more inspiration, learn about one paraplegic man's amazing invention, "Eaglewings," which allows paralyzed people the ability to traverse long distances with a handcycle that attaches to one's wheelchair. With no need to transfer to a separate vehicle, bruises leading to pressure sores are eliminated.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quiet Hero..., November 25, 2000

By 

P. H. Foley "Phil Foley" (Queidersbach, Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: An Ocean to Cross: Daring the Atlantic, Claiming a New Life (Hardcover)

Dear Reader, I first met Liz and Pete Fordred just after they had completed their epic journey across the North and South Atlantic Oceans to America as told in her book: An Ocean to Cross. You couldn't meet two finer, capable people with a great story to tell! Liz personally taught me celestial navigation as well as (Pete) rebuilding the engine on my sailboat ( a center cockpit ketch) in Fort Lauderdale! I've personally been on their boat, the Usikusiku [Say:'U-see-ku;see-ku'(dawn's light) They are adventures, marine architects, builders, sailors, and now Liz adds 'writer' to her many talents. If you are looking for adventure and inspiration wrapped up in a real life story, then get comfortable in you armchair and listen as a master mariner tell how (extra)ordinary people become quiet heroes....two if by sea... ...with grace and a touch of class... Sincerely, Phil Foley, Altus, America

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impossible? That's what you think!, November 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: An Ocean to Cross: Daring the Atlantic, Claiming a New Life (Hardcover)

2 disabled people in wheelchairs build a boat in a land locked country, truck it to the ocean and sail to America by themselves. What an inspiration to anyone who thinks they can do the impossible. I couldn't put the book down. Wonderful tale, would make a great movie.