Race to Freedom : A Tale of an Impossible Around the World Journey [Paperback]

Vladislav Murnikov (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2000

When on September 2, 1989 sailing yacht FAZISI sailed off into the Whitbread Round the World Race, she became the first ever and the only boat from the former Soviet Union to enter one of the most challenging and prestigious endurance races on the planet. Built in the Soviet Union, equipped with Western sails, rig and electronics, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola International and co-skipperd by American Skip Novak, she was indeed an intriguing mix.

In the height of Michael Gorbachev's perestroika that not only changed Russia but also altered the entire order of the world, FAZISI with her international crew bravely challenging the most treacherous waters on the planet was, in a sense, like a proverbial dove sent into an uncertain future. Like perestroika itself, FAZISI was a bold experiment in survival... RACE TO FREEDOM by Vladislav Murnikov, FAZISI's project manager and designer, tells this incredible story firstnand.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The nation of immigrants has no end of immigrant stories, a heritage of moving, inspiring tales of landfalls made on America's promising shores. Vlad Murnikov's story now takes its place among them. Be prepared to be moved and inspired, not to mention entertained, for this is a compelling narrative of a courageous guest. It is a story so tightly packed with drama, adventure, humor and tragedy that one is tempted to describe it as incredible. Yet it is true. RACE TO FREEDOM is more than Vlad's story. It is the story too of kindred spirits, freedom-craving Russians who signed on to sail around the world in an unlikely pursuit of one of yachting's holy grails; and of a motley collection of vivid characters, the likes of Juki, Georgian sailor with rugged good looks of an ex-boxer, known for his feats of strength at sea and feats of romance in port; the ambivalent American hired gun Skip Novak; and a Ukrainian navigator who had last seen the American coast through the periscope of a Soviet submarine. There is even a cameo appearance by Dennis Conner, whose ability to absorb prodigious quaffs of vodka won the hearts of Russian sailors. This is also a story of a boat named FAZISI, a remarkable character in her own right. This low-slung, 80-foot sailboat, whose predatory lines suggest a great white shark, met the daunting ocean challenges of the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race with elan and shocked doubting observers by reeling off an astonishing 386 nautical miles in 24 hours. But even that achievement paled beside the feat of just making it from Soviet Georgia to the starting line... Vlad Murnikov was one Soviet citizen who decided not to return to his homeland after his incredible Whitbread adventure, not to stay, at least. He lives now in the United States with his wife Tatiana, designing and marketing fast, innovative sailboats in the cradle of free enterprise. He didn't set out to design FAZISI, chase sponsors, organize construction, recruit a crew and sail in a grueling race around the world in order to find a new life in America. It just worked out that way. And therein lies a great American immigrant story. -- From Foreword by William F. Schanen, Editor and Publisher, SAILING Magazine

About the Author

Vladislav Murnikov is an accomplished yacht designer and sailor. Ukrainian by birth, he had struggled in the Soviet Union to fulfill his passion for designing and building sailboats. At the very beginning of Perestroika Vlad had initiated and led through one of the first private sport/adventure projects in the entire history of the Soviet Union. RACE TO FREEDOM is his first book. Currently he is working on its sequel, which tells the continuation of FAZISI's story upon her return to America after the finish of Whitbread Round the World Race. Vladislav Murnikov lives with his family in Boston, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: 7 Seas Publishing (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967665701
• ISBN-13: 978-0967665702
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,617,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book, April 18, 2000

By 

Sigrun Jonsdottir (Marblehead Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Race to Freedom : A Tale of an Impossible Around the World Journey (Paperback)

A good sailing story needs to be about more than simply sailing, and Vlad Murnikov's book "Race to Freedom" is just that kind of book. True, it's about sailing, in fact it's about one of the last great sailing adventures, the Whitbread Round the World Race, but it is much more than that. It's a personal story about Vlad's transition from life in communist Russia, to a life on the free streets of America. It's a story of hope and struggle and inspiration, perspiration and desperation, and through it all Vlad weaves the story of the first ever, and by happenstance, the last ever Soviet Whitbread entry. And who better to tell this wonderful story than the man who started it all. As Vlad tells it; "I was traveling through the night on a train from Moscow to ........... reading an outdated copy of Sail Magazine. I had found the magazine at a book store in Moscow. It was a rare find in those days, but lucky for me it was a bonus issue about the 1995/96 Whitbread race." As his train swayed across the dark landscape, a germ of an idea firmly planted itself in his resolve. Vlad vowed to field a Soviet entry in the next Whitbread race. It took a man a rare courage and blind optimism to think that he could pull it off, but once you have read "Race to Freedom," you will come to realize that Vlad is indeed a man of rare courage and unwavering optimism. How else could he have designed, built, found sponsorship and raced his yacht around the world at a time when the Soviet Union was barely learning to crawl into democracy and capitalism?

I have a personal affection for this book. Indeed I was lucky enough to be invited by Murnikov to race the first leg of the Whitbread on board the boat. I must admit to being surprised when Vlad leapt into the rubber dinghy moments before the start of the race, and waved us goodbye as we sailed over the horizon. I only discovered later that he was returning to shore to continue the never ending search for money, that ingredient key to any successful sailing campaign. It was this type of selfless determination (he would rather have been sailing than fund raising) that saw the Fazisi project through to the end and placed it squarely in the history books.

While the book takes the reader through the struggles of organizing a project of this scale, it also delights the reader with vivid descriptions of life on board and introduces them to the cast of colorful characters that made the trip happen. Their personal narratives are woven into the story and add depth and perspective. One of the most important figures is Vlad's wife Tatiana, without whose support the project would have faltered on the drawing board. She adds a chapter of her own to the book, and it is a beautifully written insight into her own personal misgivings about the campaign, and her voyage to freedom in the west. Vlad and Tatiana now live in the US, forsaking their homeland for pull of America and a life without limits. You will enjoy their story. It is told with candor and a hint of a Russian accent. Mostly you will be inspired to have adventures of your own, realizing that anything is possible if you just have the courage to dream.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most wonderful adventure story I've read lately!, March 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Race to Freedom : A Tale of an Impossible Around the World Journey (Paperback)

This is one great book that touches one deeply. Emotions, drama, adventure, extreme sailing, danger, travel all over the world, and on the top of it all, Russia and Russian life from the unusual prospective. It is hard to put this book aside, it is a great story. I recommend it highly!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book the reads itself, March 20, 2000

By 

Moby Mud "Moby Mud" (New York Metro Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Race to Freedom : A Tale of an Impossible Around the World Journey (Paperback)

It seems like I set this book on my table and the pages started to turn by themselves. The book disappeared: I fell into a world of history, courage and bold determination. I held on to my chair as Fazisi pounded the waves. I felt as if I were trying to break out of Russia. Not only is this book a great around-the-world-race story, but it is filled with history. Yes, the tale is impossible, but it happened. I purchased more and sent them to friends who can't stop thanking me.