Godforsaken Sea: Racing the World's Most Dangerous Waters - Hardcover

Lundy, Derek

4.16

1,115 ratings by Goodreads

9781565122291: Godforsaken Sea: Racing the World's Most Dangerous Waters

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1565122291 ISBN 13: 9781565122291

Publisher: Algonquin Books, 1999

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Godforsaken Sea is the hair-raising account of the world's most demanding, dangerous, and deadly sailing race. Around the world, one sailor, one boat, no stops, no assistance.

Author Derek Lundy's vivid book follows the field of the 1996 - 1997 Vendee Globe through the race's grueling four-month circumnavigation of the globe, most of it through the terror of the Southern Ocean.

Lundy narrates the race through the eyes and experiences of sixteen sailors - fourteen men and two women - who embdoy the best and most eccentric aspects of our human condition. There's the gallant Brit who spends days beating back against the worst seas to save a fellow sailor; the Frenchman who bothers to salvage only a bottle of champagne from his broken and sinking boat; the sailor who comes to love the albatross that trails her for months, naming it Bernard; the sailor who calmly smokes a cigarette as his boat capsizes; and the Canadian who, hours before he disappears forever, dispatches this message:

If you drag things out too long here, you're sure to come to grief.

With the literary touch of Saint-Exupery and Conrad, Derek Lundy harnesses hurricane-force winds, six story waves, icebergs, and deafening noise. And he lays bare the spirit of the men and women who push themselves to the outer limits of human endeavor - even if it means never returning home.

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Review:

The Vende� Globe yacht race is the ultimate test in sailing. Competitors take to the sea in 60-foot yachts sailing from France, across the Atlantic Ocean, around three capes, and through the perilous Southern Ocean, before heading back to port in France. This is a grueling task for any sailor, but to attempt this single-handedly and non-stop means that this race is only for the worlds most experienced and daring sailors. The 1996/97 race gained national interested in Britain when the English competitor, Tony Bullimore, capsized his boat in the most remote part of the Southern Ocean, and waited patiently in his upturned boat in 50 foot waves and gale to hurricane force winds for four days while the Australian Navy made their rescue attempt. Tony Bullimore was not the only sailor to get into trouble in the ferocious Southern Ocean during this race. The French sailor, Dinelli, waited for 2 days on his half sunken yacht, strapping himself to his broken mast and surviving the harsh elements while he waited for a fellow sailor to tack 400 miles back to his wreck.

Lundy has written a compelling book giving vivid description of life on a yacht in one of the most hostile environments on this planet. He assimilates competing in this race to the other grueling adventures such as climbing Mount Everest or walking to the North Pole. His own extensive sailing experience allows him to capture the inner thoughts and feelings that tear through the sailors mind as they battle for days with power of the open sea. --Steven Payne

Review:

"One of the best books ever written about sailing--Lundy's knowledge of sea lore and history is rich, his pace perfect, his intelligence full of energy."--Time
"Incomparable--a profound and brilliantly executed book."--National Review
"Eloquent--Lundy not only makes stirring narrative drama but also draws the lineaments of an archetypal hero, a human driven by fear, addicted to adrenaline, in need of the edge."--Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times
"A mixture of history, gripping narrative, and provocative meditation."--The New Yorker
"Godforsaken Sea goes beyond the events at hand to explore our fascination with the sea, and, as [Lundy] quotes Melville, 'the tiger that pants beneath it.'"--Outside
"Crisp and taut--. Should not be missed--[by sailors or] by readers who love the thrill of going on a bone-chilling adventure without leaving home."--Times-Union (Jacksonville)
"Brilliantly captures the objective, and at times monumental dangers facing sailors who compete in these grueling events, far from any kind of rescue."--Sailing

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PublisherAlgonquin Books
Publication date1999
ISBN 10 1565122291
ISBN 13 9781565122291
BindingHardcover
Number of pages272
Rating
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Godforsaken Sea: Racing the Worlds Most Dangerous Waters

Lundy, Derek

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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. First Edition. Godforsaken Sea is the hair-raising account of the world's most demanding, dangerous, and deadly sailing race. Around the world, one sailor, one boat, no stops, no assistance.Author Derek Lundy's vivid book follows the field of the 1996 - 1997 Vendee Globe through the race's grueling four-month circumnavigation of the globe, most of it through the terror of the Southern Ocean.Lundy narrates the race through the eyes and experiences of sixteen sailors - fourteen men and two women - who embdoy the best and most eccentric aspects of our human condition. There's the gallant Brit who spends days beating back against the worst seas to save a fellow sailor; the Frenchman who bothers to salvage only a bottle of champagne from his broken and sinking boat; the sailor who comes to love the albatross that trails her for months, naming it Bernard; the sailor who calmly smokes a cigarette as his boat capsizes; and the Canadian who, hours before he disappears forever, dispatches this message:If you drag things out too long here, you're sure to come to grief.With the literary touch of Saint-Exupery and Conrad, Derek Lundy harnesses hurricane-force winds, six story waves, icebergs, and deafening noise. And he lays bare the spirit of the men and women who push themselves to the outer limits of human endeavor - even if it means never returning home. Seller Inventory # DADAX1565122291

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