A VOYAGE FOR MADMEN

A well-detailed, fast-paced chronicle of the Sunday Times of London’s 1968 Golden Globe Race, in which nine men attempted to sail nonstop around the world alone.

Writing with the authority of an experienced sailor, author Nichols (Sea Change, 1997) chronicles each competitor’s boatbuilding obstacles and progress at sea, and he attempts to delve into the psyches of these sea-obsessed men by drawing on their personal logs. He reveals the shocking risks these men take—separation from family, loneliness, bankruptcy, and death—for Golden Globe glory. His characters—numerous and difficult to differentiate—include Bernard Moitessier (a melodramatic French yoga guru), Nigel Tetley (a Royal Navy lieutenant commander who is civilized to a fault), Chay Blyth (a competitive he-man), and Donald Crowhurst (a failed businessman). Thoroughly versed in boatbuilding, Nichols foreshadows the grim events that unfold in the water by highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each boat. The participants’ motives are mixed: while some were enticed by prize money or patriotism, others had more intriguing incentives. Moitessier, for example, felt a need to discover his inner-self in solitude, and he resented the Sunday Times for intruding on his spiritual journey. Blyth, who had never sailed before, simply wanted to beat his former transatlantic rowing partner, who happened to be competing that year. As these men made their journeys with only radios to keep them company, Nichols shows us what the combination of isolation, malfunctioning boats, and fear of drowning can do to a man. The most interesting story is Crowhurst’s: Convinced that he was going to win the prize money, he used his family’s business and home as collateral for his backers, supplied the press with false data, and led the public to believe that he was some 4,000 miles closer to the finish than he really was.

Laced with suspense, but not exactly another Perfect Storm, this will appeal more to real sailors than armchair salts.