The Strange Last Voyage Of Donald Crowhurst

Author : Nicholas Tomalin,Ron Hall
Publisher : Quercus
Page : 311 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2017-10-03
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781681441818

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The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst by Nicholas Tomalin,Ron Hall Pdf

In early 1968, desperate entrepreneur Donald Crowhurst was trying to sell a nautical navigation device he had developed when he saw that the Sunday Times would be sponsoring the Golden Globe Race, the first ever solo, round-the-world sailing competition. An avid amateur sailor, Crowhurst sensed a marketing opportunity and shocked the world by entering the competition using an untested trimaran of his own design. Shock soon turned to amazement when he quickly took the lead, checking in by radio message from locations far ahead of his seasoned competitors. But on July 10, 1969, roughly eight months after he had sailed from England--and less than two weeks from his expected triumphant return--his wife was informed that his boat, the Teignmouth Electron, had been discovered drifting quietly, abandoned in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Crowhurst was missing, assumed drowned. How did he come to such an end when his race had begun with such incredible promise? In this masterpiece of investigative journalism, Nicholas Tomalin and Ron Hall reconstruct one of the greatest modern stories of one man's descent into self-delusion, public deception, and madness. Based on in-depth interviews with Crowhurst's family and friends, combined with gripping excerpts from his logbooks that revealed (among other things) he had been falsifying his locations all along, Tomalin and Hall paint an unforgettable, haunting portrait of a complex, deeply troubled man and his final fateful journey.

Author : Nicholas Tomalin,Ron Hall
Publisher : Adlard Coles
Page : 317 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 1995-01
Category : Impostors and imposture
ISBN : 0713643021

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The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst by Nicholas Tomalin,Ron Hall Pdf

In the autumn of 1968 Donald Crowhurst set out from teignmouth in devon in his untested trimarin, a competitor in the first singlehanded non-stop around-the-world race. Eight months later, the boat was found in mid-Atlantic, in calm waters and structurally intact, but with no one on board, Through Crowhurst's logs and diaries the world learned that, although he had radioed messages from his supposed round-the-world course, he had in fact never left the Altlantic.

Author : Chris Eakin
Publisher : Random House
Page : 338 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2009-04-02
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781407027135

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A Race Too Far by Chris Eakin Pdf

The true story of the tragic round-the-world yacht race - now the subject of The Mercy, starring Colin Firth and Rachel Weisz In 1968, the Sunday Times organised the Golden Globe race–an incredible test of endurance never before attempted–a round the world yacht race that must be completed single-handed and non-stop. This remarkable challenge inspired those daring to enter–with or without sailing experience. A Race Too Far is the story of how the race unfolded, and how it became a tragedy for many involved. Of the nine sailors who started the race, four realised the madness of the undertaking and pulled out within weeks. The remaining five each have their own remarkable story. Chay Blyth, fresh from rowing the Atlantic with John Ridgway, had no sailing experience but managed to sail round the Cape of Good Hope before retiring. Nigel Tetley sank while in the lead with 1,100 nautical miles to go, surviving but dying in tragic circumstances two years later. Donald Crowhurst began showing signs of mental illness and tried to fake a round the world voyage. His boat was discovered adrift in an apparent suicide, but his body was never found. Bernard Moitessier abandoned the race and carried on to Tahiti, where he settled and fathered a child despite having a wife and family in Paris. Robin Knox-Johnston was the only one to complete the race. Chris Eakin recreates the drama of the epic race, talking to all those touched by the Golden Globe: the survivors, the widows and the children of those who died. It is a book that both evokes the primary wonder of the adventure itself and reflects on what it has come to mean to both those involved and the rest of us in the forty years since.

Author : Peter Nichols
Publisher : Profile Books(GB)
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2011-05
Category : Single-handed sailing
ISBN : 1846684439

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Voyage for Madmen by Peter Nichols Pdf

Published to coincide with the Golden Globe Race's 50th AnniversaryIt lay like a gauntlet thrown down; to sail around the world alone and non-stop. No one had ever done it, no one knew if it could be done. In 1968, nine men - six Englishmen, two Frenchmen and an Italian - set out to try, a race born of coincidence of their timing. One didn't even know how to sail. They had more in common with Captain Cook or Ferdinand Magellan than with the high-tech, extreme sailors of today, a mere forty years later. It was not the sea or the weather that determined the nature of their voyages but the men they were, and they were as different from one another as Scott from Amundsen. Only one of the nine crossed the finishing line after ten months at sea. The rest encountered despair, sublimity, madness and even death.

Author : Robert Stone
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Page : 420 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 1998
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 0395938945

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Outerbridge Reach by Robert Stone Pdf

A portrait of two men and the powerful, unforgettable woman they both love - and for whom they are both ready, in their very different ways, to stake everything.

Author : Nicholas Gray
Publisher : Fernhurst Books Limited
Page : 251 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2017-01-06
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781909911932

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Last Voyages by Nicholas Gray Pdf

Looking back at the lives and sailing careers of some of our lifetime's finest yachtsmen, this collection of eleven original, moving accounts is just as much a celebration of the good – tales of hope, achievement and courageous spirit – as it is an account of their tragic final voyages. Included are world-renowned racers, like Eric Tabarly and Rob James, highly experienced cruisers and adventurers, like Peter Tangvald and Bill Tilman, and the notoriously ill-prepared Donald Crowhurst, as well as other famous and some less well-known sailors. Starting with the sad loss of Frank Davison and Reliance in 1949, the book concludes with the amazing last voyage of Philip Walwyn in 2015 – crossing the Atlantic single-handed in his 12 Metre yacht Kate. All of the men and women described were friends with or known to the author, Nicholas Gray, who himself competed in several short-handed long distance races, where he met and raced against many of these fascinating characters. Peppered with photographs showcasing the sailors and their yachts, this is a refreshing look at those who have helped to shape this sport's history, honouring their lives and accomplishments before detailing their tragic last voyages.

Author : Hans C. Ohanian
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Page : 416 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2009-11-09
Category : Science
ISBN : 0393070425

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Einstein's Mistakes: The Human Failings of Genius by Hans C. Ohanian Pdf

“A thought-provoking critique of Einstein’s tantalizing combination of brilliance and blunder.”—Andrew Robinson, New Scientist Never before translated into English, the Manimekhalai is one of the great classics of Indian culture.

Author : Francis Chichester
Publisher : Boxtree
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2015-11-01
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781743546215

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Gipsy Moth Circles The World by Francis Chichester Pdf

From time immemorial, few narrative genres have had the power to so stir the emotions or captivate the imagination as the true account of a lone adventurer's triumph over the titanic forces of nature. Among the handful of such tales to emerge in the twentieth century, one of the most enduring surely must be Sir Francis Chichester's account of his solitary, nine-month journey around the world in his 53-foot ketch Gipsy Moth IV. The story of how the sixty-five-year-old navigator singlehandedly circumnavigated the globe, the whole way battling hostile seas as well as his boat's numerous design flaws, is a tale of superhuman tenacity and endurance to be read and reread by sailors and armchair adventurers alike. First published in 1967, just months after the completion of Chichester's historic journey, Gipsy Moth Circles the World was an instant international best-seller. It inspired the first solo around-the-world race and remains a timeless testament to the spirit of adventure. Francis Chichester's 1967 singlehanded circumnavigation set a blazing record for speed. He completed the voyage with just one stop and 226 days at sea. It was an amazing performance; that he was sixty-five years old made it the more so. Chichester then sat down to write one of the great narratives of modern voyaging. "A remarkable feat, a moving story of conquest by the unquenchable human spirit, a determined old man's gesture of defiance at the modern world. Such was the voyage; his book is a fine account of it with nothing left out."--Alan Villiers, Saturday Review

Author : Frank Golden,Michael J. Tipton
Publisher : Human Kinetics
Page : 324 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2002-06-13
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781492586210

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Essentials of Sea Survival by Frank Golden,Michael J. Tipton Pdf

Essentials of Sea Survival contains original scientific research and investigations from two internationally recognized experts on cold-water survival. In addition to having practical personal experience with cold water immersion, Frank Golden and Michael Tipton regularly lecture at various international conferences about water survival, and they are frequently called on for expert commentary on television and radio. The majority of books on this subject are personal survival accounts; few relate to scientific studies. This book is different: Using reader-friendly language, two leading environmental physiologists present the facts and dispel the myths of surviving a sea accident. The book, thanks to the real-life stories and easy-to-read format, will appeal primarily to the layperson who works or plays on or near the water. The text will also be of interest to an academic audience, who will appreciate the original research and up-to-date physiological and medical information Essentials of Sea Survival is a compelling, informative, and comprehensive guide to open-water survival. Drawing from classic maritime disasters and personal accounts of near-miraculous survival, as well as carefully controlled laboratory experiments, it offers practical advice for avoiding as well as surviving a cold-water accident. It’s an important reference for anyone associated with open-air aquatic activities, such as members of the Coast Guard, Navy, and Marines; offshore oil rig employees; fishermen; divers; amateur and professional sailors; water safety instructors and life guards; water rescue personnel; boaters; water skiers; outdoor survival course instructors; and other recreational water sports enthusiasts.

Author : John A. Day
Publisher : Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Nature
ISBN : 1402728131

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The Book of Clouds by John A. Day Pdf

Clouds are simple enough, just a collection of ice crystals or water droplets visible to everyone. Yet they are a source of endless wonder. They appear in an infinite number of shapes and forms. Some are beautiful, some awe inspiring, and some, like the whirling funnel cloud, are terrifying. Clouds inspire artists, poets, songwriters. They have reminded astronauts, looking down from space, that Earth, a seemingly abstract orb, is a place of life and movement. those great swirls of white-as they change shape, swell, evaporate into wisps, disappear and come back, glow with sunlight or darken with rain-are a constant reminder of how dynamic our planet is.

Author : Catharine Arnold
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 322 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2009-08-06
Category : History
ISBN : 9781847390004

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Bedlam by Catharine Arnold Pdf

Originally published: London: Simon & Schuster, 2008.

Author : Nic Compton
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2017-09-21
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781472941107

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Off the Deep End by Nic Compton Pdf

Confined in a small space for months on end, subject to ship's discipline and living on limited food supplies, many sailors of old lost their minds – and no wonder. Many still do. The result in some instances was bloodthirsty mutinies, such as the whaleboat Sharon whose captain was butchered and fed to the ship's pigs in a crazed attack in the Pacific. Or mob violence, such as the 147 survivors on the raft of the Medusa, who slaughtered each other in a two-week orgy of violence. So serious was the problem that the Royal Navy's own physician claimed sailors were seven times more likely to go mad than the rest of the population. Historic figures such as Christopher Columbus, George Vancouver, Fletcher Christian (leader of the munity of the Bounty) and Robert FitzRoy (founder of the Met Office) have all had their sanity questioned. More recently, sailors in today's round-the-world races often experience disturbing hallucinations, including seeing elephants floating in the sea and strangers taking the helm, or suffer complete psychological breakdown, like Donald Crowhurst. Others become hypnotised by the sea and jump to their deaths. Off the Deep End looks at the sea's physical character, how it confuses our senses and makes rational thought difficult. It explores the long history of madness at sea and how that is echoed in many of today's yacht races. It looks at the often-marginal behaviour of sailors living both figuratively and literally outside society's usual rules. And it also looks at the sea's power to heal, as well as cause, madness.

Author : Robin Knox-Johnston
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2013-05-29
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781472901187

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A World of My Own by Robin Knox-Johnston Pdf

On Friday 14 June 1968 Suhaili, a tiny ketch, slipped almost unnoticed out of Falmouth harbour steered by the solitary figure at her helm, Robin Knox-Johnston. Ten and a half months later Suhaili, paintwork peeling and rust streaked, her once white sails weathered and brown, her self-steering gone, her tiller arm jury rigged to the rudder head, came romping joyously back to Falmouth to a fantastic reception for Robin, who had become the first man to sail round the world non-stop single-handed. By every standard it was an incredible adventure, perhaps the last great uncomputerised journey left to man. Every hazard, every temptation to abandon the astounding voyage came Robin's way, from polluted water tanks, smashed cabin top and collapsed boom to lost self-steering gear and sheered off tiller, and all before the tiny ketch had fought her way to Cape Horn, the point of no return, the fearsome test of any seaman's nerve and determination. A World of My Own is Robin's gripping, uninhibited, moving account of one of the greatest sea adventures of our time. An instant bestseller, it is now reissued for a new generation of readers to be enthralled and inspired.

Author : Tacita Dean
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 76 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : STANFORD:36105124142667

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Teignmouth Electron by Tacita Dean Pdf

'Teignmouth Electron' deals with the tragic and extraordinary story of amateur yachtsman, Donald Crowhurst, who was one of eight competitiors in the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, the first single-handed non-stop around the world yacht race.

Author : Don Holm
Publisher : Angus & Robertson
Page : 588 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 1975
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : UOM:39015001800229

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The Circumnavigators by Don Holm Pdf