Sailing on a boat by yourself out at sea and out of sight of land can be exhilarating or terrifying,compelling or tedious - sometimes it can be all of these things just in one morning. It is an adventure at odds with our normal,sociable lives,carried out floating on a medium wholly inimical to our existence. But the deep ocean is also a remarkable place on which to think.
Richard King's enormously engaging and curious new book is about the debt we owe to solo sailors: women and men,young and old,who have set out alone. Spending weeks and months alone,slowly,quietly and close to the ocean surface is to create the world's largest laboratory: an endlessly changing,capricious and startling place in which to observe oneself,the weather,the stars and myriad sea creatures,from the tiniest to the most massive and threatening.
This is a book for anyone who is fascinated by sailing,solitude and the vast seas that cover so much of our planet.
Publisher: Penguin Books LtdISBN: 9780241642269Number of pages: 512Weight: 760 gDimensions: 240 x 162 x 44 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Those who have chosen to face the dangers of the ocean alone are a colourful and inventive bunch... I was delighted to read of (King's) amazement.'- David Mills,The Times
'Richard King is a superb and gifted writer,and Sailing Alone is an exceptional book. Into his account of his own singlehanded ocean crossing,he has woven a rare and compelling history of the real explorers,the extraordinary'ordinary'people-men,women,and even children-who took off alone,in tiny,often crude boats,and found what we are all searching for. Here is the real story of what it's like to be alone at sea. A real achievement that will provide inexhaustible re-reading,Sailing Alone belongs on the very small shelf of the true classics of the sea.'- Peter Nichols,author of Sea Change and A Voyage for Madmen
'Sailing Alone is a beacon,a lighthouse of luminance for the experienced and inexperienced alike. Richard King's insightful reflections on the stories of lone voyagers make this required reading for all who dream fervently of such voyages. A nuanced study in aspiration,endurance,terror,and triumph,it's a treasure.'- Jon Wilson,Founder,WoodenBoat
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