Cape Horn: The Logical Route: 14,216 Miles Without Port of Call

By Bernard Moitessier

Book Overview

This is the story of Bernard and Fran oise Moitessier's honeymoon voyage aboard Joshua, sailing from Europe to the islands of the Pacific and back by way of Cape Horn, the "logical route," because it was the fastest. Setting out from Tahiti, they make their way through the Roaring Forties, iceberg territory, and the relentless gale-force winds of the higher latitudes. They owe their survival to careful preparation, superior seamanship, and their sens of harmony with Joshua and the sea.

Cape Horn is also the tale of how Joshua, Moitessier's dream boat, became a reality, and how he recovered from the disaster of losing his previous boat--which he himself had built--to pursue his great love: sailing the world's oceans.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1574091549
• ISBN13: 9781574091540
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Sheridan House
• Length: 251 Pages
• Weight: 1.11 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent, but how times have changed!

Moitessier is a marvelous story teller, and his seamanship is unquestionably excellent. The story of their voyage is absolutely a gem, and should be required reading for those who wish to cruise, or at least love sailing. Sadly, in some ways the book is a sort of time capsule, and scenes like his turtle-hunting in the Galapagos Islands are not as joyful as perhaps they once were, as the species in that area are now considered threatened or endangered. Of course, people were only later to become more conscious of the environment and the fragilities of ecosystems to outside forces, but these days, I can see some sailors cringing at certain paragraphs. I very highly recommend this book, I really do, but be prepared for some jarring moments.

It's a classic

This is one of those books that ough to be in every sailor library. It might seem outdated for these days, and the Moitessier's style might seem too "poetic" even surreal, but we are talking of a real pioneer of the sea