My Old Man and the Sea: A Father and Son Sail Around Cape Horn

By David Hays and Daniel Hays

Book Overview

Some fathers and sons go fishing together. Some play ball. David Hays and Daniel Hays sailed 17,000 miles through the world's most feared and fabled waters in a little boat they built together. This is their story. Alone with nothing but the mammoth waves of the Southern Ocean, the unceasing wind, a compass, a sextant and a pet cat, they voyage down the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal, past the Galapagos Islands, beyond Easter Island and around their destination--Cape Horn. Father and son narrate in alternating fashion, their voices weaving together an engrossing story of travel, exploration and difficult, dangerous sailing. But more than a tale of adventure, this is a touching account of a father and son's rite of passage as they assess their complex and evolving relationship. Daniel, out of college and unsure of what he wants in his life, sees his father getting older, more forgetful. David deals with unresolved issues he had with his own father, fearful that he'll make the same mistakes with his son, yet frustrated that Daniel treats him like an old man. Moving, often hilarious, often poignant, My Old Man and the Sea is a rich and profound chronicle of their voyage of discovery. Every reader will identify with this uplifting story of a father and son who go down to the sea and find each other.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060976969
• ISBN13: 9780060976965
• Release Date: April 1996
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 227 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.6" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Soulful!

I found the book an inspiration. They challenged themselves and the sea. The authors conveyed the feeling that one has when, they discover one's ability to test oneself, and go further then they thought possible. Like jogging and going an extra mile when you felt you couldn't take one more step. The story spawns energy into the daily mundane routine that we have. If time and circumstances permit, I too may enjoy the same adventures and rewards that, these two have shared. This is a book about the coming of self. The story, although Nautical, transcends every aspect of life. If feel that anyone would find pieces of themselves in this book.

A book to share with others

This book was a wonderful surprise, one I heartily recommend to sailors and land-lovers with equal enthusiasm. The thrill of this father-son journey 17,000 miles around Cape Horn is an exciting and entertaining adventure, recorded each step of the way in a jointly kept journal. Each man has a definite perspective on the trip, and their evolving relationship is as interesting as the ports of call. Cramped together in a confined space, virtually exposed to the elements and at sea for weeks at a time, a kind of role-reversal takes place on board -- David recognizes that he's not in charge and his son is the one who'll be responsible for taking them safely around the Horn, while Daniel grapples with the realization that comes to all children, that his father is only human.

My Old Man and the Sea

This book lived up to all of its reviews. The father and son team set out on a voyage to overcome sailings most famous foe only to find themselves forced to deal with their own relationship. Though the overlying theme is based on a sailing voyage, the authors use a boating vocabulary which doesn't alienate the non-sailng reader.

A book you can't wait to share !

Extremely entertaining and very readable. We discover through a profoundly human relationship between a father and son much hope and encouragement. We are reminded that life provides all of us with great oportunities for love, joy, laughter, and sharp pointed humor. Perhaps the best thing they both have ever done was to recognize and appreciate each others uniqueness. Dan reminds us of our common error of not seeing people as the miracles they are and not seeing ourselves as the miracles we are. A witty stimulating read. Davids writing is beautiful and earthbound. Dan is an absolute riot. We can only hope they do it again.