It's a fascinating study of personality and endurance and dealing with psychological struggles. And I really like sailing. I enjoyed this book a lot.
My one criticism is that it was hard to keep track of who was who. The author included a brief bio of each of the nine sailors in the beginning to help, which I kept flipping back to for the first half of the book. Nonetheless I felt like it would help to read it again when I was finished, once I had figured out who all the players were.

Mankind, In Extremis

I had never known such a thing as single-handed sailing existed until, some years back, I visited a small museum in Newport, RI, devoted to the pursuit. I don't recall anything in the museum about this event, which took place in 1968-69, though no doubt there was at least a mention of it if not quite a substantial display. Long a fan of true-adventure and survival tales, I picked up this book some time back, began it... and then set it aside. Some interior compass steered me in another direction. But when I recently picked up the book again, I found that it was precisely what I wanted to read and that it exceeded my expectations. Right book for the right time has long been a personal reading mantra.

I will forgo the details -- and avoid possible spoilers -- in this review. Others do it quite admirably elsewhere, including on this site. From the beginning of the book I decided, and suggest that future readers do likewise, not to look up the results of the race in advance, though it becomes fairly clear in the latter sections of the book who the winner will be, and, just as interestingly, who the villain was. The tale holds more surprises in it than expected, including a few stunners that the reader would not have reason to suspect, not to mention that aforementioned villain. So, in terms of material -- what actually happened -- the book delivers in spades.

But this is only one of the reasons I rated this book so highly. What interested me most, and what led to the most profitable introspection, in fact, was the author's ability to plumb the depths of the nine mens' n  charactersn. What motivated them? Kept some of them going on beyond what seemed endurance? Caused others to give up? How did they face challenges, the not least of which was boredom and loneliness?

Nichols has ample material here to plunder, making good use of his sources: the publicity surrounding the race, interviews with other single-handed sailors and their kin, books written by several of its participants, and his own experience at sea, all of which provide clues as to what the men were like and how they felt at various stages of the race. Their motivations and personalities were strikingly different. Nichols eschews moralizing but at the same time lays bare the men's characters, allowing the reader to form her own opinions.

One passage near the beginning I would like to quote to give a sense of the author's style as well an insight from one of the race's originators:

A race was in fact the last thing any of them wanted. These were not yachtsmen or sportsmen. They were hardcase egomaniacs drive by complex desires and vainglory to attempt an extreme, life-threatening endeavor. Each had powerfully visualized what must be done, and was consumed with the need to do it first. They were loners."

One need not know much about sailing, the sea, or boats to read this tale, and while my "seafaring tales" bookshelf now numbers 52, I confess to having never sailed or done much in the way of boating myself, and I still get hopelessly confused about various types of rigging, for example. Nichols doesn't overburden the reader with detail -- only what's needed to understand the difficulties the men faced and important facts concerning boat design, which I found rather fascinating. He has a gift for clear, concise, explanation, aided by a number of useful illustrations concerning the racers' routes and a number of photographs of the ships and racers which nicely flesh out the account.

I don't think I would be giving too much away to end by saying that two men emerge from this unusual contest as heroes; two men who found peace at sea and within themselves. They were dramatically different, and yet in a way the same. One of them goes on to win the race, and the other....

well, read the book and find out. You'll be well rewarded if you do.

Nichols, himself a single-handed yachtsman, does a great job of examining the voyages of all nine men; he focuses, logically, on the men who completed or came closest to completing the voyage--Robin Knox-Johnston (the winner); Nigel Tetley, whose boat sank under him; Bernard Moitessier, who abandoned the race to keep sailing; and of course Donald Crowhurst--but he's interested in everyone's story (he won my heart forever by telling me the names of all the yachts), and he's a good, vivid writer who understands how to capture the life of a small sailing boat. He also points to the history and community of solo circumnavigations and single-handed yachting in general--a context for the race that outsiders (e.g., Tomalin & Hall's excellent The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst) don't write about.

What a fantastic book this is. It has been too long since I last read a book about the brave men of back in the day. The explorers so to say.
Stupid because I always love to read books about endurance and tough circumstances together with brave men.
Have read 40 % so far and enjoying.

Finished yesterday and this was a book that kept me thinking about all the people that participated in the race but also with their wives and children.
It was sad and funny and intriguing and I was really sad when I finished reading this.Recommended this book to my dad and going to send to my mum as well.

One of those moments in history that would easily be forgotten without a writer to enshrine it. The hardest part was keeping all of the different racers separate in my mind. But the sailing and the problems at sea did run together in a good way. I better understand how a solo sail around the world is arduous and all even all the best planning cannot account for every danger. By the end of the book I felt like I had lived the journey in the safest way.

I’m a sailor now

Like Moitessier rounding the horn, I didnt want this journey to end. The story was well told, nautically educational without being too exclusive, and a great introduction to the sailors who I plan to read about more. I am glad to have read it, and may actually read it again someday. It is the best book I have read in 3 years although the adventure aspect and human trial appeals to me strongly.

I felt the thrill of adventure filter through the pages into my fingers as I read. Made me desperately want to be out on, or at least near, the water. Excellent read.

Mind boggling spirit combined with reckless foolhardiness. Could it happen today? Not in this country that's for sure. An amazing and (in parts) tragic story. Great to read the full story without the obsessive focus on one of the sailors we see everywhere else. I learned so much more about all the sailors in this book than in anywhere else previously.

The end of this book leaves you both in awe and sadness. The wonder of the drive (and stubborn stupidity) which saw these solo sailors attempt to be the first or fastest man to circumnavigate the globe. The reality of how being truly alone physically and mentally for a long period of time can make or break you.

It was also very interesting to learn about why sailors feel the passion for all things nautical. Coming from Plymouth myself and having previously worked at a yacht club I’ve frequently been around people who sail, and as much as I love the sea, I’ve always preferred the beach side of things! I can’t say this book has changed my feelings, but I have a new found respect for the craft.

A page-turner.

An wonderfully well written book about the world's first solo circumnavigational sailboat race, from England, around both capes, and back again. Held in 1968, it truly was the ultimate test of will, skill, and nerves. This book adeptly chronicles the contestants, the preparations, and the challenges that they all faced in their attempt to survive... much less win the race. Told by a sailor who has experienced the perils of the ocean first hand, it leaves the reader with an understanding of the terminology and skill required to master such a sport - without being overwhelming or confusing. If you were remotely moved or drawn into the story, "Into the Wild," then this will multiply the level of drama, intensity, and plot a thousand fold. For an added incentive to diving into this incredible story, there's a brilliant documentary out about this race, called "Deep Water." And in 2016, a full length motion picture film will be getting released on this story, directed by James Marsh and featuring Colin Firth as the race's most compelling figure...