The Long Way: Sheridan House Maritime Classic by Bernard Moitessier (PDF)

Description

The Long Way is Bernard Moitessier’s own incredible story of his participation in the first Golden Globe Race, a solo, non-stop circumnavigation rounding the three great Capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin, and the Horn. For seven months, the veteran seafarer battled storms, doldrums, gear-failures, knock-downs, as well as overwhelming fatigue and loneliness. Then, nearing the finish, Moitessier pulled out of the race and sailed on for another three months before ending his 37,455-mile journey in Tahiti. Not once had he touched land.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I read one review that said in more words that this book wasn’t good but decided to give it a chance anyways. I’m glad I did. Very well written. I wish everyone saw the world as Bernard did. Makes me yearn for an ocean passage. This book inspired Laura Dekker who inspired me to sail and I can see why. My favorite selling story so far.

⭐A story about one man’s search for his soul. I have read and re-read the book several times now. I found the book online, gently used. It arrived as described. It is not so gently used now. A great addition to any ship’s library.

⭐Moitessier has received some less than positive reviews of this classic of sailing literature. A non sailor may ask what can be so absorbing about sitting for months in a boat rocking around to wind and sea.Bernard Moitessier conveys in a poetic manner just what that essence is of being at sea for months and the moment by moment intensity that can be experienced in a world that could seem rather dull and uninteresting to the uninitiated.Indeed it is his full immersion in the moment that comes across, his absorption in the complete world both superficial and at much greater depths.His heightened perception of life is drawn out through his experience and this is a journey into which we are drawn ourselves as we travel the long way.As a sometimes sailor myself i can perhaps appreciate all the more the little things that help us see the bigger picture and give us those moments of rapture and revelation.To the non-sailor who can let his/her imagination flow with the journey, comes the reward of insight into the beauty and majesty of the ocean world and the internal trials and joys of the lone sailor.For Moitessier, the feeling of connection to the spirit of nature leads him to forgo the more worldly pursuits which are represented for him by the machinations of the European world, and leads him towards the Pacific Islands, giving him more time to experience this connection and take him to a world less troubled by the ingress of modern civilization.Sadly he finds that the concrete is rapidly replacing the greenery in Tahiti too.Some may scoff at what may appear as naive ranting and green fanaticism, calling it dated and over simplistic, however the message is as valid today as it was in the 1960’s, probably more so as environmental destruction continues at a pace unheard of before.His dream that a simple life can lead to greater happiness and fulfillment for all are just as apparent and important now.Moitessiers’ books are still a great source of reference, inspiration education and enjoyment to the sailing community the world over and takes us into the magic and beauty that is the world when seen through the lens of a purified mind.The down side of this paperback edition is that it omits the great photographs to be found in the hard back edition, i would have paid more had i known, and bought a better copy.

⭐I know: I’m in the minority here. For YEARS I’ve read about how lyrical and wonderful Moitessier’s book is, but alas, I am underwhelmed.The good: not only is it an easy read, the book is full of useful (though somewhat dated and biased) information. The read was fast, and, while not riveting, pleasant, and the story interesting. Moitessier and I share the capacity for awe, for a sight that others might not swoon over to floor us with it’s beauty and/or wonder.The bad: 1) Moitessier’s capacity for awe, and his joie de vivre, however, do not translate into the achingly lyrical and enduring writing I’d hoped for. he turns a nice phrase here and there, but he’s hardly a poet. His prose sometimes has nice evocative flashes, but he can’t sustain or extend from these isolated little bits. 2) at the end, I felt Moitessier’s need to ‘make a statement’, to ‘say something important’. These ego-driven needs are the kiss of death to true creativity, so the end of the book becomes a labored and preachy rant about the environment, and the bulldozers destroying paradise. I say labored, because it is. It’s not that I disagree with him, but he’s just trying too hard. 3) But the WORST thing about his ‘eco-manifesto’ is that all through the book I was horrified to read about all the crap he was throwing into the ocean! Here’s one example, from page 32. After throwing out some relatively benign things: wine bottles, jam, he chucks batteries, CANS OF DIESEL, and, most horribly, COILS OF LINE overboard! And this is not an isolated incident – there are several other times in the book where he throws copious quantities of pollutants or objects that are inimical to marine life overboard with nary a thought. It seems that his experience of the ocean as being huge and vast has translated to seeing it as one giant toilet for his convenience. The massive irony, the ego and hubris of this man lecturing anyone on the environment or the ills of civilization is just too much. I’d been struggling with respecting this man who I knew had abandoned his family (sorry, but both inexcusable and dishonorable in my book – and barely mentioned in his book, except when he reassures himself that they’d understand), who’d been dumping anything he thought useless into the sea for his entire voyage. But his preachy lecture was just too much. He was a hypocrite of the highest order, and like many great artists, a singularly selfish narcissist. Unfortunately, he wasn’t even a great artist, but merely a brave and intuitive sailor and a decent writer with a few bright turns of phrase here and there.It’s worth a read, but it’s also quite overrated.

⭐I read a lot of sailing books and most can be of average interest to some. For me, I’m gripped by sailing adventures both large and small, exciting and unassuming. But this book seems to drift like flotsam and jetsam on memories. I couldn’t build desire to finish it. I will read it in its entirety and re-review. There has to be a sea monster somewhere in this book.

⭐The story is amazing and having read the about same race from two other perspectives, I wanted to hear from this great sailor. Definitely an amazing adventure to read about, but for me it had an air of pretentiousness about it. Almost trying a little too hard to portray a man at one with the sea, that the sea is his mother as it were…. I find the use of terms only sailors would know frustrating. As an avid sailor they sit fine in my head, but I could imagine those unused to the terms wondering what the hell is being referred to, which rather detracts from the images the mind wishes to make in imagining this man’s journey as per the words. Trying a little too hard with jargon. I often look at books in how excited to recommend it to a friend I am. This one whilst enjoyable, does not really make that list.

⭐It answered a lot of questions, but not all. In some ways it proved that Bernard Moitessier was the real winner of the round the world yacht race. His finishing line wasn’t in the UK, but that didn’t matter to him. He found what all the other competitors were searching for. Sir Robin Knox Johnston also found it of course, but in a different way. Highly recommended.

⭐Such a great story and such a great storyteller. The language is rich and authentic. Of the many many ocean passage sailing books iv’e read, this must count as one of the absolute favourites. To get familiar with Bernard Moitessier’s mindset towards his participation and the reflections of getting under way is the first level of identification, and as the first a second capes are rounded I started to get into grips with his relationship with his little ship Joshua and even more so with the sea and the rich sealife. So many books leave the impression of a vast empty ocean with little few birds and no fish or any other marine life for that matter. Bernard opened my eyes to the little great wonders in the smallest of things. It is by far a spiritual journey into Moitessier’s mind and being, so of course he has to break away from his itinerary and follow the 40th parallel half way round the globe again and to land on Tahiti. This may be the first time, I’d actually consider to take on an ocean passage myself, though I usually prefer to navigate from the safety of my armchair and only sail an hour or two from my home port.

⭐Fascinating character with a great story. His view on life and how he describes our destructive habits is a nice reminder to how fragile life is. We forget in our city lives that we are relying on our surroundings. Even the untamed seas.

⭐Moistessier entered the Sunday Times round the world yacht race and have rounded both capes, he thought the hell with the race, the money, the media attention etc, and decided instead to go to Tahiti to see his friends. Probably the longest single handed voyage ever, and certainly the most remarkable. This delightful and unmissable account tells of how he did it. You really get the feel you are there with him on his boat.

Keywords

Free Download The Long Way: Sheridan House Maritime Classic in PDF format
The Long Way: Sheridan House Maritime Classic PDF Free Download
Download The Long Way: Sheridan House Maritime Classic PDF Free
The Long Way: Sheridan House Maritime Classic PDF Free Download
Download The Long Way: Sheridan House Maritime Classic PDF
Free Download Ebook The Long Way: Sheridan House Maritime Classic