Gipsy Moth Circles the World by Sir Francis Chichester (PDF)

Description

The Sailor’s Classics library introduces a new generation of readers to the best books ever written about small boats under sailWhen 65-year-old Francis Chichester set sail on his solitary eastward journey around the world in 1966, many believed he wouldn’t return alive. But when the old man returned nine months later, he had made history’s fastest circumnavigation.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: From the Back Cover “Sir Francis Chichester has become a genuine hero–perhaps the greatest of the adventurers of his time.”–TimeFrom time immemorial, few narrative genres have had the power to so stir the emotions or captivate the imagination as the true account of a lone adventurer’s triumph over the titanic forces of nature. Among the handful of such tales to emerge in the twentieth century, one of the most enduring surely must be Sir Francis Chichester’s account of his solitary, nine-month journey around the world in his 53-foot ketch Gipsy Moth IV. The story of how the sixty-five-year-old navigator singlehandedly circumnavigated the globe, the whole way battling hostile seas as well as his boat’s numerous design flaws, is a tale of superhuman tenacity and endurance to be read and reread by sailors and armchair adventurers alike. This volume in The Sailor’s Classics restores in its entirety for a new generation of readers Francis Chichester’s extraordinarily candid personal account of his adventure. First published in 1967, just months after the completion of Chichester’s historic journey, Gipsy Moth Circles the World was an instant international best-seller. It inspired the first solo around-the-world race and remains a timeless testament to the spirit of adventure, and is included on National Geographic Adventure magazine’s list of Greatest Adventure Books of All Time. Francis Chichester’s 1967 singlehanded circumnavigation set a blazing record for speed. He completed the voyage with just one stop and 226 days at sea. It was an amazing performance; that he was sixty-five years old made it the more so. Chichester then sat down to write one of the great narratives of modern voyaging. “A remarkable feat, a moving story of conquest by the unquenchable human spirit, a determined old man’s gesture of defiance at the modern world. Such was the voyage; his book is a fine account of it with nothing left out.”–Alan Villiers, Saturday Review”Chichester’s voyage was a classic of its kind. His book is a classic document of self-punishing endurance. Chichester was in his own way an explorer in the tradition of Scott and Shackleton. Unlike Scott and Shackleton, in these pages he bares himself and his mood-swings to the reader’s gaze, and one is privileged to be his intimate on this loneliest and most harrowing of voyages.”–from the introduction by Jonathan Raban About the Author Francis Chichester was a lifelong adventurer. In 1931, piloting a fragile single-engine Gipsy Moth, he became the first aviator to fly solo from New Zealand to Australia. He was also the first to make the rugged solo flight from New Zealand to Japan. In 1960, still weak from a near-fatal bout with lung cancer, he won the first singlehanded transatlantic yacht race and, a year later, beat his own time across to New York by seven days. In 1964, he raced alone across the Atlantic in a yacht designed for a crew of six. Jonathan Raban is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the editor of The Oxford Book of the Sea, and author of ten critically acclaimed books, including Passage to Juneau. He is the winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Heinemann Award for Literature, and received the New York Times Editors’ Choice for Book of the Year for Old Glory and Bad Land. He has been called (by The Guardian) “the finest writer afloat since Conrad.”

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

⭐The story is amazing. It is written quite objectively which I’ve seen described by other reviewers as being “understated”. Having some background and appreciation of sailing, Sir Francis accomplished a goal far more difficult it seems that those who climb Mt. Everest. He writes in a very calm tone but in several instances does admit he was frightened due to conditions. At those points in time the average person would likely have been completely overwhelmed by fear and worry. Despite this Sir Francis continued on and fulfilled his goal. What a story and a journey to be proud to present!

⭐One of the finest accounts I’ve ever read of personal triumph and determination. At an age in his life when many people are picking out their “rocking chairs”, Sir Chichester faced his fears and overcame them, to fulfill his dream of circumnavigating the globe single handed in a small sail boat, that many thought would never make it. He definitely exuded “true grit”. The support of his wife, family, and friends, and their understanding, help make this dream become a reality, and a shining example for all of us. A truly awe-inspiring book for anyone who loves the oceans, sailing, or examples of true personal courage and fortitude.

⭐Very detailed account of this challenging voyage around the world via the Southern Oceans and the Great Capes! Well written by the man who met every challenge nature and the elements could throw at him and his less than ideal vessel for the voyage. A must have for any serious sailors library!

⭐A really good read about a remarkable journey and a brave adventurer

⭐A real persons account of his fears, pains, and way of being while wrestling with a sometimes monsterous ocean single handed on a small sail yachtA real understated hero of a man.Hats off to Sir Francis may his memory be blessed

⭐My father had this book, laying around, when I grew up, which is surprising, since the year was 1970.I’ve been a fan of free transportation (or sailing) since then. A boat (or ship)moving along, without consuming energy has always intrigued me. Yes, I’vesince learned how to sail, and am still in love with the process.Now, that I’m getting close to Sir Francis’ age, it’s time to re-visit this tome.

⭐An incredible adventure as told by the man who said: “Any damn fool can navigate the world sober. It takes a really good sailor to do it drunk”. -Sir Francis Chichester while loading his boat with gin.

⭐I think book was listed as in good condition. It was absolutely falling apart, pages falling out everywhere. Copy not as nice as advertised.

⭐I’ve sailed for over 40 years and generally love books about sailing, from Nick Ward to Joshua Slocum.The reason I sail is because I love being on the water. The silence when the engine is turned off and the feeling of unlimited possibilities – even when nipping out for a couple of hours.Sir Francis Chichester is undoubtedly an exceptional man and immensely talented, but I don’t need to know the minutiae of the trimming of his sails or tacks taken – I do this all the time myself. I wanted to read about the things I *don’t* do – the views I don’t see and the places I probably will never go.As such, the book failed to provide what I read sailing books for – an insight into things I don’t and probably can’t experience.

⭐Anyone interested in sailing will love this book, the highs and considerable lows are all there in explicit detail, really enjoyed this book. I like med sailing with the sun on my back, but always wondered what it must be like in the weather encountered and the loneliness of life aboard our such a trip, some people are just made for this, and he is certainly one of them, in one of his quotes, he says most of us get stuck in the ruts of life, but we need people like him to show what can truly be achieved, which will undoubtably inspire others. R.

⭐I have not in fact read this book as it was purchased as a gift for my husband. It is the second Francis Chichester book has . He is enjoying it immensely, says it is well written. That’s as much as I can offer, for as I said I have not read the book myself.

⭐Well written book giving a very factual and typically British understated account of a voyage that would have taxed a man half his age, severely. A two masted ketch with countless sails to set and trim on a unforgiving, uncomfortable boat that handled poorly on some points of sail makes this solo achievement even more outstanding.

⭐The journey was a true epic and the reader was with the author for every mile .

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