500 Days: Around the World on a 12 Foot Yacht

by Serge Testa

Alone aboard "Acrohc," the tiny yacht he designed and built, Serge Testa sailed around the world and into the Guinness Book of Records. Exotic landfalls, cyclones, encounter with whales, and a nearly fatal fire at sea makes this a gripping story. Told with understatement and humor, this account of a unique voyage of discovery and endurance appeals to the adventurer in all of us."Serge Testa's 500 Days is a lively, warm and well written account of...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1439263027
• ISBN13: 9781439263020
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: Booksurge Publishing
• Length: 228 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Bravo!

I heard about Serge Testa from friends who have met him in Brisbane, and so ordered his book. Keen sailor myself a few years back, I really got gripped about his story, and could fully understand what he describes that he went through!He never looses his sense of humour or his humility towards the elements, and the only thing I can add is: "Chapeau bas, Serge!"

A wonderful adventure told with humor and heart.

This is a wonderful book. Not only is it an adventure story about the challenge of sailing around the world in a 12 foot boat, but it is also a travel book about some of the little-known ports that Mr. Testa visited. As someone who could spend hours looking at maps of islands in an atlas, I was intrigued to read the descriptions of someone who has actually visited these out of the way corners of the world. This is a book about sailing where a significant portion of the adventure occurs on land. Serge writes with humor and honesty, and reading this book made me dream of visiting some of his ports of call.

Well worth a read!

I very much enjoyed this book. It reads quickly, much like a travelog, but still gives a good view of what the voyage was like. It also gives a pretty good analysis of his boat.

Highly Recommended

I came across the remarkable feat of Serge Testa and his boat, Acrohc Australis, in a book on single-handed sailing. I was pleasantly surprised to note that he had written a book about his experiences circumnavigating the world. The book is very informative, reading much like a travelog. My only criticisms are minor, first that the book is short, and second, that it is written in a very matter of fact manner, that is, there's not a lot of detail regarding the emotional aspects of the journey (if that matters to anyone). However, if you are at all interested in single-handed sailing or sailing across oceans, I'd consider this required (and well worth it!) reading.

A testament to courage and resourcefullness

A great book on sailing around the world and facing adversity all in a 12 foot yacht. In reading this book I was amazed at the resourcefullness of the author. Read this book... imagine what you can learn from someone who can make it around the world using only the resources in a 12 foot yacht.