Godforsaken Sea: Racing the World's Dangerous Waters

by Derek Lundy

Book Overview

"The best book ever written about the terrifying business of single-handed sailing--.Lundy tells a harrowing tale, as tight and gripping as The Perfect Storm or Into Thin Air ."-- San Francisco... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565122291
• ISBN13: 9781565122291
• Release Date: May 1999
• Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

One of the most captivating Sea stories.

I couldn't stop reading it. I even made a pilgrimage to Sables Des Olones, where the race start and finish. Seeing and touching one of these sleds was an amazing experience for me. The story helped me to gain even more respect (awe perhaps) of the Sea, of resilience and grandeur of human spirit, ... and inspired me to sail farther than ever before.

one of the strongest of the adventure/disaster books

Lundy writes one of the most literary and most spellbinding adventure accounts of all the action books out there. I'm a big fan of almost all these books, but this one will rivet you like no other. Lundy takes the time to interview all the sailors to the point that we feel that we know them personally. He also analyzes the kind of personal profile that would lead someone to sled down a 7 story wave at 30 knots in a 60 foot boat. For those who find oceans and currents interesting, Lundy gives quite a lot of descriptions of the roaring 40's, screaming 60's, the types of waves and currents at those latitudes, the various pressure systems, and how weather whips around the globe with no land to stop it. The Southern Ocean is in a category by itself and it seems almost crazy to try to tame it solo with sailboats, no matter how modern. Lundy does use a good deal of technical jargon, but I found it easy enough to follow as a non-sailor since he does explain all the special vocabulary. Rather than follow the gimicky technique of some adventure books that leave you hanging at every minute, he delves into some more philosophical areas, history and background and provides a meatier book than most. Anyone who likes sailing, insane risks, wild action, and stories of courage and adventure will love this book. It was one of my favorites overall, even stacked against Into Thin Air and The Perfect Storm. I can't get the image out of my mind of the sailor that came back and could not let go of his small son's head -- which made altogether more poignant the case of the sailor who died, leaving behind his 8 year old girl and wife.

What a read!

I am a fan of true adventure sagas--especially of that genre as it relates to sailing. For those of you with similar interests, do yourselves a favor and READ THIS BOOK. One can't help but be captured by the story itself. That's a given. It would be a great read if there were nothing more; but Mr. Lundy weaves all the obligatory background information on the races themselves, the contestants, the design of the boats, into the story in such a way as to add immeasuably to the book's appeal. The fact that Mr. Lundy can relate this story to other historical events, literary works and neurophysiology made it still more compelling. I've spent sleepless nights in sodden clothes, in a wet bunk reeking of diesel fuel, puking my brains out from sea sickness, but that was nothing compared to what these people went through. That I realize the insignificance of my own experience and that I can even begin to relate to the experiences of the competitors in this race is a testament to his writing skill.

What an Adventure!

Whew! What a story! The book is very well-written and will enable the reader to experience the nail-biting excitement of the Race from the safety of a cozy LazyBoy. I've read other reviews here and found that a few criticized the 'bouncing around'. This actually helps to keep things exciting and the book moves at a quick pace. The short chapters helped me (busy) steal a quick chapter here and there. I found myself reading much of this while engaged in air travel and often caught myself breathing heavily and grunting out 'wow', 'ugh', and 'oh' (fellow passengers often inquired about what I was reading). I'm a Northwest sailor who's experienced some rough weather. This made my experiences seem like pony rides compared to this wild adventure. Imagine spending a few months - alone and non-stop - surfing down 5-story waves at 25 knots and living through it! This is truly an incredible adventure and these are most incredible people. The writer guides you through the experiences of the participants and provides glimpses into the backround and make-up of the super-humans who dreamed, dared, and survived (and those that did not) this ordeal.My only criticism is that the maps were too few and not nearly as detailed as they should have been (pull out your Atlas and you'll be happy). There could have been a few photos that would have made this great book even greater.If you're a sailor, you'll love this book. If not, you'll still be entertained and amazed by what humans can endure and achieve.

This book is for everybody!

I bought this book because I'm a sailor and I like reading about sailing adventures. While I was reading this book, I began turning into a bigger sailing wimp than I was. The biggest waves I've sailed in were 12-footers in Lake Michigan during the Mac races. I couldn't imagine sailing single-handed in front of 5-story waves and Force 10 wind conditions. All this and more in a thin-skinned sixty footer with an 80-foot mast for 120 days without touching land (icebergs don't count). These guys are truly the gutsiest bunch of hardy individuals out there. Once I finished the book, I felt this strange desire to do something adventurous. Nothing like sailing around the world like these guys, but something. Maybe a long trip on my Harley, maybe even sailing in 15-footers. At the end of the book, Lundy writes that, to a person, the Globe sailors said that the experience changed the way they looked at life because they reached out beyond the circle that defined their existence. I've got news for you guys, reading about your race changed the way I looked at my life, too. Only my reach isn't as long as yours.