In November 1996, sixteen boats set out from the French coast on the most dangerous race in the world. The Vendée Globe is a single-handed circumnavigation, sailors alone circling the globe around Antarctica, without stopping or going into port for assistance. Fourteen men and two women entered the race, testing not only their sailing skills but their fortitude as they battled dangerous weather, equipment failure, damaged and capsized boats, and the exhaustion of sailing alone for four months. Five boats would be damaged so badly they could not finish the race. Four would capsize, leaving their sailors to be rescued from icy waters in areas so distant aircraft can’t reach them. One sailor would be lost at sea, disappearing without a trace. Only six would finish the race.Derek Lundy, himself an amateur sailor, tells the story of the race with a sense of excitement as he relates the death-defying events, and an eye for technical details that never become overwhelming. Even more, he writes with a sense of awe, evoking the personalities of the sailors who undergo this grueling race and attempting to explain what makes them test their limits, seek such danger, and find the strength to overcome incredible adversities.
-Michelle (Sunset)
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