Intrepid Voyagers: Stories of the World's Most Adventurous Sailors

Intrepid Voyagers brings together some of the world's best nonfiction writing about sailing and the sea: accounts of real events on the ocean that are as engrossing and vivid as anything in fiction. The book's selections, excerpted from a wide range of original sources and grouped in three parts (Singlehanders; Long-Distance Racers; and The Human Drama), represent the best writing of fifteen of the world's greatest long-distance sailors, including Tania Aebi (Maiden Voyage), Naomi James (Alone Around the World), Robert Manry (Tinkerbelle), Hugo Vihlen (April Fool), Val Howells (Sailing Into Solitude), Bernard Moitessier (The Long Way), and others. The series editor, Tom Lochhaas, has chosen each piece first for its narrative qualities and secondly for its freshness. He has cast his net widely to discover new treasures in the vast literature of the sea. Even an avid fan of sea stories will find much that is new and exciting. The feel of the book is immediate and modern, as most selections relate events that took place from the 1960s to the present. The pieces function as free-standing narratives that Lochhaas places in context with insightful introductions.This handsomely packaged treasury makes an ideal companion whether swinging at anchor or under sail in an armchair.

Thomas Lochhaas is ideally qualified to serve as series editor for Epics of the Sea. He has worked in publishing for 15 years, both as an acquisitions editor (for C.V. Mosby Company) and as a freelance writer and developmental editor for major publishers such as Addison-Wesley, Jones & Bartlett, Simon & Schuster, and Little, Brown. He earned an M.F.A. in fiction writing from the University of Arizona, Tucson, and was a Ph.D. candidate (all but dissertation) in modern literature at Washington University, St. Louis. He has published short fiction, critical essays, and a number of articles on boating topics appearing in magazines such as SAIL, Maine Boats and Harbors, and Good Old Boat. He has taught writing at the college level as a lecturer at UCLA and the University of Arizona, Tucson. He is an avid reader of the literature of the sea. An experienced sailor, he is currently preparing his boat for a trans-Atlantic cruise. HOMETOWN: Newburyport, MA

A lone man in a small sailboat races around the world with no competitors and gives birth to an exciting new sport; a teenage New York City bicycle messenger circumnavigates the globe alone in lieu of going to college; a series of minimalist sailors compete to see who can cross the Atlantic in the smallest boat: these are just a few of the dauntless adventurers whose stories you'll find in Intrepid Voyagers . This inspiring collection of modern nautical adventures introduces daring men and women from diverse backgrounds who embarked on epic voyages across great oceans and around the globe. Each of these mariners went to sea for personal reasons, but at the center of each tale is a pure love of sailing coupled with a relentless urge to live large and explore. These true stories, all but one of which were written by the sailors themselves, are filled with their authors' passion and enthusiasm for sailing, the sea, and the process of discovery itself. Separated into four categories, Singlehanders, Long-Distance Racers, Little Boats, and Human Drama, these rousing accounts describe some of the most notable and celebrated achievements in recent nautical history--fastest times, smallest boats, youngest sailors, and more. You'll meet Vito Dumas, who challenged the riotous seas of the Roaring Forties and became first person to round Cape Horn alone and survive; Alain Bombard, who tested his theories about surviving a shipwreck by crossing the Atlantic in a tiny sailing raft without taking food or water; and Naomi James, who became the first female solo circumnavigator and beat Francis Chichester's time in the process. You'll also find riveting accounts of: Hugo Vihlen's Atlantic crossing in the 6-foot April Fool Dodge Morgan's record-breaking circumnavigation Val Howells's voyage of self-discovery during a transatlantic race Ellen MacArthur's thrilling finish in the Vend

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