Over the Top: The First Lone Yachtsman to Sail Vertically Around the World

by Adrian Flanagan

Overview

Only one person has ever sailed vertically around the world - Adrian Flanagan.

Sailing horizontally is difficult enough, crossing thousands of miles of ocean only to get near land at the Capes and battle treacherous currents. However, hundreds of sailors have still managed it. Adrian became obsessed with the idea of sailing vertically around the world as a boy, before he even knew whether it was possible. Thirty years later he managed it. This is his own account of his remarkable adventure.

It was an epic challenge, sailing through the perilous waters around Cape Horn and across the remote, hostile stretch of the Russian Arctic. He survived being washed overboard, capsizing, a close encounter with pirates, and also managed to treat not one but two dislocated wrists - all of this alone, a thousand miles or more from anyone who could help him complete his quest. It wasn't all high drama, however. Adrian experienced moments of awe-inspiring beauty - being accompanied by a pod of whales, and swimming with dolphins.

This is a timeless and unique story, pacily written with a sense of humour, but which captures the zeal and determination required to accomplish something nobody else has ever done before.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472944306
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	03/08/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Adrian Flanagan was born in Nairobi, 1960, and spent his early life exploring Africa and the Far East. After studying medicine at King's College, and a military career ended by a shoulder injury, he worked as a freelance sports journalist, writing for the Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian and the Daily Mail. He completed his voyage vertically around the world in 2008. He is also the author of The Cape Horner's Club (Bloomsbury, March 2017).
Adrian Flanagan was the first solo yachtsman to sail vertically round the world (via Cape Horn and the Russian Arctic), and he has written for The Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian and the Daily Mail. His book The Cape Horners' Club was published by Bloomsbury in 2017.

Table of Contents

Map of Barrabas's route x

Prologue xii

Part I Beyond The Horizon

1 The Seed 3

2 The Pioneers 8

3 Reckless Endeavour 15

4 What If… 19

5 Great Circle 25

6 Barrabas Found 30

7 The Gipsy 42

8 Rules of Engagement 55

9 Reprieve 66

10 Enlightenment 81

11 A Message from the Stars 94

12 The Big Storm 103

13 One Hundred Days 112

14 Cape Horn 118

15 The Russian Front 133

16 Tuning In 143

17 Honolulu 156

18 Magic Number 164

19 Bearing Up 175

20 Louise for President! 186

21 No Place Like Nome 200

Part II Over The Top

22 Home and Away 219

23 Stamp of Approval 227

24 The Walrus and the Polar Bears 234

25 A Slice of Chocolate Cake 244

26 The Shipping News 252

27 From Russia with Love 263

28 Mayhem in Mehamn 272

Part III Homeward Bound

29 Port to Port 281

30 Promises 289

Epilogue 297

Appendices

1 Single-handed, Westabout Roundings of Cape Horn 298

2 Yachts that have sailed Russia's Northern Sea Route 299

3 Book list 300

Acknowledgements 303

Editorial Reviews

"One of the best-written and most gripping tales of recent years." - Yachting World

From the Publisher