DESPERATE VOYAGE by Caldwell, John - 1991

Sheridan House, Incorporated, 1991. Paperback. Good. In May of 1946, the end of World War II, John Caldwell was trying to return to his Australian bride Mary. Berths on ships were limited at the end of t he war, and the earliest departure date he could manage was 1947 -- not soo n enough. So he bought a 27' cutter named the Pagan in Panama, and he set about plann ing his 8,500 journey. No matter that Caldwell had no first-hand knowledge of sailing: he did have a copy of How to Sail which he read everyday and "m entally practised the ritual of getting under sail." With twin kittens as c rew, he set off, only to fall overboard in the harbor; in a flash the ship turned on its anchor chain and headed straight for him ... On the open ocean the Pagan is attacked by gale after gale. By August Caldw ell reached the Caroline Islands, and ran into a hurricane. And after that, he ran out of food ... Caldwell never runs out of good humor, however, which makes Desperate Voyag e a fun as well as a thrilling true story. Seasoned sailors will be astound ed by his early naive assumptions, yet his courage and persistence will ear n their admiration. And the rest of us will be equally as horrified and cap tivated. Editorial Reviews A must read for all would-be voyagers. - Latitude 38 [An] astounding tale of courage and adventure....an engaging, well-written story that combines elements of romance with incredible adventure, farce an d foolhardiness. If ever there was an argument for the benefits of sail tra ining, this book cements it. Riveting stuff. - Sailing Today One of the classic 'How I did it on a shoe-string in an unsuitable boat, knowing nothing about sailing' books....A good read and hoora.