Sailing Solo : The Legendary Sailors and the Great Races

by Nic Compton

A lavish, full-color chronicle of the most grueling single-handed yacht races in the world Ever since Joshua Slocum circumnavigated the globe in 1895-98, sailors have dreamed of taking to the high seas alone. Many have devoted their lives to the dream; some have given their lives. With gorgeous, full-color photography and dramatic prose, Sailing Solo pays homage to the world's greatest sailors as it explores every major single-handed race, from the pioneering Ostar to the grueling Figaro, to the ultimate of all solo competitions, the Vendee Globe, in which sailors surf down40-foot waves at speeds in excess of 20knots, thousands of miles from any help. Single-handed racing has never been more popular. As many as 200,000 people braved winter weather to witness Ellen Macarthur's completion of the Vendee Globe in 2001. The author, a veteran single hander, traces the history of each race, introducing the skippers and the incredible boats they fly solo--offering readers a unique and awe inspiring glimpse into what makes sailors tackle that ultimate of all sailing alone.

192 pages, Hardcover

Published May 2, 2003

About the author

Nic Compton is a writer/photographer specialising in sailing - but with a keen interest in environmental issues. After an idyllic childhood on boats in the Mediterranean, he returned to the UK at age 14 to complete his formal education, including in a degree in English with American & Commonwealth Arts at Exeter University. After a decade or so working as a journeyman shipwright, he studied Journalism at City University, eventually fetching up at the offices of Classic Boat in land-locked Croydon. He was deputy editor and then editor of the magazine from 1994 to 2000. That was when he gave up the security of the monthly pay packet for the vagaries of freelance life. Since then he has travelled the world as a writer/photographer, contributing to a variety of magazines, and has written 15 books mostly about boats. He recently completed an MA in Global Political Economy at Sussex University, and co-wrote two books about economics. He currently lives by the River Dart in Devon, UK, from where he sails a Romilly 22 called Ramona. More information at www.niccompton.co.uk.