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Seaworthy: Adrift with William Willis in the Golden Age of Rafting
Welcome to the daring, thrilling, and downright strange adventures of William Willis, one of the world’s original extreme sportsmen. Driven by an unfettered appetite for personal challenge and a yen for the path of most resistance, Willis mounted a single-handed and wholly unlikely rescue in the jungles of French Guiana and then twice crossed the broad Pacific on rafts of his own design, with only housecats and a parrot for companionship. His first voyage, atop a ten-ton balsa monstrosity, was undertaken in 1954 when Willis was sixty. His second raft, having crossed eleven thousand miles from Peru, found the north shore of Australia shortly after Willis’s seventieth birthday. A marvel of vigor and fitness, William Willis was a connoisseur of ordeal, all but orchestrating short rations, ship-wreck conditions, and crushing solitude on his trans-Pacific voyages.
He’d been inspired by Kon-Tiki, Thor Heyerdahl’s bid to prove that a primitive raft could negotiate the open ocean. Willis’s trips confirmed that a primitive man could as well. Willis survived on rye flour and seawater, sang to keep his spirits up, communicated with his wife via telepathy, suffered from bouts of temporary blindness, and eased the intermittent pain of a double hernia by looping a halyard around his ankles and dangling upside-down from his mast.
Rich with vivid detail and wry humor, Seaworthy is the story of a sailor you’ve probably never heard of but need to know. In an age when countless rafts were adrift on the waters of the world, their crews out to shore up one theory of ethno-migration or tear down another, Willis’s challenges remained refreshingly personal. His methods were eccentric, his accomplishments little short of remarkable. Don’t miss the chance to meet this singular monk of the sea.
He’d been inspired by Kon-Tiki, Thor Heyerdahl’s bid to prove that a primitive raft could negotiate the open ocean. Willis’s trips confirmed that a primitive man could as well. Willis survived on rye flour and seawater, sang to keep his spirits up, communicated with his wife via telepathy, suffered from bouts of temporary blindness, and eased the intermittent pain of a double hernia by looping a halyard around his ankles and dangling upside-down from his mast.
Rich with vivid detail and wry humor, Seaworthy is the story of a sailor you’ve probably never heard of but need to know. In an age when countless rafts were adrift on the waters of the world, their crews out to shore up one theory of ethno-migration or tear down another, Willis’s challenges remained refreshingly personal. His methods were eccentric, his accomplishments little short of remarkable. Don’t miss the chance to meet this singular monk of the sea.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
9 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
T.R. Pearson
34 books274 followersThomas Reid Pearson is an American novelist born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is the author of seventeen novels and four works of non-fiction under his own name, including A Short History of a Small Place, Cry Me A River, Jerusalem Gap, and Seaworthy, and has written three additional novels -- Ranchero, Beluga, and Nowhere Nice -- under the pseudonym Rick Gavin. Pearson has also ghostwritten several other books, both fiction and nonfiction, and has written or co-written various feature film and TV scripts.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 23, 2019
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the other hand it does give rather informative view about Willis (and few others) expeditions but on the other hand writer presents Willis like a freak without understanding, even partly, the man itself.
Instead of this I highly recommend William Willis own books about his expeditions.
Instead of this I highly recommend William Willis own books about his expeditions.
July 17, 2011
Entertaining portrayal of a more or less unknown period of recent history — the flurry of attempts at crossing oceans on primitive vessels that followed the 1947 voyage of the Kon-Tiki raft from South America to the Polynesian islands. While the Kon-Tiki expedition was undertaken to support the premise that the islands of Polynesia might have been settled (or at least influenced)by travelers from South America, subsequent crossings and attempted crossings were made for no better reason than the challenge.
The eccentric nature of many of the men who undertook these voyages is a good match for Pearson's narrative style. Told in the classic droll voice of his fiction, Pearson focuses his attention on the voyages of William Willis, one of the more persistent travelers, despite not having attempted his first crossing until age 60. It's largely impressive that Willis survived as much travel as he did, despite his age, medical difficulties, and numerous severe storms. More than once, we're treated to the image of Willis hoisting himself up the mast of his raft and dangling upside down while trying to alleviate the pressure of a hernia, massaging his intestines in an attempt to push them back through the rupture in his abdomen.
Pearson clearly has a lot of fun with his subject and, except for encountering a few doldrums to sail through, the read is enjoyable.
The eccentric nature of many of the men who undertook these voyages is a good match for Pearson's narrative style. Told in the classic droll voice of his fiction, Pearson focuses his attention on the voyages of William Willis, one of the more persistent travelers, despite not having attempted his first crossing until age 60. It's largely impressive that Willis survived as much travel as he did, despite his age, medical difficulties, and numerous severe storms. More than once, we're treated to the image of Willis hoisting himself up the mast of his raft and dangling upside down while trying to alleviate the pressure of a hernia, massaging his intestines in an attempt to push them back through the rupture in his abdomen.
Pearson clearly has a lot of fun with his subject and, except for encountering a few doldrums to sail through, the read is enjoyable.
February 13, 2014
This is the story of a thoroughly quixotic man and very likely a most interesting man.
William Willis was born in Germany in 1893, came to America, and ended up dying at sea on a small sailboat, trying to cross the Atlantic in 1968 at the age of 75.
Early in life William Willis decided that he wanted to set grueling ordeals for himself. He lived his life as an extreme sport: difficult adventures with no expectation of rescue. He was optimistic, resourceful, and relentless.
The author says his motto (if he had one) was likely, “Oh, what the hell”.
I came across the name of William Willis when I looked up the Kon-Tiki voyage on Wikipedia after watching the 2013 Norwegian film Kon-Tiki on Netflix. This was a dramatization of Thor Heyerdahl’s spectacular undertaking to cross the Pacific from Peru to the Polynesian islands on a balsa raft in 1947. The Wiki article included a link to William Willis, “famous due to his solo rafting expeditions across oceans”. Well, I’d never heard of the William Willis so I looked for a book about him and found only this one. Willis’ own books are out of print. This paperback is just 280 pages long and includes the stories of three other rafters of that time. The author portrays these stories as both daring and preposterous.
William Willis spent his early life working as a crewman on cargo ships all over the world. But after several years this began to feel routine and he tired of it.
In 1938 his French landlady in New York City told him that her son had been convicted in France of theft and sent to Devil’s Island. She had lost touch with him.
Willis decided to find her son.
After some harrowing adventures Willis did find the landlady’s son and set him free, adrift in a canoe. The son never returned to his mother but he did live on in Brazil for several years.
Willis married after his return from South America. His wife indulged his risky behavior for the rest of his life.
Willis’ first raft voyage was from South America to American Samoa in 1954. He sailed 6,700 miles in 115 days — 2,200 miles farther than Thor Heyerdahl on Kon-Tiki. He took a parrot and a cat with him for company. Willis was 61 years old at the time of this voyage. He fell off the raft twice and only then decided he needed a float line to cling to if it happened again. He learned to drink seawater cut with anything he had available. He lived on a diet of coarse cereal, sugar, and lemon juice. He had no problem catching fish. He used the abundant flying fish that landed on deck as bait for bigger fish. The cat ate the parrot the day before he landed in Samoa.
In his second great voyage in 1964, he rafted 11,000 miles from South America all the way to Australia. He took along two cats. His rudder, centerboards, and steering all failed at one point or another. He managed quick and dirty repairs. He treated his two hernias by hoisting himself by his feet to a point over his head and swung there for over an hour while he pushed his intestines back into place.
At age 74, Willis made his third attempt at a solo crossing of the North Atlantic in a small sailboat. Willis left Long Island on May 2, 1968 in a small sailboat. On September 24, 1968 the crew of a trawler spotted his half-submerged sailboat nearly four hundred miles west of the Irish coast. No one was found on board. Willis' log was found on the boat, with its last entry dated July 21, 1968.
Today William Willis might well be mocking the MIMITW Dos Equis commercial: “I don’t often get thirsty. But when I do, I drink a frothy blend of seawater and urine.”
William Willis was born in Germany in 1893, came to America, and ended up dying at sea on a small sailboat, trying to cross the Atlantic in 1968 at the age of 75.
Early in life William Willis decided that he wanted to set grueling ordeals for himself. He lived his life as an extreme sport: difficult adventures with no expectation of rescue. He was optimistic, resourceful, and relentless.
The author says his motto (if he had one) was likely, “Oh, what the hell”.
I came across the name of William Willis when I looked up the Kon-Tiki voyage on Wikipedia after watching the 2013 Norwegian film Kon-Tiki on Netflix. This was a dramatization of Thor Heyerdahl’s spectacular undertaking to cross the Pacific from Peru to the Polynesian islands on a balsa raft in 1947. The Wiki article included a link to William Willis, “famous due to his solo rafting expeditions across oceans”. Well, I’d never heard of the William Willis so I looked for a book about him and found only this one. Willis’ own books are out of print. This paperback is just 280 pages long and includes the stories of three other rafters of that time. The author portrays these stories as both daring and preposterous.
William Willis spent his early life working as a crewman on cargo ships all over the world. But after several years this began to feel routine and he tired of it.
In 1938 his French landlady in New York City told him that her son had been convicted in France of theft and sent to Devil’s Island. She had lost touch with him.
Willis decided to find her son.
After some harrowing adventures Willis did find the landlady’s son and set him free, adrift in a canoe. The son never returned to his mother but he did live on in Brazil for several years.
Willis married after his return from South America. His wife indulged his risky behavior for the rest of his life.
Willis’ first raft voyage was from South America to American Samoa in 1954. He sailed 6,700 miles in 115 days — 2,200 miles farther than Thor Heyerdahl on Kon-Tiki. He took a parrot and a cat with him for company. Willis was 61 years old at the time of this voyage. He fell off the raft twice and only then decided he needed a float line to cling to if it happened again. He learned to drink seawater cut with anything he had available. He lived on a diet of coarse cereal, sugar, and lemon juice. He had no problem catching fish. He used the abundant flying fish that landed on deck as bait for bigger fish. The cat ate the parrot the day before he landed in Samoa.
In his second great voyage in 1964, he rafted 11,000 miles from South America all the way to Australia. He took along two cats. His rudder, centerboards, and steering all failed at one point or another. He managed quick and dirty repairs. He treated his two hernias by hoisting himself by his feet to a point over his head and swung there for over an hour while he pushed his intestines back into place.
At age 74, Willis made his third attempt at a solo crossing of the North Atlantic in a small sailboat. Willis left Long Island on May 2, 1968 in a small sailboat. On September 24, 1968 the crew of a trawler spotted his half-submerged sailboat nearly four hundred miles west of the Irish coast. No one was found on board. Willis' log was found on the boat, with its last entry dated July 21, 1968.
Today William Willis might well be mocking the MIMITW Dos Equis commercial: “I don’t often get thirsty. But when I do, I drink a frothy blend of seawater and urine.”
May 2, 2013
As a rafting literature fanatic (who has also built his own craft and sailed in for three days down a river in Latvia!) I would say this book is up there with the best! I thoroughly enjoyed every word on every page and have a hunger to set sail again! Thank you Mr Pearson for a story like no other and introducing me to the eccentricity of Mr Willis!
Currently writing my own fictional raft story.
Chris Thrall is the author of: 'Eating Smoke: One Man's Descent Into Drug Psychosis in Hong Kong's Triad Heartland' - a memoir.
Currently writing my own fictional raft story.
Chris Thrall is the author of: 'Eating Smoke: One Man's Descent Into Drug Psychosis in Hong Kong's Triad Heartland' - a memoir.
August 28, 2010
This engrossing book still lingers in my mind, and I read it a few years ago. Can you imagine being thirsty enough to squeeze a fish and drink whatever you get ?
June 1, 2020
My Rating - Must read
Level - Quick, easy (with the exception of nautical terminology), medium length (250+)
Summary
Seaworthy is the apparently true, but often unbelievable, story of William Willis and his adventures rafting across the Pacific, his attempts to cross the Atlantic, and a wild, nonsensical story of a jailbreak in Guiana. The book is broken into 11 chapters, all with random names (three are names of his rafts/boats) that doesn't tell you much of what is happening. The final chapter, Full Stop, is something like a conclusion and final thoughts.
The opening chapter has a 73 year old Willis being unable to cross the Atlantic in a small boat. Then circles back to his early life at 14, then a bit of an excursus into jailbreak that I just can't fully believe (not doubting the author, but the original source), then to the building of his first raft that he will take from South America to Samoa (this is really four chapters and the heart of the book), but even with in this, there are the stories of other sailors/rafters/academics/physicians/crazy people, his attempt at normal life, then his attempts to fully cross from South America to Australia, before ending full-circle back to crossing the Atlantic from New York.
My thoughts
I ended up reading this book by accident. I thought my dad offered it to me by putting it on my things one day when I brought my kids to see them during the Covid Pandemic (my mom put it there it get it out of the hands of one of the Nuggets) but was interested because I thought it was corollary story from an autobiography I had read about someone shipwrecked (it isn't). Regardless, this book is nuts. I read it in a few hours and it might be the best work of narrative non-fiction I have ever read. Willis is absolutely insane and the Pearson's writing is outstanding.
He does a good job of painting Willis as who he really was. Not some hero or someone necessarily even looking for fame, but a fairly flawed individual, who was unnaturally determined (and stubborn) yet still lacked follow-through, took short cuts, and often didn't seem to think of much outside of himself. The Seven Little Sisters adventure is fascinating, as are the forays into other trips by various people and the historical accounts of similar voyages. As I mentioned above this is the meat of the book, while the longer trip (all the way to Australia, but broken into two trips) gets less narrative.
It looks like you can get some used copies of this book for under five dollars, and that prices alone is worth it for the Devil's Island chapter. This is a story so wild, I really struggle to believe it. If it weren't for his mishaps and essential failures, I couldn't believe it. Willis seemed to run head long into things, often with no plan or thought (or just a vague idea of one), yet the ball would bounce his way and things would turn out (mostly) alright in the end. Even if you aren't interesting in sailing, survivalist/endurance, etc. this book, well written and about a character that is far stranger than fiction, is a must read.
More reviews: MondayMorningTheologian.com
Level - Quick, easy (with the exception of nautical terminology), medium length (250+)
Summary
Seaworthy is the apparently true, but often unbelievable, story of William Willis and his adventures rafting across the Pacific, his attempts to cross the Atlantic, and a wild, nonsensical story of a jailbreak in Guiana. The book is broken into 11 chapters, all with random names (three are names of his rafts/boats) that doesn't tell you much of what is happening. The final chapter, Full Stop, is something like a conclusion and final thoughts.
The opening chapter has a 73 year old Willis being unable to cross the Atlantic in a small boat. Then circles back to his early life at 14, then a bit of an excursus into jailbreak that I just can't fully believe (not doubting the author, but the original source), then to the building of his first raft that he will take from South America to Samoa (this is really four chapters and the heart of the book), but even with in this, there are the stories of other sailors/rafters/academics/physicians/crazy people, his attempt at normal life, then his attempts to fully cross from South America to Australia, before ending full-circle back to crossing the Atlantic from New York.
My thoughts
I ended up reading this book by accident. I thought my dad offered it to me by putting it on my things one day when I brought my kids to see them during the Covid Pandemic (my mom put it there it get it out of the hands of one of the Nuggets) but was interested because I thought it was corollary story from an autobiography I had read about someone shipwrecked (it isn't). Regardless, this book is nuts. I read it in a few hours and it might be the best work of narrative non-fiction I have ever read. Willis is absolutely insane and the Pearson's writing is outstanding.
He does a good job of painting Willis as who he really was. Not some hero or someone necessarily even looking for fame, but a fairly flawed individual, who was unnaturally determined (and stubborn) yet still lacked follow-through, took short cuts, and often didn't seem to think of much outside of himself. The Seven Little Sisters adventure is fascinating, as are the forays into other trips by various people and the historical accounts of similar voyages. As I mentioned above this is the meat of the book, while the longer trip (all the way to Australia, but broken into two trips) gets less narrative.
It looks like you can get some used copies of this book for under five dollars, and that prices alone is worth it for the Devil's Island chapter. This is a story so wild, I really struggle to believe it. If it weren't for his mishaps and essential failures, I couldn't believe it. Willis seemed to run head long into things, often with no plan or thought (or just a vague idea of one), yet the ball would bounce his way and things would turn out (mostly) alright in the end. Even if you aren't interesting in sailing, survivalist/endurance, etc. this book, well written and about a character that is far stranger than fiction, is a must read.
More reviews: MondayMorningTheologian.com
April 26, 2024
Wow, what a story! Willis and the other two rafters highlighted by Pearson paint a vibrant picture of the foolishness of pride. Really, just amazing.
However, I’m not a fan of Pearsons writing style and importation of his own opinion in the story. He feels very biased in some parts to the detriment of allowing the reader to have their own opinion. Otherwise, though, I definitely recommend this read. It’s not often we get to read about interesting characters that succeed despite themselves.
However, I’m not a fan of Pearsons writing style and importation of his own opinion in the story. He feels very biased in some parts to the detriment of allowing the reader to have their own opinion. Otherwise, though, I definitely recommend this read. It’s not often we get to read about interesting characters that succeed despite themselves.
August 5, 2022
Not the ordinary from Pearson
I have read all the T. R. Pearson I could get my hands on. I like his style. This book is quite a departure from the norm but still a really good read.
I have read all the T. R. Pearson I could get my hands on. I like his style. This book is quite a departure from the norm but still a really good read.
Read
February 5, 2009The prolific Southern author of Glad News of the Natural World (1985), among other books, T. R. Pearson turns to the free-spirited Willis for his material in Seaworthy, the author's first nonfiction effort. An accomplished storyteller, Pearson captures the joie de vivre of the German-born explorer, skillfully describing both Willis and the great era of exploration that spawned such interest in Thor Heyerdahl's efforts to disprove earlier theories of sea travel. Despite Pearson's talent, Willis remains a bit elusive, and the mariner's motivation and some of his more eccentric ideas__his belief in telepathy, for instance__remain matters, perhaps, for other studies. All in all, Pearson admirably brings the forgotten Willis to life.
This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.
July 31, 2012
I don't believe I have ever before, outside of political tracts, read such breathless admiration of seriously foolish people. While the book documents several sets of rafting voyages, the "star" is one William Willis (1893-1968) who made no less than five trans oceanic attempts on the most frail of watercraft---follies that ultimately cost him his life. Willis was a complete package of oddball--if not wrongheaded--ideas, reckless risk taking, and questionable seamanship. I would hope a book of this type would contribute in some way to the extinction of open sea rafting, but Pearson probably only encourages more idiocy.
January 16, 2008
This book is yet another example of how the truth is stranger than fiction. This crazy guy was obsessed with building rafts and undertaking transpacific voyages, often with a sextant as his most advanced technology. He would travel alone for weeks, drinking only seawater and sleeping rolled up in a sail. Incredibly, he undertook his first solo voyage in 1954 at the age of 60. A great old eccentric character. Adventures galore. Well written, fun read. Someone should make the movie!
April 15, 2015
This is a true story of an extremely intriguing person. He got into rafting back when it was trending after Kan Tiki experiment was such a success and sailed his raft from South America through the Pacific Island chain.
The story is more then just his adventure its about him, where he was from, who he was.
The story is more then just his adventure its about him, where he was from, who he was.
April 30, 2013
Most people have heard of the Kon Tiki, but I for one had no idea there were many more raft voyages in the 50s and 60s, the most prolific raft sailor being William Willis. What he did makes the Red Bull daredevil stunts of today look pedestrian. I'm glad the author chose to write about this forgotten era and forgotten personality. What a character...
August 14, 2007
This guy was a nut, but his story is pretty interesting. I liked that the author really provided a lot of context for what drove William Willis. It has inspired me to read some more books about the other rafting journeys across the oceans.
February 20, 2009
Another review that disappeared. I'm torn on the "hero or nutjob" question here, as I should be, and it's obvious why a writer like Pearson was interested enough in this guy to venture into non-fiction. Thanks, T.R.!
March 4, 2008
If you're adrift on a life raft you can safely consume about a pint and a half of sea water each day (provided you're not getting salt from another source). The voyages presented in this book are kind of like a disorganized "Voyage of the Kon-Tiki". Good stuff.
November 21, 2010
Wow - this dude was adventurous!
January 29, 2012
Fascinating story of William Willis and several other famous "rafters".
January 25, 2016
Grand
August 29, 2015
Well Researched & Fun Read
Entertaining and enjoyable in typical Pearson fashion. Well worth your while to read although a complete departure from the author's usual subject matter
Entertaining and enjoyable in typical Pearson fashion. Well worth your while to read although a complete departure from the author's usual subject matter
January 17, 2017
I found it a rather interesting read. Not my usual subject, but his ego kept me from putting it down and walking away! The writing was simple and very easy to understand.
September 24, 2009
An interesting story about a totally crazy guy
March 11, 2010
Fascinating true account of a man obsessed.
October 8, 2012
This guy was a nut, but absolutely awesome in his own way!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews