Into the Wind: Around Alone: the Story of the World s Longest Race

by Tony Bartelme, Brian Hicks

Last summer, 16 skippers set off from Charleston on a 27,000-mile ocean odysey around the world. Each one alone in a boat powered only by the wind. Battling time, frigid cold, isolation and waves as tall as buildings, they've raced from South Carolina to South Africa, New Zealand and South America, experiencing adventures they never expected. A former Russian commando was forced to perform surgery on himself while his yacht crashed through the Atlantic. A world-famous female skipper found herself upside down in her boat in the frigid waters off Antarctica, while a wiry Italian braved furious seas to come to her rescue. This month, a few of the original 16 will sail the final leg back to Charleston. One will be the victor. But all are heroes. An award-winning team of Post and Courier writers and photographers has tracked these daring solo sailors, recording the triumphs and terrors of their trek in hundreds of interviews and vivid color photographs. This action-packed coverage has been compiled into a collectible, hardcover book titled Into the Wind.

136 pages, Hardcover

First published May 21, 1999

About the author

I'm an investigative reporter and author in Charleston, South Carolina. I've been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize three times and earned many national journalism awards, including the Scripps Howard, Gerald Loeb, APME, ASNE, National Press Foundation, Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi, and others.

Reviews

[Randy · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a coffee table clubfoot, than a chronicle...interesting parts but too piecemeal for me. Back to the sale you go my boy!

[nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not extremely well-written, but the material is amazing. It covers a sailing race called Around Alone. 16 people set off to sail around the world single-handing 40 - 60 foot very fast boats in extremely gnarly conditions. There are some cool photos, but I felt like there were more interesting images from the race. However it may be unfair to ask someone sailing their boat through 80 foot swells to snap a picture as their boat turns sideways and surfs down a wave.

[Penguin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The authors did an admirable job putting readers in the (deck) shoes of 16 sailors who raced around the world alone.