Banshee: A True Story of an Incredible Adventure

by Frank Thomas

“Banshee” is a true story of an incredible adventure. It was written to helpinspire people, young and old, to follow their dreams and never give up.In 1962, two young men with a big dream to sail around the world left Durban,South Africa in their 25-foot sailboat called Banshee, the smallest boat to haveattempted this journey at the time.This story charts the adventures of Frank Thomas and Malcolm Maidwell as theyattempt to navigate — without assistance from today’s modern technology —the treacherous waters around the tip of Africa (aptly named, as they would findout, “The Cape of Storms”) and make their way across the Atlantic Ocean. Thiswas an ambitious plan, bearing in mind their only previous sailing experience wason the small, landlocked Cinderella Dam near Johannesburg.In this coming-of-age story, they and their 34-year-old yacht had severaltroublesome encounters and made eye-to-eye contact with death more thanonce. With a stubbornness and will to continue they pursued their dream againstthe odds, relying on their belief that their small boat was up to the task, and faithand trust in each other.Guided by fate and a game of matches, this journey shapes the future lives ofthese young men as they experience exhilaration, exhaustion, excitement,romance and extreme fear along the way. Having total faith in their diminutiveguardian Banshee, they stepped into the dark without knowing exactly what toexpect but with a naïve belief that they were invincible

182 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 21, 2016

About the author

Franklin M. "Frank" Thomas was an American animator.

Frank Thomas attended Stanford University, where he worked on the campus humor magazine The Stanford Chaparral with Ollie Johnston.

After graduating from Stanford, he attended Chouinard Art Institute.

Frank Thomas joined The Walt Disney Company on September 24, 1934 as employee number 224. There he animated dozens of feature films and shorts.

Along with Ollie Johnston from his college days, the two would eventually become known as members of Walt Disney's team of animators known as the Nine Old Men .