Along the Clipper Way

by Francis Chichester

Vintage paperback

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Nautical

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Aviator and sailor, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

Reviews

[Igenlode Wordsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is basically a compendium of highlights from the research that Chichester was doing at the time (1966) in preparation for the nonstop single-handed circumnavigation that would make him famous the following year. Having read up all he could on the conditions encountered by his predecessors, from Joshua Slocum to the clipper ship captains who sought out the gales of the Roaring Forties in order to make their record passages, he published this selection of quotes and narratives, tied together with his own informed commentary.
Chichester clearly knows and loves his subject, and has a good eye for material. This isn't the story of his own achievements (which would be published after the voyage as Gypsy Moth Circles The World), but it's an entertaining assemblage of anecdotes, some from sources I had seen before but many I had not. And I was delighted to find that the book closes with a long extract from The Bird of Dawning by John Masefield, a story I was enchanted by as a child but had never been able to track down again without knowing its title or author.

[Sjors · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Along the Clipper Way” (1965) is an anthology of stories about sailing ships that followed the old clipper routes around Cape Horn. The stories are a pick of logbook entries, memoires, and anecdotes grouped by themes per chapter, interlaced with Sir Chichester’s personal observations and commentary.

The writer was intending to sail his own ship, Gypsy Moth, around the world and this compilation is a part of the research he did to prepare for the journey. In ‘65 fewer than 10 private sailing yachts had attempted to round Cape Horn, with very few known successes so the challenge was formidable.

Along the Clipper Way is full of great stories from the age of sail and provides a unique taste of the literature from this heroic age of shipping by collecting great parts from sometimes obscure sources. A nice piece of work!

I read a Dutch translation of this book, which was regrettably clunky in places.

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating series of observations about the sea and excerpts from accounts of sea travel, particularly those following a trade pathway called the "clipper way." Incredible accounts of observations and experiences pack this book, picked carefully for the most interesting and easy to read sequences.

[Andrey Tereskin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! If you're interested in history of sailing, especially in its most glorious times when 'The Clipper Way' was busy then this book is for you. Francis Chichester makes a good compilation of stories by other authors which cover in very colourful details most of parts of that ocean path.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of excerpts from some of the best writing about sailing. This one would possibly be worth owning! And definitely worth mining for what to read next - I read Cachalot based on the samples in here, for example.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a book I’d ordinarily pick up, but my elderly pen pal sent it to me since it was one he really enjoyed, so I figured I might as well give it a shot! Unfortunately, I found myself bored throughout most of the book 😅 However, I think it’s just because I know nothing about/don’t have a particular interest in sailing, and the book was pretty technical about it.

The author is clearly very passionate about sailing, and the book is actually a collection of excerpts he found during his extensive research as he prepared to sail around the world. The author provides his own commentary along with the quotations of others’ work, and there is a *lot* of sailing terminology throughout.

There were some interesting sections though! Namely the ones about giant squid attacking boats, encounters with whales and sharks, and a mariner or two whose writing leaned more toward the poetic. My favorite excerpts were right at the start of the book, from Ann Davison; she wrote about the sea so beautifully, and the quote in the review graphic is from her ship’s log.

CONTENT
🌶️ Spice: none
🤬 Language: a couple of curse words
🤔 Considerations: illness and deaths at sea, survival scenarios, animal death (think pretty much any nature documentary), shipwrecks

[graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just started this one, can't wait to hear about the roaring 40s

[John Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read if you want to be terrified of sailing the southern ocean - running down the easting.