Along The Clipper Way

Along the Clipper Way (1966) – Francis Chichester

Pan Books | ISBN: None | Condition: Good

Sold by Crappy Old Books – Where the Sea Is Vast, the Weather Is Appalling, and Sensible People Stay at Home with a Nice Cup of Tea.

There are people who enjoy a pleasant afternoon beside the seaside, perhaps with a packet of chips, a folding deckchair and the comforting assurance that dry land is never more than fifty yards away. And then there are people like Francis Chichester, who regarded the world’s oceans as enormous opportunities for adventure, discomfort and prolonged arguments with the weather.

Along the Clipper Way, published in this 1966 Pan Books edition, is a fascinating celebration of ocean sailing, maritime adventure and the extraordinary endurance of those who ventured across the world’s seas in the great age of sail.

The clipper ships were among the most magnificent creations of nineteenth-century maritime engineering: beautiful, fast and thoroughly unforgiving vessels designed to transport cargo across enormous distances in the shortest possible time. Their captains competed for speed, prestige and commercial advantage, particularly along the great trading routes linking Britain with the Far East and Australia.

Unfortunately, the oceans had not been consulted about these ambitious schedules.

Storms, mountainous seas, contrary winds and the occasional alarming encounter with maritime geography all contributed to a working environment in which a modern health-and-safety officer would probably have suffered a nervous breakdown before leaving harbour.

Chichester’s book explores the romance, challenge and practical realities of sailing along these legendary routes, drawing upon the traditions of the great clipper voyages and the enduring fascination of navigating vast oceans under canvas.

This was an age when getting from one side of the world to the other involved considerably more than complaining about airline legroom and discovering that your luggage had gone to Frankfurt.

The clipper captains faced months at sea, unpredictable weather and the constant demands of managing ships whose progress depended upon the wind, the skill of their crews and the occasionally questionable judgement of whoever happened to be in command.

And yet, despite the hardship, there remains something irresistible about the image of a great sailing ship racing across the Southern Ocean, canvas billowing, decks awash and its crew desperately hoping that the captain knew where Australia was.

Francis Chichester was particularly well qualified to appreciate such adventures. An accomplished aviator and pioneering yachtsman, he became one of Britain’s most celebrated maritime figures, eventually achieving international fame for his solo circumnavigation aboard Gipsy Moth IV in 1966–67.

This edition therefore belongs to a particularly interesting moment in his remarkable career, just as his greatest sailing achievement was about to capture the public imagination.

Chichester brings the enthusiasm of a genuine seafarer to a subject that combines maritime history, navigational skill, human endurance and the enduring appeal of doing something extraordinarily difficult simply because the challenge exists.

Condition: Good. This is a previously owned 1966 Pan Books edition, showing the ordinary signs of age and handling appropriate to its condition. No ISBN, because books of this vintage managed perfectly well without them.

For enthusiasts of sailing, clipper ships, maritime history and old-fashioned adventure, this is an appealing vintage paperback from one of Britain’s great ocean-going personalities.

Available from Crappy Old Books, where the voyages are magnificent, the prices remain on dry land, and nobody is required to round Cape Horn to complete a purchase.

A splendid excursion into the world of wind, waves and nautical determination.

All the romance of the high seas, without having to sleep in a damp bunk while somebody shouts about the rigging.

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