Close to the Wind: An Extraordinary Story of Triumph Over Adversity - Hardcover

Goss, Pete

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786706074 ISBN 13: 9780786706075

Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1999

Synopsis

This true story of triumph over adversity begins with Pete Goss's first transatlantic race at the age of 24 in a boat so old that the keel falls off after arriving in Newport. He next becomes a skipper in sailing competitions that teach him fundamental lessons about teamwork and character under extreme conditions, as he pursues his ultimate dream: the single-handed round-the-world race. To raise the money to build the boat for this grueling competition, Goss sells his car, his television set, and finally his house. The race itself confronts Goss with all the challenges of high-speed sailing, from combating waves the height of six-story buildings to the unremitting and exhilarating trial of his skills. A third of the way through the race everything goes wrong. His sails are destroyed, his navigation equipment proves useless. Then he receives a Mayday that a competitor is sinking 160 miles away, upwind. Now Goss has to find a man on a life raft in a merciless wilderness of ocean. How he does it, and still completes the race, is the stuff truly inspiring tales are made of.

About this title

Review:

On 25 December, 1996, Pete Goss turned his 50-foot yacht Aqua Quorum back into a hurricane-force headwind to rescue French sailor Raphael Dinelli. He risked his life and any chance of winning one of the world's great yachting challenges--the Vendee Globe nonstop, single-handed, round-the-world race. Instead, he was awarded France's highest honor, the Legion d'Honneur.

Close to the Wind is Goss's story. He starts the book with his years of preparation as a merchant seaman and skipper on one of the 10 yachts in Chay Blyth's British Steel Challenge. He describes how he attempted to get sponsorship but was constantly rebuffed, and he discusses the hardships he faced--nights before business meetings spent sleeping on platforms because there was no money to spare for a room, for instance. The drama of the Vendee is recounted in detail, down to Goss's having to operate on his elbow without anesthetic and with only the assistance of faxed instructions. And will he race again? In fact, he plans to set off on in a 115-foot catamaran in The Race, December 2000. --Amazon.co.uk

About the Author:

Pete Goss was born in 1961 and as a child traveled around the world with his parents. He served in the Royal Marines for nine years prior to competing in the Vendée Globe Challenge. Goss has been awarded the Légion d'Honneur, France's highest award for gallantry, and the MBE and has been named Yachtsman of the Year. He lives in Cornwall with his family.

About this edition

• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0786706074
• ISBN 13: 9780786706075
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 273