The Long Way

Rating:
Summary: Must Read for anyone longing to go to sea not knowing why
Review: A poetic book conveying many levels of thought inspired from actually having enough time to think! Starting as a solo circumnavigation of the earth, and encompassing his views of how and where we fit into the scheme of life on the planet. Maybe only solo sailors will understand...

Rating:
Summary: ONE WORD ...... PERFECT!
Review: Anyone who has a love of the sea or a love of nature will be sucked into this book quickly and completely. Moitessier's (pronounced mwa - tee - see - ay) writing is like poetry. This book has the power to change your view of the things around you, and to change your view of the world in general. Very powerful. Very moving. Absolutely a Must Buy.

Rating:
Summary: A stirring saga of one man's epic solo voyage.
Review: I first read "The Long Way" back in the 70's and have revisited the book five or six times. It is my favorite among works of this genre. I think Bernard captures the many moods of his epic voyage - the joy, the fear, the exhilaration, the lonliness, the spiritual peaks and valleys - in language that is both rich and moving. The book also contains a good technical section in the back for those intersted in the practical side of simple self-sufficient ocean voyaging. This is a classic written by a sailor with the soul of a poet.

Rating:
Summary: TAKE AWAY YOUR TROUBLES "THE SHORT WAY"
Review: I've been reading and re-reading this book for over 10 years now, and the main reason is because of the peace and tranquility it gives to me. Every time I open the book, I set sail on Joshua as a solo sailor and experence what the "gods" of the open sea give so freely. Bernard was truly a man who knew how to deal with the inner man and fully experence all of life around him one day at a time. There will never be another Bernard Moitessier

Rating:
Summary: In response to Mr. Boatner's impression
Review: Mr. Boatner obviously missed the whole essence of Moitessier's rendering of his experience. This is not about litterature, but about the real experience of a man whose mind wanders as his trip progresses. The style is in perfect harmony with what happens in Moitessier's mind, as the ocean gets to him and reality fades in the wake of his ship.

Rating:
Summary: In response to Mr. Boatner's impression
Review: Mr. Boatner obviously missed the whole essence of Moitessier's rendering of his experience. This is not about litterature, but about the real experience of a man whose mind wanders as his trip progresses. The style is in perfect harmony with what happens in Moitessier's mind, as the ocean gets to him and reality fades in the wake of his ship.

Rating:
Summary: A woman comments.......
Review: On my first reading, this book stirred my soul and shook me out of a decade of spiritual lethargy. On the second reading, I set about learning how to sail. On the third reading I bought my own 25' yacht. Now, many reads (and many months)later, and ready to begin my first solo passage, I am developing my own love affair with the sea. Thank you Bernard!

Rating:
Summary: A hard book to finish
Review: Painfully and intensely boring. The entire book Bernard crosses back and forth the delicate line of sanity. It ends with a rambling against 'the Machine'(today it's called the Man, same thing).

Rating:
Summary: Good reading for the singlehander.
Review: Plastic boats and GPS have changed things a lot since this was written, but it's still a very good read. Some of the dream and hallucination passages may be a little overly dramatic, but he is French, after all.

Rating:
Summary: Good reading for the singlehander.
Review: Plastic boats and GPS have changed things a lot since this was written, but it's still a very good read. Some of the dream and hallucination passages may be a little overly dramatic, but he is French, after all.