Berserk : My Voyage to the Antarctic in a Twenty-Seven-Foot Sailboat

Rating:
Summary: Whoa, this was awesome!
Review: Awesome book and awesome story of courage, the desire for adventure while also thinking of the "normal life" back home, how friendship can be found (or never really found (like with Manuel) and also complete craziness ("but not stupidity"). David Mercy writes much like the reader is there. The closest comparison I have read to this book would be "Into Thin Air". The major difference of course is Jon Krakauer had some experience climbing mountains, and David Mercy had no sailing experience and that in itself is incredible. David went from shore to manning the wheel in a force-12 storm in the Drake Passage. I wonder how many people can claim their first experience sailing is crossing the Drake Passage.

When I finished this book I thought of how everything that happened to the crew seemed to time itself perfectly to the final end. I especially have to respect David Mercy for not abandoning Jarle when he could have like Manuel did. Had he done so there would likely never have been this incredible story and maybe no good ending that the world would know of. When David had the opportunity to abandon Jarle and stay in the warmth and safety of the cruise ship I thought of the film "The Red Tent"-when Umberto Nobile left on a rescue plane ahead of all the other survivors during the failed 1928 airship expedition to the North Pole and how he had to live with his decision in later years.

My only complaint was there were no photographs (aside from the cover sleeve). They have a site on the internet (the Wild Vikings), but it doesn't tell much of the story, but it appears they have been on another expedition recently.

I can't stop reading about small sailboats and thinking of the places I could go since I finished this book.