The Ship Would Not Travel Due West

Temple Press, London, 1961 1st Edition, good condition with intact dustwrapper, some small chips, mainly at the spine, have been repaired, some foxing, particularly on endpapers, back and front pages, dustwrapper, and page block edges.

This is an account of the inaugural singlehanded cross-Atlantic race in 1957, where David Lewis competed against Francis Chichester (who won the race in the Gypsy Moth II), ?Blondie? Hasler, and Val Howells, and Jean Lacombe. Lewis, a New Zealander, placed third in the race, in a 25-foot yacht, covering the 3100 miles from Plymouth to New York in 56 days. En route he survived a dismasting, gales, a grounding and a collision. He then turned round and made the return voyage. They were made of sterner stuff in those days. Like the other competitors, Lewis kept daily records of mental and physical reactions, shedding a valuable light on the behaviour of men, dependent for survival on their own unaided efforts, and facing danger, hardship and lack of sleep for long periods in solitude. For Lewis, a doctor, this aspect of the journey was a unique opportunity for medical research...