Crowhurst, a father of four with a devoted wife, clare, was just 36. He signed up for the prize and the glory, but quickly realized he was in over his head. And his log books would come under serious scrutiny. Of the nine competitors to enter the golden globe, crowhurst, the 36 yearold owner of a small electronics business in bridgwater, somerset, was the least likely. Towards the end, reading crowhursts last log entries, i worried that i myself might. On july 10, 1969, british sailor donald crowhursts boat was found adrift in the atlantic, ending a bizarre eightmonth fake voyage around the world in a sailing race. The strange last voyage of donald crowhurst by nicholas tomalin. By nicholas tomalin, ron hall hodder and stoughton.
American poet donald finkel based his 1987 book length narrative poem the wake of the electron on crowhursts life and fateful voyage. The strange last voyage of donald crowhurst audiobook by. Tomalin and hall have done a brilliant job in recreating not only crowhursts voyage, but what led him to the position he found himself in. Donald crowhurst the reader wiki, reader view of wikipedia. Donald crowhurst was an amateur sailor who died competing in a roundtheworld yacht race. Forty years after the compelling and tragic mystery of donald crowhursts disappearance, robert mccrum meets the family of the infamous lone sailor.
Robert mccrum meets the family of the infamous lone. Sir francis chichester, whose recordsetting 1967 circumnavigation inspired the 1968 69 roundtheworld race, called it the sea drama of the century. Also check out the incredible book the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst. This book is the morbidly fascinating story of one of the participants, donald. It is massively moving the poetry written by crowhurst, found in his trimarans logbook, is not only. Donald crowhurst 19321969 was a british businessman and amateur sailor who died while competing in the sunday times golden globe race, a singlehanded, roundtheworld yacht race. Still, the construction of a log book that would pass even the most cursory examination was an involved undertaking.
The mercy stars the oscar winning actors colin firth as amateur sailor, donald crowhurst and rachel weisz as his wife, clare. With time he began to view himself as a god, evident in his logbook entries slowly spiralling into a kind of free madness. Donald crowhurst, pictured just before setting out in the sunday times golden globe race in 1968. The world believed donald crowhurst was completing the fastest nonstop solo.
By august, unprepared for surviving in the wild, he starved to death. With its first publication in 1970, the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst became an instant classic. In the autumn of 1968, donald crowhurst set sail from england to participate in the first singlehanded nonstop aroundtheworld sailboat race. Its a book that has a profound impact on everyone who reads it, not least because of the unsparing way it. Donald crowhurst and the yacht race that ended in mystery. Crowhursts fake circumnavigation of the globe is one of the greatest sailing stories of all times. Crowhursts logbooks passed into the hands of two sunday times writers, nicholas tomalin and ron hall, who quickly produced their masterly account of the tragedy, the strange last voyage of donald. The tragic story of donald crowhursts last voyage is wellknown. Crowhurst had entered the race in hopes of winning a cash prize from the. Towards the end, reading crowhursts last log entries, i worried that i myself might come unhinged. Donald crowhurst and his doomed attempt to sail around the. The strange last voyage of donald crowhurst is a fascinating account of his last voyage.
When donald crowhursts abandoned sailboat was found adrift in the atlantic in 1969, his captains log recorded the ravings of a man whose mind had snapped. Harry bordenguardian robin knoxjohnston was first in, and first to circumnavigate the world alone. Who was donald crowhurst and why is the new colin firth. As his sodden radio packed up, the only clues come from the increasingly rambling notes in his log books. Buy the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst sailors classics s.
The strange last voyage of donald crowhurst audiobook. This is the official website of the donald crowhurst family. Crowhurst had to spend long hours monitoring weather reports from around the globe, figuring winds and currents, time, speed and positions, inventing plausible anecdotes for the margins, etc. Crowhurst saw the media exposure and glory of winning the race, using an unconventional craft built and equipped by himself, as a means to save his failing business. The strange last voyage of donald crowhurst is an extraordinary, moving, and harrowing book, haunting in every sense of the word, and a terrifying look at one mans descent into madness. If you only ever read one book in your life, make sure this is it. Towards the end, reading crowhursts last log entries, i worried that i myself. But was he put up to it by a headlinehungry reporter. Through crowhursts logs and diaries the world learned that, although he had.
Donald charles alfred crowhurst 1932 july 1969 was a british businessman and amateur. The strange last voyage of donald crowhurst sailors classics s. Donald crowhurst and his sea of lies daily mail online. While its well written i only mark it down one star because crowhursts own log books notes are littered in the book so much and frankly theyre a chore to read. The same cannot be said for the yachtsman donald crowhurst, above left, or timothy treadwell, above right. Octobers yachting monthly contains a 10page special on the voyage of donald crowhurst, 40 years after the event. The strange last voyage of donald crowhurst sailors. Crowhurst had entered the race in hopes of winning a cash prize from the sunday times to aid his failing business. Woefully underprepared, he quickly realised he had little chance of success in the race and dropped out. His ships log book, found after his disappearance, suggests that the stress he was under possibly led to his suicide. Deceit and ramblings about disembodied intelligence are consequences of his vanity. At some point later he starts to make a doubleentry logbook, the first one with his. Colin firths new film invites sympathy for walter mitty.
The piecing together of the facts and context surrounding donald crowhursts voyage and the details of his own. Donald crowhurst, left, and colin firth in the mercy credit. In 1968, crowhurst, an amateur sailor, signed on for a lone roundtheworld race. It was while i was researching my book about madness at sea in 2015 that i first heard a movie about donald crowhurst was in the works.
Donald crowhursts death is to some fascination and wide speculation. Buy a cheap copy of the strange last voyage of donald. Click on the links below to see inside his logbooks. Donald crowhurst 19321969 was an english businessman and amateur sailor who died while competing in the sunday times golden globe race, a singlehanded, roundtheworld yacht race. Taking part in the global race was not enough for him. Donald crowhursts boat the teignmouth electron lies wrecked on cayman brac. Many of the solo sailors partaking in that around the world race organized by the bbc were incredible characters, like the frenchman bernard moitessier who could have. Feted as a fearless roundtheworld yachtsman, donald crowhurst was in fact a walter mitty who faked his whole voyage and disappeared when he was about to be exposed. Donald crowhurst logbook entries experimental writing. A passing boat, the royal mail vessel picardy, found the boat adrift in the midatlantic just 10 days later on july 10, 1969. Then his boat was found, empty and adrift in the atlantic. With coauthor ron hall, he now raced against the clock to unravel the mystery of the log books and publish the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst, widely regarded as the definitive account. Inside donald crowhursts heartbreaking roundtheworld.
His mental and physical state began to decline and his last radio transmission was received on june 29 1969 and his last log. Donald crowhurst was raised in india, where his father had worked on the railways. If donald crowhurst had just held on for 10 more days, he likely would have lived. Donald crowhursts logbook, 15 november 1968, two weeks after setting out on the roundtheworld yacht race. This is not a sailing book it is a detective story about what. Instead, he encountered difficulty early in the voyage, and secretly abandoned the race while. On board were found log books, taperecordings, film, details of. Donald charles alfred crowhurst 1932 july 1969 was a british businessman and amateur sailor who died while competing in the sunday times golden globe race, a singlehanded, roundtheworld yacht race soon after departing, his ship began taking on water and he wrote it would probably sink in heavy seas. The stiltskin song horse on their 1994 album the minds eye was written about the illfated voyage from donald crowhursts perspective. Donald crowhurst 19321969 was a british businessman and amateur sailor who died while competing in the sunday times golden globe race, a single. Nicholas tomalin, in his thirties when he wrote this book, had already been. It is based on the true story of crowhursts infamous attempt to win the first nonstop singlehanded roundtheworld yacht race, the 196869 sunday times golden globe race. The late ronald crowhurst was a deeply obsessive and, yes, strange man, so its appropriate that this book about his doomed 1969 voyage is an extremely eccentric and obsessive piece of work in its own right.
After changing hands again, the yacht was taken to grand cayman and then to cayman brac, where she remained in service. Donald crowhursts last radio transmission was received on june 29 1969. Why are filmmakers obsessed with the story of doomed. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. He secretly abandoned the race while reporting false positions, in an attempt to. Colin firths new film invites sympathy for a walter mitty who cheated then vanished in yachtings greatest ever scandal. The strange voyage of donald crowhurst is such a book. Crowhursts logbooks passed into the hands of two sunday times writers, nicholas tomalin and ron hall, who quickly produced their masterly account of the tragedy, the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst, which appeared in 1970. It was built to honour the memory of donald crowhurst, inventor, father, husband, adventurer and sailor. The title of this book is the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst and it was written by nicholas tomalin, ron hall. What happened to donald crowhursts boat teignmouth.
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