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From time immemorial, few narrative genres have had the power to so stir the emotions or captivate the imagination as the true account of a lone adventurer's triumph over the titanic forces of nature. Among the handful of such tales to emerge in the twentieth century, one of the most enduring surely must be Sir Francis Chichester's account of his solitary, nine-month journey around the world in his 53-foot ketch Gipsy Moth IV. The story of how the sixty-five-year-old navigator singlehandedly circumnavigated the globe, the whole way battling hostile seas as well as his boat's numerous design flaws, is a tale of superhuman tenacity and endurance to be read and reread by sailors and armchair ad...
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There was in Sir Francis Chichester a restless spirit never satisfied with his achievements. Throughout his adventurous life this quiet Englishman has sought to challenge odds that other, younger, stronger men declared insuperable. As a pilot, as a yachtsman, as a navigator, even as a man who broke the grip of cancer, Sir Francis was always a pioneer. Where he led, others followed: but when he triumphed, he at once sought a new and greater challenge. This is a book about such a challenge. With the feasibility of long-distance voyages proven beyond doubt - not least by his own remarkable circumnavigation in 1966 - Sir Francis turned at once to the next great barrier facing the single-hander, the 'speed barrier', setting himself the staggering target of sailing 4,000 miles between two fixed points on the earth's surface in 20 days - an average of 200 miles a day whatever the wind, whatever the weather. The Romantic Challenge tells of the planning, the calculations and the sheer hard work that in January 1971 led him and Gipsy Moth V to their 'starting line' for a race which is the single-hander's '4-Minute Mile' and Marathon, combined in one gruelling, non-stop, murderous ocean race.
The autobiography of aviator and sailor Sir Francis Chichester, who was the second person to fly solo from England to Australia. It is a tale of ardour and adventure, of intrepid endeavours on land, on the sea and in the air, and of the physical and mental challenges he faced.
In June 1962 Francis Chichester set out from Plymouth once again to cross the Atlantic single-handed in his 13-ton yacht, Gipsy Moth III, in an attempt to beat the 40-day record he set up himself in 1960. He succeeded, and knocked nearly a week off his previous time. Chichester also made history on his voyage by keeping in daily contact with Britain by means of a small battery-operated radio-telephone which enabled The Guardian, the sponsors of the voyage, to publish daily extracts from his log. Edited by The Guardian’s Yachting Editor, J. R. L. Anderson, this book, Chichester’s own day-by-day narrative of that adventurous journey, threatened by gales, icebergs and fog, is the drama of one man fighting his way alone across the North Atlantic. It is one of the great stories of the sea. ‘a magnificent achievement’ Guardian ‘hard to put down’ Times Literary Supplement ‘good-natured, informal and totally unpretentious book’ Observer
Sir Francis Chichester, adventurer, entrepreneur, aviation expert and record breaking sailor, is probably best known as the first man to sail solo around the world, in 1966-67. In this captivating memoir, first published in 1930, he tells of another solo journey taken around the world nearly four decades earlier, by air in a De Haviland Gypsy Moth. He recounts the story of how he set out from Brooklands Surrey in November 1929 with the aim of breaking Bert Hinkler's fifteen and a half day solo flight record to Australia. Filled with details of the countries he visits, the characters he meets and his hours in the plane, along with detours, scrapes and near misses along the way. Told with wonderful warmth and humour Sir Chichester brings to life his exciting account of aviation history.
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Francis Chichester's name is synonymous with the spirit of adventure and courage at its highest level. Before taking to the sea, Chichester made a firm reputation for himself as an aviation pioneer. Ride on the Wind is the story of his adventures with his sea-plane, Elijah. After flying from London to Sydney, he simply decided to look for 'the most interesting countries I could find, uninhabited, hostile, or little known'. From Sydney, he embarked on an epic flight that included crossing into forbidden territory in Formosa in a raging storm, a narrow escape from Chinese pirates, another from a typhoon, and a spectacular crash in Japan - a remarkable achievement for a solo amateur pilot. A thrilling adventure and the story of a man's journey alone in a plane for several months, above uncharted territory, Ride on the Wind is at its heart a fascinating and vibrant record of a world that was once very different.
I had no money, could get no floats, my navigation was uncertain, plane inadequate. A true story filled with danger, adventure and achievement, Alone Over The Tasman Sea is Sir Francis Chichester's telling of his 1931 seaplane solo-flight over the Tasman Sea from New Zealand to Australia - the first of its kind. Told with dry wit and humour, Chichester recounts his perilous journey across uncharted sea and between remote islands, and how he overcame the many obstacles along the way. During an era when flight was still in its dangerous infancy, Chichester's pure reliance on his friends Instinct and Reason make this a fascinating tale of risk-taking, perseverance and courage.