Perhaps the title of this book, Bernard Moitessier's first, should have been "Sailing on the Reefs'--for that is exactly what he did, almost unbelievably, twice. After finding his beloved Marie-Therese, a beautiful junk in the Gulf of Siam, he set off across the Indian Ocean for Africa and eventually the Caribbean. Eighty days or so into the trip, Moitessier and Marie-Therese found themselves on the reef at Diego Garcia. It took Moitessier just nine months to build Marie-Therese II from scratch in Mauritius with no boat plans or power tools. From her launch he sailed her down to South Africa. His observations during a stay of almost two years are as interesting as the people he met and the innovative boat improvements he came up with. Unfortunately, he and Marie-Therese II managed to end up on the rocks near St. Vincent in the Caribbean. In between these two heartbreaking disasters is a tale of courage, resourcefulness, and creativity. It is told with refreshing honesty, in which Moitessier, still really an apprentice sailor, admits his blunders. And it is told with marvelous humor.

This is more than the story of a voyage. It is the story of Bernard and Francoise MoitessierAs honeymoon voyage from Europe to the islands of the Pacific and back by way of Cape Horn. Setting out from Tahiti, they took the alogical routeA back because it was the fastest, taking them through the Roaring Forties, through the high attitudes of relentless gale-force winds, and through iceberg territory. Their survival was due to great seamanship, careful preparation, and perhaps also their sense of harmony with JOSHUA and the sea. It is the story of JOSHUA (named for their sailing hero, Joshua Slocum), the dreamboat that became a reality, of how Moitessier recovered from the disaster of losing his previous boat u which he built himself u to pursue his great love, sailing the worldAs oceans. It is also a marinerAs guide to the pleasures and perils of sailing the Trade Winds, the archipelagos of the Pacific, and the Cape Horn route including preparation suggestions and the sailing survival knowledge that made the MoitessierAs voyage successful and joyous. Bernard Moitessier was one of the worldAs great small-boat sailors, and he displays his skills and knowledge in this book. He writes

The Long Way is Bernard Moitessier's own incredible story of his participation in the first Golden Globe Race, a solo, non-stop circumnavigation rounding the three great Capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin, and the Horn.

For seven months, the veteran seafarer battled storms, doldrums, gear-failures, knock-downs, as well as overwhelming fatigue and loneliness. Then, nearing the finish, Moitessier pulled out of the race and sailed on for another three months before ending his 37,455-mile journey in Tahiti.

Not once had he touched land.

"I would like now to write a practical book that will cover three topics: boats, the sea, and the beachcombing life." These were the thought of Bernard Moitessier after he finished writing his last book, Tamata and the Alliance, while in Polynesia. The great master died in 1994 and never completed the book, but here it is, meticulously collected from hus many writings, published and unpublished, by his companion Veronique Lerebours Pigeonniere. Moitessier's notebooks include all the know-how and the 1001 tips of this legendary sailor, the knowledge he acquired on the water, in meeting with sailors, during long passages, and during his many years living on various islands. The first part of the book details how to prepare for an extensive cruise, what kind of boat to choose, the rigging, the sails, the anchors, on deck and below deck. The second part describes the passage: the weather, navigation, watch-keeping, and heavy weather. In the third part, Moitessier takes us to the South Sea islands and shows how to adapt to living on an atoll, gardening, fishing and attaining self-sufficiency.