Full disclosure: I was a student of Rich’s in 2002 and also really enjoyed his book about Moby Dick, so I’m very predisposed to like this one. My star rating is probably lower than it might be otherwise because of those two things; I had high expectations and in the end it didn’t work quite as well for me as that earlier work. While the organization is roughly chronological and roughly grouped by topic (like animals at sea, navigation, technological advances, etc) it all hangs together pretty loosely. In the end, it’s a collection of summaries of singlehanded voyages and some exploration of what made those sailors tick. Perhaps the shortfall for me is less a flaw in the book and more a failure in me to find these folks compelling enough. As he notes when discussing the racer turned environmentalist, most of these sailors are pretty selfishly motivated: their whygo is motivated by personal challenge or exploration or fame and not because solo sailing contributes virtuously to the world (with notable exceptions). To end by noting that solo sailing has largely evolved to peak capitalism is just the depressing cherry on top.

I am a terribly practical person. I blame my parents, but digging any further into that is for therapy not a blog. What does this have to do with my review of Sailing Alone by Richard King? Simply, people who would choose to sail alone in the ocean seem ridiculous to me. They put their own lives in danger. They put potential rescuers in danger. And for what?

Guess who was ready for a practical skeptic (cynic?) like me? Richard King! King also tells a parallel story of his own solo sailing venture while looking at a few hundred years of other trips like his. If you are expecting to read about shipwrecks, this is not that book although a few bad things happen. This is instead about people who intend to sail across an ocean, if not the world, completely alone.

My skepticism about this book dissipated almost immediately when King plainly stated that he will try and answer the question of "why go?" for each single-handed sailor. Most importantly, King is not afraid to point out the things I thought throughout the book. Some of these sailors are heroic, determined, and take their journeys for unselfish reasons. Others are egomaniacs, mentally ill, or trying to be on a reality show (though I blame the parents of that one). King intersperses these stories with his own solo trip as well as chapters on various aspects of these voyages like birds, sharks, and near death experiences.

I would caution readers to know what you are getting into. King's writing is excellent from beginning to end. However, the book started to drag for me in the second half. Some of the stories seem to cover a lot of the same ground. This is absolutely a question of personal preference. If you are interested in sailing and the art of it, then you must read this book. If you are vaguely interested, this may drag as you reach the end. It's a great book for the right audience.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Penguin Group Viking.)