By David Lewis
248 pp. Fall 2002. Paperback. $17.95
ISBN 978 1 57409 151 9
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David Lewis and his small yacht, ICE BIRD, set sail from Sydney, Australia, on a search for high adventure. Their voyage, full of drama, emotion, and pain, took them to one of the least hospitable and most fascinating parts of the globe – the Antarctic.
No one had ever sailed a yacht single-handed to Antarctica before David Lewis. For more than fourteen weeks, he never once touched land. He faced mountainous seas, constant gales, snow storms, and freezing temperatures; twice his small yacht capsized, and once it was dismasted 3,500 miles from help. He survived through a miracle of fortitude, skill, and luck.
One of the great true sea stories of the twentieth century, ICE BIRD is a gripping tale of human endurance, a testimony to one man's will to overcome any obstacle – whether physical or psychological – to stay alive.
“It was an epic more than 30 years ago, and remains so. Time has not dimmed the achievement, nor diminished the power of the story. It is as gripping, awesome, and ‘living,’ today, as it was then.” —Sailing & Yachting
“…can claim a proud place in the pantheon of nautical legend…an awesome tale…” —The Dorset Echo
“Gales, mountainous seas, numerous brushes with death, and amazing fortitude, this book has it all. Deservedly a sailing classic.” —Lloyd's List
“If you enjoy sailing, read Lewis's adventure. You won't be able to put it down.” —The ENSIGN
“Not just another single-handed first, but the greatest small boat voyage into ice since Shackleton's.” —Hammond Innes
- See what else the press has to say: Reviews
About the Author:
Doctor and anthropologist David Lewis published twelve books, including Shapes on the Wind and We, the Navigators. He made three solo Atlantic crossings, and became the first navigator in modern times to cross the Pacific without instruments, steering only by the sun and stars. He died in 2002.