An incredible true story
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Some years after being reunited with his wife, the author of this book, so altered by his experiences at sea and so impressed by the Pacific islanders who nursed him back to health, sought his own island and leased a mosquito ridden island in the Caribbean. He turned it into a paradise and today it is Palm Island near Grenada, a 'boutique hotel' resort. I sailed there a couple of times and met Mr Caldwell and his family. On my last trip there in November 2001, I was informed that John Caldwell had passed away. Enquiring of Mrs Caldwell, I was told 'her heart still beat strong'. John Caldwell's story in this book is incredible, I would have liked to have read a sequel as the rest of his life was also extraordinary.
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Desparate or Plain Crazy
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This is an extraordinary tale. The author is stranded in Panama at the end of WWII and wants to get back to his wife in Australia. After trying every option for travel he decides to set out in an old yacht. Now setting out to sail from Panama to Australia is not the most difficult voyage in the world, but our hero while being an ex-merchant seaman has never sailed a boat before!
The story is a non-stop roller coaster ride of triumphs and disasters. On the one hand the author is very resourceful and clever in finding ways through problems. On the other he is a complete lunatic who seems to have no chance of survival at all. At one point he harpoons a shark and then drags it into the boat as he wants it's teeth as a souvenir (the shark then proceeds to trash the cockpit, breaks through the cockpit sole and then trashes the engine!
For any sailor or adventurer this is a must read.
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