Loading...
4th out of 33 books
—
5 voters
My rating:
add to my books
In Search of Captain Zero: A Surfer's Road Trip Beyond the End of the Road
In 1996, Allan Weisbecker sold his home and his possessions, loaded his dog and surfboards into his truck, and set off in search of his long-time surfing companion, Patrick, who had vanished into the depths of Central America. In this rollicking memoir of his quest from Mexico to Costa Rica to unravel the circumstances of Patrick's disappearance, Weisbecker intimately desc...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
September 16th 2002
by Tarcher
(first published 2001)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
694)
If they decided to hand out prizes for the individual who bought the most copies of this book, I would win, hands down. For many years, I prodded every single one of my friends, relatives, Romans, and countrymen, to read this, and if they didn’t start reading it that very instant, I managed to foist my copy on them, and of course bought another, and the whole cycle started over. Weisbecker captures something so compelling throughout this book, and being broken down in an end of the road Central ...more
view 1 comment
As a recent convert to the love of surfing, I practically devoured this book for it's "On the Road" with a surfing twist story. It was a great memoir with great surf descriptions, I could practically feel the waves under me as I read some of his prose. For those who don't surf, it's as close as you can get without actually getting wet and for those that do surf and are as landlocked as I am . . . it's the next best thing.
I wish I could review books by genres. I actually wish I could review everything by genre. When someone asks me my favorite burrito place my first question in response is always "what sort of burrito?"
I mean, do you want greasy authentic burrito, or are you talking california style grilled chicken and black beans on a wheat job. I'm not implying one is better than the other, just that they are very different things. Depends on what you are in the mood for.
Ca...more
I mean, do you want greasy authentic burrito, or are you talking california style grilled chicken and black beans on a wheat job. I'm not implying one is better than the other, just that they are very different things. Depends on what you are in the mood for.
Ca...more
Mr. Weisbecker is a strange fellow indeed. A man's man if ever there was one. This is a tale of his trip down the entirety of the American continent in search of, what else, perfect waves and his long lost buddy. Accompanying him on this journey is none other than his faithful dog Shiner, who is about as good a dog as ever was. Part Heart of Darkness, part Endless Summer, this novel transcends the act of surfing and ends much like Melville's Moby Dick - empty, yet wholly real.
Thi...more
Thi...more
In Search of Captain Zero by Allan Weisbecker is a true story about Allan and his venture of finding his best friend Christopher. Before he leaves he sells his house and takes his dog and his truck with a camper he calls “La Casita” through Mexico and Central America. His story is told from his perspective and uses a lot of surf slang.
He spends a lot of time surfing while on the way to Costa Rica. But his trip isn’t all smooth sailing though. His truck breaks down multiple times and ...more
He spends a lot of time surfing while on the way to Costa Rica. But his trip isn’t all smooth sailing though. His truck breaks down multiple times and ...more
In Search of Captain Zero by Allan Weisbecker is a very suspenseful book that has problems and fun in every chapter. Written in parts, Weisbecker writes about his journey to Central America in search of Captain Zero, his best friend. Thinking that his journey was going to be a quick and safe one, he didn't expect the many twist and turns that confronted him. From there, Weisbecker was forced to fight for his own safety and quickly find his best friend.
The one and only character in this boo...more
The one and only character in this boo...more
Allan C. Weisbecker’s memoir In Search Of Captain Zero is the latest addition to my surfer’s library. For reasons that didn’t become clear to me until the very end of the book, Weisbecker is keen, almost desperate, to relocate an old friend and former drug-running partner who’s disappeared in South America. Weisbecker throws his surfboards into a camper, calls his dog and drives down the west coast right into Costa Rica looking for his friend, catching more than a few bitchin' waves en route.
...more
...more
This is what I tried to read when Twilight turned out to be horrible and this ended up being pretty bad too. It is the non-fiction account of the author’s journey from New York to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica in his truck (he’s looking for a friend he hasn’t heard from in a while). The problem is that he surfs along the way and can’t stop saying how great he is. So there are endless and mind numbing descriptions of waves and how incredibly great and important surfing is. But once he gets out of ...more
Surfing, drug-running, high seas adventure. I'f you've never been into surfing, this book probably won't interest you much. The quality of the writing is a bit patchy - downright awful at the beginning. But there are depictions of some very dangerous situations that have a lot of punch, suspence, and humor.
SPOILER ALERT:
The episode about an ocean rescue during a major storm is a highlight. The narator's arrogance and casual attitude undergo a radical change when reality final...more
SPOILER ALERT:
The episode about an ocean rescue during a major storm is a highlight. The narator's arrogance and casual attitude undergo a radical change when reality final...more
I have recommended this book countless times to travelers and friends alike in the past number of years.
Allan Weisbecker tells the autobiographical tale of his search for an old friend who has disappeared without warning, leaving his whole life behind in the US. With a trailer full of supplies, his faithful dog and an array of surfboards, A.C. embarks on his midlife odyssey from Montuak, New York and through Central America in search of his lost companion.
Weisbecker's take o...more
Allan Weisbecker tells the autobiographical tale of his search for an old friend who has disappeared without warning, leaving his whole life behind in the US. With a trailer full of supplies, his faithful dog and an array of surfboards, A.C. embarks on his midlife odyssey from Montuak, New York and through Central America in search of his lost companion.
Weisbecker's take o...more
This was the perfect book for me at this point in my life.
Having been thrust into a world of no responsibilities, I found myself somewhat lost and confused as to what I should do. Luckily, the world is what it is and I embraced it. Learning to surf and to take life as what is in front of me, right now, has opened my eyes to the miracle of everything and anything.
Life is an adventure.
This book only reaffirmed that notion. "The only constant is change"; "...more
Having been thrust into a world of no responsibilities, I found myself somewhat lost and confused as to what I should do. Luckily, the world is what it is and I embraced it. Learning to surf and to take life as what is in front of me, right now, has opened my eyes to the miracle of everything and anything.
Life is an adventure.
This book only reaffirmed that notion. "The only constant is change"; "...more
This is a story that sticks with you long after you read it. It offers a memoir of friendship, adventure, wanderlust, and leaves you wanting to pack up and drive away. It is intriguing, offering a glimpse into someone's life who is both an outlaw and a hero. With it's strong insights into the world and art of surfing, it has left me with a longing to learn to surf, and be near the ocean. The author weaves his story in such a way that it will capture your very soul and take it on a road trip from...more
Wow. This was one of those books that I invested myself too much in before realizing how bad it was. Due to this, I indeed skipped the middle third of the book to minimize personal suffering. In his memoir of a mid-life crisis road/surf trip to Mexico, author Allan Weisbecker manages to demonstrate to his readers just how arrogant and self-possessed he is, all under the guise of "surfer cool". I occasionally found myself reading excerpts aloud to my boyfriend, unable to fathom just how...more
This book amazed me, mostly because of what the author chooses to tell us. After not seeing a surfing buddy of his for several years, Allan decides to go find him, using the address on the last postcard he received from his friend as a destination point. The book alternates between his surfing adventures along the way and his accounts of their life on the wrong side of the law in former years. I was simply astounded to read of these exploits and can only surmise that the statute of limitation...more
Ted
rated it
Recommends it for:
travelers, surfers
Recommended to Ted by:
Ama, Ron, Sven, Regina, Surf magazines, etc
2008/09/07: I'm almost 1/4 done, and so far it is holding up to the numerous recommendations to read it that I've been given over the last couple years.
Some of the descriptions are a little too-flowery and lengthy for my taste, but not too much. It still reads pretty fast and interestingly.
Woven into the plot, characters, observances, commentaries and conclusions, there is also a good amount of history of surfing, its lifestlye, and the technicalities of surfing - so th...more
Some of the descriptions are a little too-flowery and lengthy for my taste, but not too much. It still reads pretty fast and interestingly.
Woven into the plot, characters, observances, commentaries and conclusions, there is also a good amount of history of surfing, its lifestlye, and the technicalities of surfing - so th...more
In Search of Captain Zero is Allan C Weisbecker's second novel, and a considerably different work from the first gonzo/physics/pot smuggling affair, Cosmic Banditos.
He used to be an Internet sensation. Back in 1989 (ish) he wrote his first novel - Cosmic Banditos - a riotous tale of quantum physics and marijuana smuggling. It didn’t sell in either the US or the UK and, in a fit of generosity, the author sent all of his copies to the soldiers on active duty in the first Gulf War. Slow...more
He used to be an Internet sensation. Back in 1989 (ish) he wrote his first novel - Cosmic Banditos - a riotous tale of quantum physics and marijuana smuggling. It didn’t sell in either the US or the UK and, in a fit of generosity, the author sent all of his copies to the soldiers on active duty in the first Gulf War. Slow...more
Brian
rated it
Recommends it for:
adventurers, surfers, and journey enthusiasts
Recommended to Brian by:
IAN!!! (thanks buddy!)
To make this drink:
1 oz Hunter S. Thompson (preferred gonzo style)
2 oz Joseph Conrad (either/or Lord Jim & Heart of Darkness)
1/2 oz Jack Kerouac
1 oz Jimmy Buffet lyrics
Shake well with ice and pour into a highball glass. Sip and enjoy.
This book was so enjoyable for a myriad or reasons. The author is a phenomenal writer and keeps the pages turning. If you are into "journey" stories this one is up there with any of the best. The author con...more
1 oz Hunter S. Thompson (preferred gonzo style)
2 oz Joseph Conrad (either/or Lord Jim & Heart of Darkness)
1/2 oz Jack Kerouac
1 oz Jimmy Buffet lyrics
Shake well with ice and pour into a highball glass. Sip and enjoy.
This book was so enjoyable for a myriad or reasons. The author is a phenomenal writer and keeps the pages turning. If you are into "journey" stories this one is up there with any of the best. The author con...more
Almost every surfer I know has recommended this, so I finally read it. I've never really found a surf book I liked, but this was closest. I'm not sure if the author and I would have been surf buddies (he's 50, a longboarder, picks fights, and used to run drugs), but he's definitely a great story-teller. And his adventures traveling from Mexico to Costa Rica are a trip. He does a great job weaving in stories from his younger days, stories of his pot smuggling days, and stories of his journey to ...more
Well it did not change my life so it did not get 5 stars. But still a really good book and has given me some fodder for reflection. Ends a bit on a sad note but the author does seem to reach a point where he understands a major personal flaw and begins to take some action to correct it. Takes him 300 pages to get there but I think the timing of this glimpse into his self worked well for the book. At least he does seem to reach this point. Some of us never do. As he quotes Conrad from Lord ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Talking with a long lost friend of mine the other day I was reminded of this book and Tapping the Source. I don't know if it's in print still or not, but well-worth seeking out. "Some real Centro Americano film noir is going on here, except that this rough-cut mise en scene wasn't up on the silver screen, it was out my windshield."
Enjoyed the book as a surfer and lover of the open road but some of Weisbecker's rants and social meanderings had me thinking, "What an asshole." But I think that's his point. Toss it in the bag on your next road trip. Oh yeah if you've done any drugs or drug smuggling you'll appreciate parts of the book more than others.
If you are at all into surf culture, or lived through it in So Cal, then you'll want to read this quest. In search of his friend Captain Zero, Allan Weisbecker packs up his dog and drives from the East Coast to Central America. Lots of local color, surfing history, and introspection happen along the way.
Weisbecker, a hardcore surfer and former pot-smuggler turned writer, ventures from Montauk, NY to the End Of The Road in Puerta Viejo, Central America in search of his best friend who disappeared somewhere in the jungles of the south two years prior. His journey is made in a pick-up with a camper and with only his dog, Shiner, for companionship. What he finds may be more than he bargained for...
One surfer's attempt to give meaning to a meaningless pursuit. Those of us who surf and have surfed for much of our lives seem compelled to try to explain to others why we do it. In my opinion unless you surf or enjoy the ocean you're never going to get it. This book, like many others in the genre, is an interesting travelogue, but it comes off bit too hippy dippy.
I only made it about halfway through this book, got bored the same surf stories over and over again, started a different book, and never went back to this one. I can say that am amazed at some of the stories that he tells about his less-than-legal escapades. Why would you admit to these things in a book? Apparently, enough time has passed that he can not be arrested any more (or, he is making the stories up as he goes along??)
I might just skip to the last 20 pages or so to see whe...more
I might just skip to the last 20 pages or so to see whe...more
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas meets Heart of Darkness with a twist of Endless Summer. It's not quite your typical travel book, nor the typical surf diatribe. It did hold my attention and I kept on wanting to pick it up and keep reading. It's a story of friendship, surfing, travel, and a mid-life coming of age portrait of a miami vice bad-guy (or good guy) on a quest. Well worth the time of reading.
A rather cool story of friendship and the ocean, with mystery down ever dusty four-wheel drive road in the back country of Baja. Be careful this once will suck you in, as the author takes you with him on the search for "Captain Zero"!
Interesting at times, a good summer read for anyone interested in surfing, that's for sure. Pretty damn self-indulgent and egotistical though. Especially the very last few pages - I laughed in the author's cocky face.
Matt Amott
added it
oh man, this was such a great book!! i forgot about it until i came across it in a surf museum. not a good book to read if you are rooted where you are. i can add this to my list of books that explain my wanderings.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
