A Sea Vagabond's World

by Bernard Moitessier

"Je voudrais maintenant écrire un bouquin technique sur la mer, les bateaux, la vie de Robinson, mais en trois dimensions." Tel était le souhait de Bernard Moitessier une fois achevée l'écriture de Tamata et l'Alliance en août 1993, en Polynésie. Ce "bouquin", c'est celui qu'il aurait aimé trouver lorsqu'il a embarqué pour la première fois : un recueil d'expériences pour aider le néophyte à surmonter les problèmes au moment de se lancer dans la grande aventure ; un carnet plein d'astuces qui regroupe tout le savoir-faire d'un prodigieux marin ; un manuel simple qui montre que la mer reste la mer malgré l'évolution galopante de la technologie. Cette nouvelle édition propose une version rénovée de cet ouvrage paru pour la première fois, un an après le décès de Bernard Moitessier, grâce aux soins de Véronique Lerebours Pigeonnière, sa dernière compagne.

Genres: Travel, Adventure

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Bernard Georges Moitessier was a French sailor and writer, most notable for his participation in the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, the first non-stop, singlehanded, round the world yacht race.

Bernard Georges Moitessier est un navigateur et écrivain français, auteur de plusieurs livres relatant ses voyages. En 1968, il participe à la première course autour du monde, en solitaire et sans escale, le Golden Globe Challenge.

Reviews

[William Graney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A preparation/repair manual for embarking on ocean voyages and being at sea. The subject matter was of a technical/mechanical nature but Moitessier's writing resonates with me so it held my interest throughout. Due to the subject matter of the book it didn't quite capture the mystery of the sea the way The Long Way did but if I ever plan to buy a boat I'll read this again.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is classic Moitessier, with loads of technical detail and recommendations about surviving AND enjoying life at sea on a sailboat. But more than that, Bernard was a mystic, thoroughly enraptured with the ocean in all its manifestations, its denizens, and the unbounded complexity of the atmosphere acting upon it.

Though the book reiterates parts of The Long Way, he embellishes it with details of his idyllic life in Polynesia. After deciding to drop out of the Big Race following his circumnavigation around the three great capes, Bernard continued around Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin for a second time, and into the Pacific Ocean to Polynesia to "join his friends," instead of returning and claiming his prize in that "snake pit" Europe.

There's much to learn from this book about the minutiae, stresses and joys of life afloat; and my main take-away is that it takes a special kind of sailor to even attempt it, let alone commit to it as a way of life, forsaking the comforts and security of shore-based part-time sailing.

[Cowlicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sort of a how to sail as a vagabond book. It often left me day dreaming about how I would set my anchor on a tropical deserted island, or how I'd navigate if I'd lost my mast at sea.

The book is full of interesting illustrations. And is sort of a collection of notes. It does not have to be read straight through. I would just randomly pick it up and read a section, then eventually realized I had read the whole thing.

[Will Macmillan Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant

Part technical manual, part philosophical treatise, part biography and wholly wonderful. Great translate of a fascinating book. For real and armchair sailors everywhere

[Anne-margot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Q

[Nino Magro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quand j’ai lu ce livre, ça m’a un peu retourné le cerveau. Ce livre, c’est l’histoire de l’autonomie, de la liberté. C’est écrit comme un mode d’emploi, mais c’est loin d’être uniquement ça. C’est bien plus qu’un simple guide à la navigation, à la vie sur un atoll. Un essai sur la liberté, ça décrirait mieux ce qu’il se passe entre ces lignes.