TO VENTURE FURTHER: AN INCREDIBLE BOAT JOURNEY ACROSS THE WATERWAYS OF THAILAND

by Tristan Jones

Ancient Chinese legends tell of heroic attempts to navigate the waterways of the Kra peninsula which divides the Andaman Sea from the Gulf of Thailand. Yet despite efforts over the last century by expeditions from several Western navies, there was no record of a successful crossing—none, that is, until renowned sailor Tristan Jones took on the challenge. To Venture Further is the inspiring story of this memorable exploit by one of the finest sailing adventure writers of our time. Accompanied by his German mate, Thomas, and three disabled Thai youths, Jones makes the short but exceedingly difficult passage across the Kra in a small seagoing fishing boat. Facing floating debris, homemade dams, mechanical failure, and precariously low funds, Jones—whose left leg was amputated several years before—remains determined to win out against all obstacles, no matter how insurmountable they seem. With characteristically acerbic wit, Jones offers shrewd commentary on the Westernization of modern Thailand, bemoaning the destruction of a once-idyllic land. And whether confronting a band of raucous teenage monks, outwitting pirates in the Gulf of Thailand, or cruising a dry riverbed by hitching his boat onto an elephant, he continues to exhibit the awesome stubbornness and implacable courage of a man willing to sacrifice all comforts for the unknown and seemingly impossible.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 1991

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Arthur Jones, pen name Tristan Jones was a prolific English author and mariner. His stories, mostly about sailing, are a combination of both fact and fiction, and it is rather difficult to tell these apart.
He was an illegitimate child, and was raised mainly in orphanages. He joined the Royal Navy in 1946, and served for 14 years. After ending his career in the Navy, he bought a sailboat, became a whiskey smuggler, and scraped a living sailing the Mediterranean Sea.
After his left leg was amputated in 1982 (a result of health problems and accidents), he resumed sailing and sailed the trimaran Outward Leg from San Diego to London, then across central Europe by river and canal to the Black Sea, and then around south Asia to Thailand.
After the amputation of his right leg in 1991 he only returned briefly to sea, and he lived in Phuket, Thailand, he converted to Islam and took on the name 'Ali'.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though Jones fabricates or embellishes some details and even though he's not the best writer technically (I say that like I know what I'm talking about, but I really don't), I still love the hell out of this book. At some point, I even looked up old newspaper articles online just so I could make myself believe that these kids could actually cross the Kra (they did). While I preferred "Somewhere East of Suez", this book is still a favorite.

[Tuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

author has done (and not done some things he said he did) some incredible things over his life, sailing across south america, west to east, yes, over the andes. in this, he sails across thailand, with his crew of disabled thai, through dry rivers, over dams, under dragons. well, ok, the dragons part not entirely accurate. but hella sail boat adventures are had in all jones books.

[Jane Routley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Subtitled - an incredible boat journey across the waterways of Thailand. What more needs to be said. Well actually the author is disabled, he has only one leg, and his crew of Thais were also disabled. A neat travel book set in a part of the world not much travelled, inspiring and there is an elephant.

[Lori Mendenhall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not finish this book... I give it 3 stars because I think it's an interesting story and premise, however I wasn't sucked into the book because I found the author's writing style awkward and boring to read. Probably could have given it a second chance but there are too many other books out there to explore.

[David]

Tristan Jones will always be on my Mount Rushmore of authors!

[R.Bruce Macdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an inspiring tale of some of his adventures with the youth of Thailand who had been shunned due to their disabilities and were therefore considered bad karma.