Come Hell On High Water: A Really Sullen Memoir

by Gregory Jaynes

Faced with a mid-life crisis, a longtime reporter for The New York Times sets sail on a Russian icebreaker for the South Pacific and finds himself surrounded by a surly, aged crew aboard a dilapidated freighter

Genres: Nonfiction

268 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1997

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this book. Nothing pleases me more than a sardonic unsentimental travel book. Paul Theroux's writings come to mind. But Jaynes comes across as superior, smirking and condescending to a bunch of pretty nice old people who were unfortunate enough to be on the voyage with him.

[Celeste Varner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in my mother's library when she passed away. My parents were friends with the Jaynes' during this time, and I remember fun diners with them and Willie the Wonder-dog. I was a teenager then, and am now the age he was when he wrote this. It was wonderful and eye-opening to bring light upon long forgotten memories.The book was an entertaining and quite human read. I understand the draw to do something like this. I enjoyed this book very much!

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gregory Jaynes is a journalist who, in the midst of a bought of mid-life crisis, living in fear that " will one morning soon realize that it is not the stair doing the creaking" decided that an around-the-world cruise on a freighter, would be just the thing (Come Hell on High Water: A Really Sullen Memoir) He so informed his wife and children, who must have been either extraordinarily forbearing or couldn' wait for him to get out of there. Unfortunately, the ship he chose — because of its relative inexpensiveness — turned out to be a converted Russian icebreaker. It had been purchased and refitted for hauling copra and other goodies around the South Pacific — certainly an irony if there ever was one. He packed War and Peace, one of those books that everyone intends to read, but mostly only get through the illustrated comic. " Carter once told me he read War and Peace when he was twelve. I felt like saying that if I had been stuck in a one-holer like Plains, Georgia when I was twelve, I would have read it, too." The book is a stitch. The voyage, which he cuts short in Singapore, is populated with interesting, i.e. weird people. The twelve passengers are hovered over by three Russian steward persons " combined weight I would estimate at forty-two pounds less than the Chrysler building." When the three moved to starboard, Jaynes figured the huge ship listed four-and-a-half feet in that direction. He knew a lot of people and his reminiscences are humorously described. " [Foreman] and I are close in age. One time in Humble, Texas, when George was idle, he told me, ' licks hurt.' I asked him to describe to me what it felt like to be hit by, say, Mohammed Ali. George bent way back around himself and then delivered a haymaker, with a fist about the size of a soccer ball, that stopped just at the tip of my nose. Nothing fell out, but my sphincter shot open all the same." And once in Saudi Arabia " was in a left-turning lane of a busy thoroughfare in Dhahran in February 1991.1 had been in and out of that part of the world since Iraq invaded Kuwait the preceding August 2. I was driving a rented Toyota Land Cruiser a big black one. The sun was fierce, it was four o'clock in the afternoon of another difficult day, and I couldn't find enough space in the oncoming traffic to make my turn. For all that, a Saudi in a white Chevrolet Caprice behind me was honking impatiently And suddenly I felt a bump and realized be had hit me with his car. I looked in the wing mirror and saw him shaking a fist at me. Then he bumped me again, I started to get out, but then the thought occurred to me that I was considerably bigger than he was. I shifted into reverse, and began backing my four-wheel-drive vehicle, slowly. Never, not even in the movies, have I seen such terror as entered the face in my rear view mirror. He could not reverse, for the line of cars behind him was flush against his rear. I did not stop until I came up over his hood. Then I went forward, and in the doing pulled off some of his grill work. Then I got out and made for him, with the intention of ripping his damn silly dress off and throwing him in the Persian Gulf, which was on my side of the highway and would not require a left turn. But a cop was Johnny-on-the-spot and had seen the highway and He let me go without a fine (Americans were in high, fickle demand in that neighborhood in those days), but he said, "I think you have been too long in my country."

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gregory Jaynes, successful journalist, is having a mid-life crisis. He turned 47 years of age in 1995 and decided he didn't like what he saw when he reflected on where he'd been and what he'd done in those years. So he decided to go off on a cargo ship for a few months so he could get some change in his life. He didn't expect to be struck with serenity or growth, or so he said. He just wanted to take a load off for a while and come back all the better for the trip.
None of his family protested his decision to go on this trip, but as he admits, he didn't ask anyone to agree this is what he should do. He just did it. It cost him a little less than $11,000, and the departure date kept changing so that his bon voyage wishes were starting to overlap. But finally he took off to sail on a Russian ship that had once been an ice breaking vessel in the Arctic but had been transformed into a ship set to sail the South Pacific by the British (with a Russian crew) after the Russians ran into some serious financial problems and had to sell off part of their fleet. Jaynes took with him his copy of War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy vowing once and for all he'd finally read the book Jimmy Carter said he read at the age of 12.
While on his voyage, Jaynes kept a diary of his experiences. This diary became Come Hell On High Water. I enjoyed reading about Jaynes' voyage. It wasn't exactly an adventure nor was it particularly exciting. In fact, he spent most of his time with senior citizens becoming drawn into their petty grievances and various issues. But Jaynes has a wonderful sense of humor. At times I didn't get it, but for the most part I did, and he really was very funny. What I enjoyed most about this book was what I learned about getting through another of life's stages. I think Jaynes did come out on the other side being far more aware of what was important to him. I hope he recognized that too.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The actual title of the book is "Come Hell ON High Water" and that is exactly what the author experienced. Someone (Sartre?) once said, "Hell is other people" - double that when you are confined with one particular set of people for three months on a ship. I picked this up because I like the romantic notion of taking off on an around-the-world trip by freighter - no sissy-pants cruise ship for me! It was good to learn that most of the other folks who have that idea are senior citizens - who else has 3-4 months to putter around? The author was a middle-aged guy who was going through a midlife crisis - he had loads of time to think through his issues being stuck on a freighter with a Russian crew and a motley bunch of seniors. Not the most uplifting travel narrative I've picked up but still fun.

[Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just found this book on my shelf and remembered how much I enjoyed it when I read it but it's off to the 2016 Yard Sale.