The Long Way

by Bernard Moitessier

with

To flesh it out, I toss in a handful of cooked rice left over from lunch and a big dab

back, as

which contains barley germ and lots of other good things. I tossed my seed

long enough, though, and each flock I meet keeps to its own territory.

there are

signalling mirror, and in less than ten seconds, the miracle occurs. The fisherman

whole bit. So how about it? Four friends leave about the same time to sail non-stop

quart of rice and close it. The

mistral rising,

And then something wonderful happens: a big black and white porpoise jumps

flat,

fairly average. But the limits of human endurance are much greater than one

case a big breaking sea hit for some reason, the mainsail will be safe and won’t

life. The wind eases. I spend a lot of time trimming the sails, to make

They will not understand. I know I am right, I feel it deeply. I know exactly where I am going, even if I do not know. How could they understand that? Yet it is so simple. But it can’t be explained in words, it would be completely useless to try.

types

enough sail for the

threw the magnets away. Standing in the centre of the cockpit, with the compass held as high as