Rounding the Horn - Hardcover

Dallas Murphy

4.16

328 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 029784766X ISBN 13: 9780297847663

Publisher: Basic Books, 2004

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With the heart of a sailor and the narrative skill of a novelist, Dallas Murphy explores the enduring allure of the mythic Cape Horn. Located at the southernmost tip of the Andes, Cape Horn is a place where the storms are bigger, the winds stronger, the geography more dangerous for a seafarer than anywhere else in the world. From when it was named in 1611 until the present day, Cape Horn has had a rich history filled not only with the horrors of sailing disasters but also with the pleasures of Darwinian research into flora and fauna. The author uses his own voyage around Cape Horn to weave together the history of explorations, along with tales of Indians who lived there, the oceanography and meteorology of the region (with echoes of The Perfect Storm), the science of navigation and the natural history of the area. The result is the story of a sailor testing his own limits as well as a truly captivating depiction of one of the most usual areas on earth.

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About the Author:

The author is a novelist whose detective works have just been optioned by Columbia Tristar television. He is also a journalist and broadcaster.

From Publishers Weekly:

Even landlubbers may recognize Cape Horn as the Americas' southernmost tip. Between this crag of rock and Antarctica lies the Drake Passage, whose waters are the planet's most consistently violent. Of a trip through these latitudes, sailors warned, "Below 40 South there is no law, below 50 South there is no God." Murphy, a mystery writer and nautical journalist, sailed there from Ushuaia, Argentina, in a 53-foot sloop and carefully points out that he only visited the island rather than sailing around it. He revels in the tales of those who made the entire trip, however, and spends much time vividly recounting their adventures, found in old books with thrilling titles like The World Encompassed and A Two Years' Cruise off Tierra Del Fuego. Nautical buffs will find some of these yarns familiar: Darwin's South American voyages aboard HMS Beagle were the subject of last fall's Evolution's Captain, by Peter Nichols, and Murphy's version adds little to the story beyond subtle interpretive differences. Another chapter touches upon the U.S. Navy's South Seas Exploring Expedition, chronicled at length by Nathaniel Philbrick in Sea of Glory (also published last fall). Yet such narrative retreads are offset by the details of Murphy's own voyage (his desire to explore almost set off an international incident with the Chilean government). As exciting as Murphy's historical yarns are, it's always a treat to return to him and his crew as they brave the elements at the end of the earth. Maps.
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