Cape Horn: One Man's Dream, One Woman's Nightmare

A fascinating story of a daring, dangerous dream. Don Douglass meticulously planned for years to sail into waters so remote, they are still rarely travelled. Reanne's story evolves as she first works to make Don's dream come true. She is sucked (unwillingly) into the adventure. She finally enters into the heart of the dream. It is a story of true adventure, fast-paced, startlingly honest and compelling. In an age of "reality shows" carefully scripted for the audience; this adventure doesn't cooperate with anyone's plans. Don't miss it whether you are a boater or not.

The author and her husband undertake a trip from California around Cape Horn in a 42 foot sail boat, encounter ocean conditions that are best encountered in a book, get flipped upside down - and survive. This book combines a fascinating chronicle of a trip that would be unimaginable to all but a tiny fraction of humanity with the author's navel contemplating explication of her relationship with her husband, family and own inner being. If you've ever read mountaineering tales in which the authors wallow in this stuff ad infinitum you'll know what I'm talking about. That being said it is a fascinating read although I found myself rooting for the ocean now and then and contemplating that it might have been a better story if the manuscript had been found floating in a bottle.

This woman's very personal account of voyaging with a driven husband should be read by all couples who are thinking about a cruising life. Hemingway-Douglass describes her fears and frustrations as she and her spouse sail from California to Easter Island and then attempt to round Cape Horn. A giant wave flips the small yacht end over end, causing extensive damage. The two hardy cruisers struggle to survive several harrowing days before they find shelter among the Chilean islands. Hemingway-Douglass is a frank and vivid writer, describing people complete with their warts. Her descriptions of the people who inhabited Easter Island at the time of her voyage are particularly telling. The only negative here is the poor quality of the photographic reproductions. The maps may require some readers to use a magnifying glass.

I recently had the privilege of meeting Reanne and her husband, Don (and knowing absolutely nothing about her book beforehand). This book was written in such a way that you almost feel as if YOU'RE experiencing everything - you feel like you're in Reanne's mind during the whole adventure. I couldn't put the book down. This book gets into the brutally honest nitty-gritty psychology of how people react to each other during normal times as well as life-and-death crises. Reanne tapped into and shared her most intimate thoughts during the most critical time of her life. Reanne told me that when she tried to get this book published years ago, the publishers wanted to her fictionalize the story and that it was too emotional and too psychological. Wake up publishers! Survival IS a psychological situation! As a sailboater, I totally admire and respect Reanne for what she went through and for "not selling out to the publishers" and sticking to the truth of their adventure, through her eyes. Reanne, you're so awesome!

hshlasky obviously missed the intent of this book. Ms. Hemmingway-Douglass gives us a breathless account not of a rugged "Endurance" type survival story, but of the emotional relationships that develop when balanced on the knife edge of survival. Hats off to Ms Hemmingway-Douglass for letting us into her soul during such a critical time. I found this book to be the equal of any of the great stories of survival at sea.