Rounding the Horn: Being The Story Of Williwaws And Windjammers, Drake, Darwin, Murdered Missionaries And Naked Natives -- a Deck's-eye View Of Cape Horn

We are faced with so many books on problems - whether it's Iraq. or a neurotic hero of heroine trying to make the best of a bad situation, or how to make (or save) a buck or any one of a thousand problems which help to sell books - it's a joy to read a book like this where a very literate author sits back and tells us in excellent and descriptive prose a fascinating story about Cape Horn and its environs, its geography, what it's like there, its history, its native people and how it is to sail a small boat in these stormy rockbound deceptive dangerous Patagonian waters. I don't know how I found it, but I had read a part of it when it was first published and had put it down for some reason. Then, just the other day, I picked it off the shelf and read it. Finished it last night and now I can't wait to tell you to go out and buy it and read it too. It's a delight. You'll freeze in the sleet and wind of Cape Horn weather. You'll be right there with the explorers who found a passage there and then you'll see and feel the worst with the resolute skippers who drove their ships into the teeth of the worst weather in the world to succeed or perish in an attempt at transit. If you're really interested it's got a great bibliography too. Go get it and read it. No kidding. Unless you're some kind of a wimp you'll love it!

This is a wonderful book. Dallas Murphy weaves the history of Western contact with the strange and wonderful world at the bottom of South America, the intriguing story of its aboriginial inhabitants, and his own sailing experiences there with consummate skill. His narrative style is a delight. As a reviewer in the Seattle Times put it: "I can't remember the last time I had so much fun reading, curling up comfortably for such an articulate adventure."

Murphy, who races one-designs, writes a column for "Offshore" magazine and has penned several novels involving wild characters, was the perfect author for this book about Cape Horn. As he explains, Cape Horn is a buttressed pyramid of crumbly rock with no other land to the east, none to the west and to the south there is only Antarctica. And, the water in between stirs up chaos when storms roll in from the west. For centuries, Murphy notes, rounding the Horn was the supreme challenge for sailors and ships. That has not changed, as he discovers and vividly informs the reader. He combines his own intriguing experience in sailing these dangerous waters aboard a 53-foot steel sloop with a crew of fellow adventurers with a recounting of stories involving others who have braved the Horn over the past 500 years. He tells fascinating tales of Magellan, Drake, Darwin and the Beagle, Slocum and others with less familiar names. There are also stories of murdered missionaries, fierce williwaws and storms and the tragic fate of the indigenous peoples of Tierra del Fuego. Since the opening of the Panama Canal there has been no need for seafarers to risk the hazards of the Horn and the windjammers are long gone. But, there always will be that sea-struck few who dare to experience "the great and terrible things of the Ocean Sea." If you're one of those or only an arm-chair adventurer, this book is worth the read.

Great read! Dallas Murphy mixes history with excellent storytelling--incredibly rare. I totally agree with the rave review he got in the Sunday NY Times. You'll enjoy the ride...or should I say, SAIL!

I recently bought this book because it caught my eye in a bookstore. I have long been a fan of geography and I also love the sea lore surrounding Cape Horn. The Cape is the stuff legends are made of! I (like most people) have only been exposed to Cape Horn from history books and various movies such as "The Bounty" and "Master and Commander" but this book fills in all the gaps. This book is a fun and entertaining read. Mr. Murphy tells of trip he made to Cape Horn to explore the region with several companions but he also spends a great deal of time discussing the history of the area. He tells the reader about the famous explorations of Magellan, Drake, Darwin and many others who experienced the wrath of the Horn. This book would be great for anyone wanting a fun summer read - plus anyone wanting to know more about one of the neatest places on Earth - Cape Horn.