SCUTTLEBUTT No. 1117 - July 18, 2002

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If you enjoyed the coverage that Scuttlebutt gave to The Race in 2000 - 2001, you'll love Tim Zimmermann's new book with the same title - 'The Race.' Zimmerman's fast paced chronicle goes way beyond the daily news reports and press releases as he provides insight and drama that were simply not available while the six monster catamarans were charging off around the planet.



But this book is much more than just the story of that race. In fact, the first half of the book is devoted to the history of extreme sailing starting with the nineteenth-century clipper ships. The readers learn about the personalities who have driven this sport, like Joshua Slocum, Francis Chichester, Robin Knox-Johnston, Eric Tabarly and other pioneering spirits. And there are lots of pictures.



I enjoyed 'sailing with' Slocum and Chichester, but it was even more fascinating re-living the build up to, and the drama of 'The Race,' as seen through the eyes of Bruno Peyton, Pete Goss, Grant Dalton, Cam Lewis, Steve Fossett, Loick Peyton, Skip Novak and so many others.



The curmudgeon really liked Tim Zimmerman's The Race, published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. It's a book I know I'll want to read again.