Description
Book SynopsisThe 1866 transatlantic yacht race was a match that saw three yachts battle their way across the Atlantic in the dead of winter in pursuit of a $90,000 prize. Six men died in the brutal and close-fought contest, and the event changed the perception of yachting from a slightly effete gentlemen''s pursuit into something altogether more rugged and adventurous. The race also symbolized the beginning of America''s ''gilded age'', with its associated obscene wealth and largesse (the $90,000 prize put up by the three contestants is about $15 million in today''s money), as well as the thawing of relations between the US and UK.
The narrative focuses on the victorious yacht Henrietta and her owner James Gordon Bennett. Bennett was the son of the multimillionaire proprietor of the New York Herald, and a notorious playboy. His infamous stunts included driving his carriage through the streets of New York naked, tipping a railway porter $30,000, and turning up at his own e
Trade Review
The story is engagingly told by distinguished journalist and maritime historian, Sam Jefferson. * Gentleman's Journal *
Sam Jefferson's story is written with style, colour and wit. A cracking yarn. * Boat International *
Entertaining * Daily Mail *
a jaunty and surprise-packed retelling of a wonderful story, which leaves readers with an abundance of good yarns to recount on their next night watch * Times Literary Supplement *
entertaining tale of yachting history and sybaritic excess * Guardian *
Sailors in particular will enjoy this harrowing story * Sailing (US) *
It’s hard not to love a seas story that seems too outrageous to be true and such is the case with Gordon Bennett * Soundings (US) *
Biographer Sam Jefferson paints a colourful picture of James Gordon Bennett, as playboy, bon viveur and ardent yachtsman whose drinking gets him into a host of scrapes. * Yachting Monthly *
A breathtaking survey of the 1866 transatlantic yacht race. * Vanity Fair *
Table of Contents
1 The birth of transatlantic yacht racing 2 The first of the international playboys 3 Captain Samuels: The hired gun 4 Stick, twist or bust? 5 Wild times off the Grand Banks 6 Riders on the storm 7 Stranger than fiction 8 A stab in the back 9 The race is won 10 What happened afterwards 11 The fate of our heroes
