The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst

Now filmed as The Mercy

De: Nicholas Tomalin, Ron Hall

Narrado por: Philip Bird

Now a major motion picture starring Colin Firth and Rachel Weisz, directed by James Marsh (The Theory of Everything).

In 1968 Donald Crowhurst was trying to market a nautical navigation device he had developed and saw the Sunday Times Golden Globe 'round the world sailing race as the perfect opportunity to showcase his product.

Few people knew that he wasn't an experienced deep-water sailor. His progress was so slow that he decided to shortcut the journey, falsifying his location through radio messages from his supposed course. Everyone following the race thought that he was winning, and a hero's welcome awaited him at home in Britain.

But on 10 July 1968, eight months after he set off, his wife was told that his boat had been discovered drifting in the mid-Atlantic. Crowhurst was missing, assumed drowned, and there was much speculation that this was one of the great mysteries of the sea.

In this masterpiece of investigative journalism, Nicholas Tomalin and Ron Hall reconstruct one of the greatest hoaxes of our time. From in-depth interviews with Crowhurst's family and friends and telling excerpts from his logbooks, Tomalin and Hall develop a tale of tragic self-delusion and public deception, a haunting portrait of a complex, deeply troubled man and his journey into the heart of darkness.

©1970 Times Newspapers Ltd. (P)2016 Hodder & Stoughton

Fascinating story

Such a tragedy. Held my interest totally. I’ll be thinking of this story for a long time.

Well written and well read

Great unfolding of a classic sea story.
Tremendous lesson for those who may not quite fully respect the sea.
Indeed, one of the great see stories of all time

A truly strange tale

I want to say loved this book but it's hard to say about such a sad tale of desperation being lost as a soul and struggle to do what is right even when it's not in your ability to see the path or act on it
All of us can break and the human mind can be justcas fragile as it is resistant.
Lessons to be learned

The narrator is what really makes this book shine

The story is definitely interesting but the narrator took this to another level and his ability to impersonate the different characters is bar none.

Wallowing in failure

An Abridged version would be better. An interesting story, however having to live through his total failure isn't the best learning experience. The reader did a good job.