When tetley capsized, crowhurst was left with the sole option of coming in second. The same cannot be said for the yachtsman donald crowhurst, above left, or timothy treadwell, above right. Realising that his fake log book entries would never withstand the level of scrutiny and approval needed to justify a second place finish, he apparently descended into a mental breakdown, with his final entries suggesting days of psychological torment. His mental and physical state began to decline and his last radio transmission was received on june 29 1969 and his last log book entry was dated july 1. The film, directed by james marsh, stars the oscar winning actors colin firth as crowhurst and rachel weisz as his wife, clare. Donald crowhurst and his doomed attempt to sail around the. Towards the end, reading crowhursts last log entries, i worried that i myself might come unhinged. Eventually the loneliness, the guilt, and the realization that he would likely be caught weighed too heavy on crowhurst. Donald crowhurst was left deeply trapped in a loselose situation of his own making. The front man of a failing electronics business, crowhurst saw in the golden globe an opportunity to gain public recognition, demonstrate electronic equipment that he had developed and save his company from bankruptcy. The strange last voyage of donald crowhurst goodreads. Sir francis chichester, whose recordsetting 1967 circumnavigation inspired the 1968 69 roundtheworld race, called it the sea drama of the century. Harry bordenguardian robin knoxjohnston was first in, and first to circumnavigate the world alone.
Instead, crowhurst persuaded him to bankroll his golden globe entry, touting it as. Colin firths new film invites sympathy for walter mitty. Octobers yachting monthly contains a 10page special on the voyage of donald crowhurst, 40 years after the event. Jan 14, 2007 the 4 to continue were nigel tetley, robin knoxjohnson, bernard moitessier and donald crowhurst.
They make sure to provide lengthy transcriptions of crowhurst s log entries, poetry and throwaway notes, all of which are subjected to prolonged analysislikewise crowhurst s later log entries, written as madness overtook him and so decidedly incoherent, but. The world believed donald crowhurst was completing the fastest nonstop solo. Just go and check your local bookstore or onlineseller for a copy of ron hallnicholas tomalin. Crowhurst had to spend long hours monitoring weather reports from around the globe, figuring winds and currents, time, speed and positions, inventing plausible anecdotes for the margins, etc. Juli 1969 im nordatlantik war ein britischer geschaftsmann. The strange voyage of donald crowhurst the bedlam files. Donald crowhurst the reader wiki, reader view of wikipedia. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. The walter mitty sailor who paid the ultimate price. Crowhursts logbooks passed into the hands of two sunday times writers, nicholas tomalin and ron hall, who quickly produced their masterly account of the tragedy, the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst, which appeared in 1970. Book casts new light on mysterious death of donald crowhurst. Donald crowhurst was an amateur sailor who died competing in a roundtheworld yacht race. In the autumn of 1968, donald crowhurst set sail from england to participate in the first singlehanded nonstop aroundtheworld sailboat race.
Donald crowhursts last diary entry before he disappeared overboard. Some fewer books remain in my head for their impressive stories, their fancy wording or just the deep impression they leave, such as beloved philip k. Donald crowhurst 19321969 was a british businessman and amateur sailor who died while competing in the sunday times golden globe race, a single. Look after your mother, were donald crowhurst s last words to his eightyearold son, as he set off on a bid to become the fastest man to sail non. Why are filmmakers obsessed with the story of doomed british. Woefully underprepared, he quickly realised he had little chance of success in the race and dropped out. One of the books he had aboard teignmouth electron was einsteins the special and the general theory. Steve fossett timothy treadwell donald crowhurst risk. The trimaran was found, adrift and empty, on july 10. Towards the end, reading crowhurst s last log entries, i worried that i myself.
It is a book that will always stand out of all the maritime books i ever read. This is not a sailing book it is a detective story about what. Its a book that has a profound impact on everyone who reads it, not least because of the unsparing way it. He decided instead to fake his log books, lie dormant in midocean for a few months, then tuck in behind the other racers as they headed north back home through the atlantic. Instead, he encountered difficulty early in the voyage, and secretly abandoned the race while. The strange last voyage of donald crowhurst is an extraordinary, moving, and harrowing book, haunting in every sense of the word, and a terrifying look at one mans descent into madness. Amateur sailor donald crowhurst s emotional collapse, as he tries to nonstop circumnavigate the globe in his trimaran teignmouth electron, seems, in hindsight, inevitable. The strange last voyage of donald crowhurst sailors. Oct 27, 2007 simon crowhurst last saw his father in 1968. It is the end of my game, he wrote in one of the final entries in his log book. Instead, he encountered difficulty early in the voyage. Teignmouth electron was found adrift, unoccupied, on 10 july. Dec 01, 2009 crowhurst ended radio transmissions on 29 june. The release of the new donald crowhurst biopic, the mercy, will take place on 27 october 2017.
Til donald crowhurst committed suicide after attempting to fake a solo circumnavigation of the globe. Find books like the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst from the worlds largest community of readers. Jul 10, 2011 there are no clues to what became of crowhurst, reported time, but his final log entries led many to believe he committed suicide. I recently saw a documentary called deep water which made me fascinated by the story of donald crowhurst, a man who spent an amazing amount of time in complete solitude at sea, seeing as he had no life to return to, facing economic ruin and public humiliation.
Robert mccrum meets the family of the infamous lone. If you dont know the outcome, and dont want to before you see the film, bookmark and come back later. Crowhurst entered the 196869 golden globe race in his 40foot trimaran, teignmouth electron. Still, the construction of a log book that would pass even the most cursory examination was an involved undertaking. Crowhurst had entered the race in hopes of winning a cash prize from the sunday times to aid his failing business. Donald crowhurst, pictured just before setting out in the sunday times golden globe race in 1968. New edition by tomalin, nicholas, hall, ron, raban, jonathan isbn.
Tomalin and hall have done a brilliant job in recreating not only crowhurst s voyage, but what led him to the position he found himself in. The walter mitty sailor who paid the ultimate price daily. This is what you see when you open crowhursts log books, as simon has. Why are filmmakers obsessed with the story of doomed british sailor donald crowhurst. Who was donald crowhurst and why is the new colin firth. The strange last voyage of donald crowhurst by nicholas. And then there are only a handful books which may change your life. The log books include an attempt to construct a philosophical reinterpretation of the human condition that. Click on the links below to see inside his logbooks. Starting on 6 december 1968, he continued reporting further vague but false positions and possibly fabricating a log book. Donald crowhurst, the london sunday times golden globe race, and the tragedy of teignmouth electron by edward renehan is a more.
This is the official website of the donald crowhurst family. I just finished a very interesting book tonight, the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst. His decent into insanity while alone at sea for 8 months was captured in the chilling ships logs he left behind. He also had to painstakingly construct fake log books for each day of a journey he did not take. Since leaving, crowhurst had been deliberately ambiguous in his radio report of his location. Inside donald crowhursts heartbreaking roundtheworld hoax. T en days after crowhursts final log entry, teignmouth electron.
Books similar to the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst. The strange voyage of donald crowhurst is such a book. Donald crowhurst 19321969 was an english businessman and amateur sailor who died while competing in the sunday times golden globe race, a singlehanded, roundtheworld yacht race. Donald crowhurst and the story of solo yacht racing. In the end, his writings during the voyage poems, quotations, real and false log entries, and random thoughts amounted to more than 25,000 words. Feb 03, 2018 simon crowhurst with his fathers log book. The tragic story of donald crowhursts last voyage is wellknown. Log book entries found after his disappearance suggest that crowhurst was driven to the edge of insanity. Buy the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst sailors classics s. Donald crowhurst, the teignmouth electron and the round. There are no clues to what became of crowhurst, reported time, but his final log entries led many to believe he committed suicide.
The life and death of donald crowhurst in 1968 an amateur sailor set off on the inaugural solo roundtheworld yacht race. Jul 02, 2016 he reported false positions in an attempt to appear to complete a circumnavigation without actually circling the world. Crowhurst saw the media exposure and glory of winning the race, using an unconventional craft built and equipped by himself, as a means to save his failing business. He was an electronic wizard with his own company, a seasoned sailor and first. Donald crowhurst was disgraced after his lies about sailing around the world were revealed in the times credit. A passing boat, the royal mail vessel picardy, found the boat adrift in the midatlantic just 10 days later on july 10, 1969. Teignmouth electron was found, unoccupied, by the royal mail vessel, picardy on 10 july. Jan 28, 1970 the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst is an extraordinary, moving, and harrowing book, haunting in every sense of the word, and a terrifying look at one mans descent into madness. Donald crowhurst is the subject of a hollywood film. With its first publication in 1970, the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst became an instant classic. They make sure to provide lengthy transcriptions of crowhursts log entries, poetry and throwaway notes, all of which are subjected to prolonged analysislikewise crowhursts later log entries, written as madness overtook him and so decidedly incoherent, but still analyzed at great length. Donald crowhurst s last radio transmission was received on june 29 1969.
Starting on 6 december 1968, he continued reporting vague but false positions and possibly fabricating a log book. His final entry, on 1 july 1969, was it is finished. Donald charles alfred crowhurst 1932 july 1969 was a british businessman and amateur sailor who died while competing in the sunday times golden globe race, a singlehanded, roundtheworld yacht race soon after departing, his ship began taking on water and he wrote it would probably sink in heavy seas. Donald crowhurst enthralled the nation with his plucky attempt to win the golden globe roundtheworld yacht race in 1968. His final log entries are exercises in madness as he lost all touch with the real world and are laid out in grim detail in tomalin and halls book, the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst. Donald crowhurst, the teignmouth electron and the round the. It was built to honour the memory of donald crowhurst, inventor, father, husband, adventurer and sailor. He secretly abandoned the race while reporting false positions, in an attempt to. If donald crowhurst had just held on for 10 more days, he likely would. His final log entries make the musings of a kurtz seem entirely sane. Apr 08, 2014 donald crowhurst was an amateur sailor who died competing in a roundtheworld yacht race. Why are filmmakers obsessed with the story of doomed. He may have committed suicide, driven to it by guilt and by the fear of humiliating himself and his family, and by his months alone trying to keep up his.
With coauthor ron hall, he now raced against the clock to unravel the mystery of the log books and publish the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst, widely regarded as. The 1970 book the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst by nicholas tomalin and ron hall is an account of the life of donald crowhurst and the events leading up to and during the race. Crowhurst had entered the race in hopes of winning a cash prize from the. Til donald crowhurst committed suicide after attempting to. Amateur sailor donald crowhursts emotional collapse, as he tries to nonstop circumnavigate the globe in his trimaran teignmouth electron, seems, in hindsight, inevitable. Crowhurst had entered the race in hopes of winning a cash prize from the sunday times to aid his failing business instead, he encountered difficulty early in. This was not what happened in the case of donald crowhurst. On october 31st 1968 crowhurst set out on a great expedition around the world, alone, on a boat as part of the sunday times golden globe competition. Donald crowhurst logbook entries experimental writing. With time he began to view himself as a god, evident in his logbook entries slowly spiralling into a kind of free madness. Donald crowhurst 19321969 was a british businessman and amateur sailor who died while competing in the sunday times golden globe race, a singlehanded, roundtheworld yacht race. Buy a cheap copy of the strange last voyage of donald. The title of this book is the strange last voyage of donald crowhurst and it was written by nicholas tomalin, ron hall. The last several weeks of his log entries, once he was facing the real possibility of winning the prize, showed increasing irrationality.
If you only ever read one book in your life, make sure this is it. Donald crowhurst s last diary entry before he disappeared overboard. Instead, he encountered difficulty early in the voyage, and secretly abandoned the. Crowhurst, a father of four with a devoted wife, clare, was just 36. At some point later he starts to make a doubleentry logbook, the first one with his. I am still reading the book, which is very enjoyable to read. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The mysterious and tragic disappearance of the singlehanded sailor donald crowhurst more than 50 years ago continues to fascinate. Sep 16, 2007 the same cannot be said for the yachtsman donald crowhurst, above left, or timothy treadwell, above right. Donald charles alfred crowhurst 1932 july 1969 was a british businessman and amateur sailor who died while competing in the sunday times golden globe race, a singlehanded, roundtheworld yacht race. Of the nine competitors to enter the golden globe, crowhurst, the 36 yearold owner of a small electronics business in bridgwater, somerset, was the least likely.
Running a set of fake log entries would be impossible today in the age of satellites and. Since leaving, crowhurst had been deliberately ambiguous in his radio reports of his location. Crowhurst s emotional state was reflected in a log entry dated jan. Donald crowhurst project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. On july 10th 1969 his boat was found, unoccupied filled with log books written by crowhurst describing his entire journey. Very good book as donald crowhurst came from my home town and when he set sail i was only nine but seeing pictures of him sailing from the devon coast and watching the film of the same name brought back memories of what i read in our local paper. Crowhursts emotional state was reflected in a log entry dated jan.