Alone: The True Story of the Man Who Fought the Sharks, Waves, and Weather of the Pacific and Won

146 Pages·2011·2.37 MB·English

by  Gerard d'Aboville

Alone
Alone
The True Story of the Man Who Fought the Sharks,
Waves, and Weather of the Pacific and Won
Gerard d’Aboville
Translated from the French by Richard Seaver
Introduction by Paul Theroux
Copyright © 1992, 2011 by Editions Robert Laffont, S. A. Translation copyright © 1993, 2011 by Richard
Seaver Introduction copyright © 1993, 2011 by Paul Theroux
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
ISBN: 978-1-61145-112-2
Printed in the United States of America
Of all the creatures on the face of the earth, humans are those who adapt most
easily, not only to the most extreme temperatures and climates but also to the
most arduous conditions that life imposes on them.
— Henri de Montfried
To these words I would simply like to add that humans derive this capacity to
adapt through a characteristic that is theirs alone: the ability to dream and to
hope.
I dedicate this book to all those men and women for whom this adventure — this
ocean voyage — may serve to rekindle in their hearts a spark of hope.
— Gerard d’Aboville
Contents Acknowledgments
Introduction
Prologue
Chapter 1: With a Big Roll of Dreams under My Arm
Chapter 2: “Good Luck”
Chapter 3: Ahead of Me, an Enormous Void …
Chapter 4: “Rowboat Calling Okera”
Chapter 5: With My Head in the Stars
Chapter 6: And If All This Were Really Pointless
Chapter 7: Survival
Chapter 8: Typhoons
Chapter 9: Indelibly Inscribed
Chapter 10: Do You See the Coastline?
Chapter 11: The “Heavenly Bum”
Chapter 12: One Second Longer ...
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the friends, colleagues, and business associates who helped
make this adventure possible:
Sector Sport Watches • Transpac • Accastillage Diffusion • Air France • Air
France Cargo • P.L.B, • Capitarne Cook • Eurest • Go Sport • P.N.B.
as well as:
Audiophase • All Nippon Airways • Jean Barret • B.N.P. Issy-les-Moulineaux •
Cabinet de Clarens • Le Cercle de la Mer in Paris • Le Borgne Navy Yard • B. &
B. Navy Yard • The Hydro Technique Company • C.R.M, • Damart • Dif Tours •
Elite Marine • Fédération francaise des industries nau-tiques • F.F.S.A. • France
Info • Garage Arcillon • Garbolino• Hertz • Hesnault • International Airfreight
Services Co. • J.C.D, • Ken Club • Lestra Sport • Lyophal • Mat Equipement •
Mecanorem • Nautix • Neste • O.I.P. • Plastimo • Port de Plaisance La Trinité-
sur-Mer • Ramtonic • Regma Systèmes •Sail France • Semari • Société Ono •
Sofomarin • Sony • T.B.S. • 3 M • Transparence Production • U.S. Coast Guard •
Veillet International • The City of Issy-les-Moulineaux
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The French Embassy in Tokyo • The French Consulate in New York • The
French Consulate in San Francisco • Tokyo Power Squadron • Astoria Maritime
Museum
Laurent de Bartillat • Charlie Cronheim • Commander Blan-villain • Eddy
Zimansky and his YL • Georges de Marrez • Dr. Chauve • Olivier de Kersauson •
John Oakes • Bruno de La Barre
Christophe • Louis-Noèl • Claude Arnoult • Jean-Claude Dufour • Thomas’s
Scooter • Benoit and Philippe • Beatrice • Pierre Yvan • Didier and François •
Moze • Mr. and Mrs. Takasse • Yagi Mitsuru • Charles and Thibault • Laurence
and François • Raymond • Philippe • Renaud • Sophie • Arnaud • Vincent •
Nathalie “the wonderful,” and so many others
And Cornelia, for her patience …