The Fight Of The Firecrest

The Fight Of The Firecrest

Author: Alain Gerbault

Year: 1926

Alain Gerbault, French WWI air ace, tennis champion, and world class bridge player decide to do 'something' more with his life. In 1921 he found and bought the Firecrest, a small British built racing cruiser. With it, Gerbault planned to sail from Europe to New York. The crossing in such a small boat, at the time, was considered a major and risky undertaking. The boat's racing design and rigging configuration was judged a poor choice for the rigorous passage. Adding to the difficulties, Gerbault was not well prepared for the challenge, either in terms of equipment or his experience. After spending a year teaching himself how to sail, on June 6, 1923 Gerbault set off from Gibraltar into the Atlantic. As would be expected the voyage was extremely arduous and was plagued by any number of equipment failures, let alone the trials of ocean transit. But what set Gerbault's voyage, and later his book, apart from other luckless sailing memoirs, is the author's optimistic attitude. Every setback became a challenge to rise above. Every reversal, a chance to learn from. And when charm or grace did come in a day, one should appropriately note that too. In short, Gerbault takes us onboard the Fi