Astronauts of Cape Horn

In 1969, the first two men landed on the moon. There were five other landings, leading to a total of twelve astronauts standing on the moon. A further six circled above while the world watched.Also in 1969, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston was the first man to sail solo non-stop around the world south of Cape Horn. He was the eighth of only eleven men who rounded the Horn alone before the final moon landing. These eleven men had no-one watching them.This dramatic and exciting book, written so vividly you can feel the sea's spray on your face and taste the salt on your lips, tells the story of these eleven men and their sailing exploits, and compares and contrasts their voyages with what the twelve space astronauts achieved.'One famous astronaut spoke of a "small step for man, one great leap for mankind". For those who go to sea, rather than into space, there's no greater step than rounding Cape Horn.'From the preface, written by Paul Heiney

'Nicholas Gray is an indefatigable chronicler of nautical tribulation. His last book, Last Voyages (Fernhurst Books) did what it said on the tin, and in some style. His new book is Astronauts of Cape Horn (The Conrad Press). The title is odd but understandable, given the fact that by the time twelve men had gone to the moon, only eleven sailors had rounded Cape Horn alone. It is a lively read, but not necessarily one to give to someone you are trying to encourage to take up sailing, as it fair to say that some of the sailors involved did not have an absolutely splendid time. Vito Dumas strikes a sort of mid-point for discomfort and stress. Alfon Hansen, who did not survive, is a low point, and the Roses, Chichesters, Allcards and Knox-Johnstons, while evidently regarding the rounding of this most lethal of capes as no picnic, strike a competent and practical note. Nicholas Gray is a writer who understands the extremes of human endurance, and the way they can tip the human mind into something approaching madness. His narrative of an early circumnavigation by the Argentinian Vito Dumas is enough to make many swear never to go out of sight of land, but is a riveting read from the first word to the last'. ASTRONAUTS OF CAPE HORN. REVIEW FROM AUTUMN 2018 ISSUE OF THE MARINE QUARTERLY by Sam Llewellyn, Editor :`Nicholas Gray's book explores some of the earliest yachtsmen to sail round Cape Horn, impelled solely by their determination. His accounts of Al Hansen, Vito Dumas, Marcel Bardiaux and Edward Allcard are gripping and his original research makes this an important book" - Yachting Monthly.'

Nicholas Gray is a retired solicitor who has sailed and owned boats all his life. He has also been a sailmaker and restorer of classic yachts.His first book, 'Last Voyages', was published in 2017.He divides his time between Kent and south-west France.

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