This book tells the story of the first race for sailors to sail around the world alone, nonstop. This race took place in 1968 and makes for a very interesting story. Of the nine men who competed, only one completed the race! A few of the men's boats sank, though they survived. One man, Bernard Moitessier, exited the race and did not return the England. Instead, he sailed on to Tahiti to "save his soul."

Perhaps most interesting (and well-known) was the story of Donald Crowhurst. Early in the race, Crowhurst was certain there was no way he could win the race. So instead, he sailed around the Atlantic Ocean, wasting time and keeping two logbooks. One log was his real logbook, the other was a fake, with entries of him sailing around the world in record times. With the help of a few strategically placed radio transmissions, he successfully fooled the world into thinking that he was winning the race, circumnavigating the globe with blinding speed. Crowhurst never returned to England, however. Eventually, his boat was found drifting in the Atlantic with no one on board. The two logbooks were found, and based on their entries, it appears that Crowhurst's lie drove him insane, and he committed suicide by jumping overboard.

The only man to make it back was Robin Knox-Johnston. He was a hero in England, and was even knighted for being the man to win the first nonstop, single-handed yacht race around the world.

This story of his and the other sailors' journeys was well worth the read.