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| WOWYou would think that an account of one's life for 66 days might become boring. But nothing is further from the turth when it comes to this book and the Butler's 66 days adrift at sea. A must read for all sailors.
Interesting and Sometimes FunnyThis survival tale was interesting and well written. Butler's wife proved to be a great sailor and the way she sometimes express her anger at her husband made me laugh at times. Makes me wonder if all that praying they did actually helped them through their ordeal especially with that flimsy raft for so many days. The story was very descriptive I couldn't put it down.
Gripping TRUE life survival of an imperfect manI spent a few days on a windy beach in Hawaii reading this gripping tale of survival. As an experienced sailor, I found his tale rings true of the days of monotony, fear and terror that you sometimes encounter in a single 24 hour period on the open ocean.
The other reveiwers who rate this low for monotony and the bravado of the author miss the point about the story. The author clearly has personal issues and suffers from a lack of objectivity. For example, he appears very unkind at times to his wifes and children.
But Butler is a survivor. It is interesting to follow the tale and try to understand what makes the author tick.
It would have been a better book if his wife Simmone had written a parallel account to balance the enormous ego driven Butler. An objective professional writer could have written a better treatment but then it may have been sensationalized and lose the genuine quality of the tale.
It is worth a read.
Survival Book EnthusiastI believe there are some stories that are so compelling that a robot could tell it and it would still be riveting. This is how I feel about this book. To the previous reviewers who said it would be more "heart pounding" if written better...
A 13 foot shark circles the raft.
Those words are scary as hell. I don't care who writes them or how they say it! It doesn't need to be massaged. This story is outstanding. I was mesmerized.
And to clarify, I think Butler is a pretty good writer. The dialogue was a little forced, but he's just telling it as he remembers it. I give the guy credit for his extreme patience with his wife. I don't know if I would be as good to her, as she is a major negative force, constantly yelling and blaming him. I've read survival books and a calm, assertive attitude is everything. I can't believe BUtler dealt with that for hours a day and didn't go mad. I'd go mad even if I wasn't on a raft. I'd go mad dealing with that in a hotel room in Maui.
I also got a lot of laughs out of this. He writes something to the effect that the Pacific is not a good name for the Pacific, because it doesn't mention predatory fish, storms and swells, rain and lightneing and pissed off wives. That was LOL funny.
I thought he was honest. He comes off a bit egotistical, but at least he is honest about it and doesn't fake emotions or thoughts he didn't experience.
To those who say this is repetitive, do you understand what is going on here? They are stranded at sea for 66 days. Everyday is similar. The repetitive nature of the book really brings you into the situation they were dealing with. Plus, much of the repetition is absolutely heart pounding stuff. Crashing waves, sharks, hunger...what do you expect in a story about being stranded at sea?
This book is great. Right up there -- and in some ways better in my opinion because he travels with a companion -- than Adrift .
Moral of the story: Always spend the extra money on top of the line life rafts, don't ever give up, and be quiet when sharks are around.
An arrogant, gruff man and his boring, repetitious bookI agree with others who say this is a boring read. Once they are in the raft it is nothing but the two of them arguing about the same things every day it seems. The author comes off as arrogant at best. Save your money or buy some other sailing book. Dumas' Alone Through the Roaring Forties is a good choice, as are the books by Francis Chichester and Bernard Moitessier. Or better yet, just buy your own sailboat and experience the most sublime thing one can do--singlehanded sailing.
Product DescriptionA Powerful Account of Struggle and Survival at Sea The lure of paradise was unmistakable, and Bill Butler was on a quest to find it with his wife Simonne—riding the Pacific currents on their sloop Siboney, with a world of possibilities ahead. But, twelve hundred miles from land, the alluring ocean showed its deadly side when, without warning, a pod of pilot whales attacked their sailboat, battering it until it sank beneath the waves. The dazed couple was left drifting in midocean in a leaky six-foot raft meant for coastal waters, with only a few hastily grabbed provisions to sustain them. Simonne, who had never truly shared Bill's dream of circumnavigating the globe, blamed him bitterly for their desperate plight. In this powerful account of their 66-day odyssey, Butler tells a gritty, harrowing tale of their battles against nature, despair, and their own demons. He reveals how he and Simonne found the strength to survive despite the ravages of hunger, storms, and sharks. Based on Butler's faithful log entries, 66 Days Adrift is both a chilling cautionary tale for sailors with big ideas and an inspiring story of love, faith, and survival against long odds. "How a lifetime dream to sail around the world becomes a fight to survive."—Yachting "A vivid account of the complete will to live."—The San Juan Star
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