By David Lewis
Ocean sailor and Polynesian scholar, David Lewis, made a brave attempt at becoming the first yachtsman to circumnavigate Antarctica. The bid almost cost the East End physician his life after his 32ft steel yacht, Ice Bird, capsized three times and was dismasted twice.
Ice Bird is one of those stories that appeals to the voyeur. Sitting in the safety of my European home, thanks to Lewis’ powerful prose, I followed each coming weather system as though it was going to capsize my armchair. I was almost too scared to turn the pages for fear of what ghastly challenge was coming next.
I salute Lewis for making a great voyage and thank him for writing about it so well that I will never have to do it myself!
