cover image Northwest Passage Solo

Northwest Passage Solo

David Cowper. Sheridan House, $23.95 (224pp) ISBN 978-0-924486-65-4

This involving account of four round-the-world solo voyages by a British yachter will enthrall lovers of sea lore. In 1980 and 1982 Cowper circumnavigated the globe in a sloop--first easterly, then westerly--both times via Cape Horn; he was the first sailor ever to do so. In 1984-1985 he repeated the trip, this time in a motor vessel, a converted lifeboat. But these adventures served as preludes to his solo circumnavigation via the Northwest Passage, which consumed four and a half years and ended triumphantly in 1990. Cowper's sloop was generally sturdy and dependable, but the elements were unforgiving, as he had to battle ice and fog even in August, and several times had to abandon his ship during the winter. A stirring story. Photos. (Mar.)