Experienced sailor and Outside
correspondent Zimmermann brings readers to a maritime marathon that circumnavigates the globe in sailing ships that travel up to 50 mph. With winning skippers grabbing monthly purses in excess of $20,000 and massive corporate sponsorship (PlayStation, Team Phillips and Club Med were some of the ships in the running), it should be no surprise that the event drew international recognition. Zimmermann elucidates the technical advancements of racing vessels from clipper ships to yachts to today's high-tech "maxi-catamarans." Armed with GPS systems, the personalities of multimillionaires and crews of 20, six such ships embarked from Barcelona on New Year's Eve 2000, racing past the equator and through the treacherous Southern Ocean to round Cape Horn and onward to port in Marseilles. Zimmermann keeps up the pace with a rapid play-by-play of the race as its contenders fight doldrums, stomach bland diets and dodge gigantic icebergs; he describes how the delicately balanced twin hulls of the maxi-catamarans faced easy damage in severe waves and poor weather. In the end, only two of the ships completed the voyage. Despite Zimmermann's technical moxie, the dramatic flair here is surprisingly lackluster and the story floods into an obligatory tale of man's embittered drive to conquer the elements. A sure bet for maritime racing fans and extreme sporting enthusiasts, the book might not have enough ballast to float the open waters of mainstream readers. (June)
