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Library Journal Review

In diary form, Ridgway and Briggs reveal the day-by-day events in their record-setting 203-day circumnavigation of the world. Some entries are short; others are relatively long. The authors are two different people, and one of the most interesting aspects of this book is the variety of interpretations of the same events. Each made extra effort to accommodate the other, and their attempts to do so make good reading. While there is much practical information on seagoing boats, this is primarily a good adventure yarn and a study of the human psyche as well. Briggs's line drawings are useful, and the 12 pages of color photos complement the text. An appendix lists the consumable stores carried by Eng lish Rose VI . Susan Ebershoff-Coles, Indianapolis-Marion Cty . P.L. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

He had sailed singlehanded across the Atlantic, rowed across with a companion and competed in the Whitbread Round-the-World Yacht Race. In the summer of 1983, John Ridgeway sought another challenge. With Briggs, the sailing instructor at his School of Adventure in Scotland, he would circle the globe without touching land; the target, to set a record for fastest passage. They departed from Ardmore, Scotland, on September 1, on the school's 57-foot ketch, English Rose VI. Each man kept a diary; the reader follows the day-by-day progress of the voyage. Briggs's running account of ship maintenance will be of special interest to long-distance sailors; for the older and more experienced Ridgeway, the journey was a period of self-examination. The pair endured physical and mental hardships, extremes of weatherfrustrating calms, violent storms, one near-capsize. In March 1984, English Rose VI and its crew returned to Ardmore after a record 203-day passage. For all sailors, and for landlubbers who enjoy adventure. Photos. January 10 (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

YA Just the book for anyone interested in sailing and the sea, for this is the day-by-day account of two men's 203-day adventure sailing around the world. In the first two chapters, the men describe the preparations for their seven-month voyage. The story of the voyage is told alternately by John and by Andy. Appendixes list the damage to the ketch, the consumable stores used on the trip, and diagrams and technical specifications for the English Rose VI . Armchair travelers can experience vicariously the physical hardships and psychological problems, as well as thrill to the excitement of the changing life and force of the ocean and sky during this 28,000-mile journey which turned out to be the fastest nonstop sailing on record. Mary Wadsworth Sucher, Baltimore County Reading Services (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.