Moitessier - Tamata and The Alliance
This is Moitessier's last book before he died and it is a fabulous account of his life. I found it an irresistable read and motored through the book in a few days.
The early chapters offer a fascinating insight in to WWII and the IndoChina war. Moitessier and his brothers were on the front line of the conflict and for sure this will have influenced his later unconventional lifestyle.
His time in Africa was poverty stricken and he doesn't spend too much time describing what must have been a very difficult time. He makes only brief references to his spectacular voyages (The Long Way and The Logical Route) which are described in detail in his other books. He does spend a great deal of time describing his middle age life in French Polynesia and then his fateful trip to the USA where he lost Joshua to a storm whilst anchored off the North coast of South America.
He then very briefly covers the building of "Tamata", his struggle to write his autobiography, his eventual meeting of Veronique, his succumbing to Cancer and his return to France.
It is a compelling read and I believe it the best of all of his books; I've read them all! Moitessier was a radical free thinker and was forty years ahead of the World on environmental care, war and politics. Robin Knox-Johnson warns in the book review that it will change the way you think and I believe it does; i've no doubt that there is many an ocean sailor out there now because of Moitessier's writing.
Thoroughly recommended.
Rob
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