Completely mad Tom McClean, John Fairfax, and the epic race to row solo across the Atlantic

In this colorful account, Hansen (First Man), a history professor at Auburn University, narrates the 1969 voyages undertaken by two British men to cross the Atlantic by rowboat. Drawing on interviews with McClean (Fairfax died in 2012), Hansen writes that the two were nearly diametrical opposites: Fairfax, 31, was a "profligate gambler playboy," and 26-year-old McClean was a paratrooper who'd overcome a hardscrabble childhood. The men began from opposite ends of the Atlantic--McClean departed Newfoundland on May 17 and headed toward Ireland about four months after Fairfax had launched from the Canary Islands aiming for Florida. Hansen captures in vivid, sometimes visceral detail both the physical challenges (McClean's hands swelled so severely that he could barely grasp the oars, and he bit open the blisters to release the water) and psychological tolls (in a ship log, Fairfax describes "shedding the veneer with which civilization had coated my animal instincts") the men endured. In the end, Fairfax finished about a week before his rival, though only after 180 grueling days at sea. Hansen's spirited entry provides a riveting examination of the human will to survive, and readers will be fascinated--if occasionally mystified--by the determination the men displayed. This is perfect for those seeking adventure without leaving their couch. (July)

The story of the 1969 race to be the first person to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. A former history professor and historian for NASA, Hansen has written extensively about science and technology, particularly aerospace history. In his latest, he turns his attention to the ocean, chronicling the lives of two adventurers who "could not have been more different." Tom McClean (b. 1942) was a British paratrooper who had been orphaned as a child, a man in the classic tough-guy mold. Traveling west to east in his rowboat, Super Silver, his route took him from Newfoundland to Ireland. John Fairfax (1937-2012), who was known as a gambler and a playboy, traveled from east to west in his rowboat, Britannia, from the Canary Islands to Florida. In a page-turning narrative, Hansen shares the personal background of each contender as well as the challenges they faced along their nautical journeys, particularly noting the contrasts between the two men. Along their impressive voyages, they both battled gale-force winds, violent storms, shark encounters, hunger, and loneliness. Not only were their routes different; so were their approaches. "To the very end," writes Hansen, "Tom's commitment was very different from Fairfax's, as he would do nothing less than complete his journey totally unassisted." Fairfax also had a head start and tended to blame his boat for any problems he encountered. The one thing they did have in common was questioning their sanity for taking on such a monumental venture. As McClean recalled about the day he set out, "There were a few sad eyes amongst that crowd….I'll never forget all those watching faces as I rowed out for the open sea. No question that many of them thought they were watching the departure of a man who would never see land again." The remarkable adventures of two men fighting nature and their own demons. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.