SAGAS OF SURVIVAL AND TALES OF EPIC CHALLENGE ON THE SEVEN SEAS

The ocean makes unrelenting demands of human resolve and tests the limits of human endurance with unending ferocity, yet few places on earth are as alluring as the open sea. The exhilarating stores and dramatic photographs of heroic and disastrous nautical adventures in To the Sea portray the ever-present challenge of sailor and boat versus the vastness and power of the ocean. Reverence and mystery, understanding and myth combine to tell the complete story of mankind's relationship with the oceans throughout history.

Seas around the world play host to sailors battling devastating storms, dangerous reefs, giant rogue waves and numbing ocean waters. Gallant explorers in tall ships first traveled the oceans in search of riches, whether it be land, gold or spices. Fishermen, without the benefit of modern weather forecasting, entered treacherous waters to haul in boatloads of fish. Fearless sailors ventured out over oceans alone in small boats, armed with only their courage. Early yacht designers revolutionized boat design to lay the foundation for today's superyachts. Modern-day racers brave storm and disaster to prove which boat - and which sailor - is the strongest and the fastest.

To the Sea takes you from the dawn of sea exploration through today's technologically advanced sea travel, fishing and racing. You will witness daring helicopter sea rescues and tragic boat wrecks, learn nautical terns and navigational techniques, meet legendary sea captains and boat engineers and read classic nautical literature and poetry gaining a vivid, thrilling and complete picture of the oceans and its travelers from the Vikings to the America's Cup. Whether it's Tania Aebi embarking on a circum-navigation from New York Harbor at age 18, or Magellan making his epic voyage centuries earlier, the sailors in To the Sea share a driving passion to sail into dark waters, come what may. More people have walked on the moon than have success-fully sailed alone around the world, but sailors continue to try, adjusting their strategy and their craft. Joshua Slocum set out in a tiny boat, Isabelle Autissier in a highly engineered vessel but both faced the loneliness of the open sea and the force of waves and wind.

Not all have been successful in their voyaging - witness the Fastnet disaster of 1979, the Sydney-Hobart tragedy of 1998, and countless, other storms and wrecks that litter captians' logs throughout history.

The harrowing true-life narratives and exciting excerpts from literature tell dramatic tales that will chill, thrill and inspire the adventurer in all of us. As the author says, despite our best efforts to tame it, "the sea has the last word. It may change its patterns and it never loses its power.

Exhilarating stories and dramatic photographs of heroic sea adventures and disastrous nautical voyages bring to life mankind's struggles, successes and defeats in the face of the vast and powerful seas and storms.

To the Sea captures the lure of the sea, and takes you on a stirring maritime journey through history that covers nautical adventure from every angle, from the early voyages of the Phoenicians and the Vikings to yachting's golden age to today's space-age superyachts racing around the world.

Stories and paintings of the tall ships and their treacherous exploration at the dawn of nautical technology

First - hand accounts of remarkable singlehanded passages, from Joshua Slocum to Isabelle Autissier

The harrowing story of the infamous 1988 Sidney - Hobart tragedy

The evolution of boat design, voyaging and navigation

Technical drawing of ship construction ropes and rigging rescue techniques and deck gear

A glossary of nautical terms

Profiles of accomplished sailors, from Captain Cook to Eric Tabarly, Francis Chichester to Tania Aebi

Also, excerpts from the world's most fascinating nautical literature are part of each chapter, including:

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger

The Sea - Wolf by Jack London

Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi

The Long Way by Bernard Moitessieer

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Ice Bird by David Lewis

Survive the Savage Sea by Dougal Robertson

A Descent into the Maelstrom by Edgar Allen Poe

Two Years before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana

Sailing Alone around the World by Joshua Slocum