Only one person has ever sailed vertically around the world--Adrian Flanagan. And he did it singlehanded.

Sailing around the world horizontally is difficult enough, crossing thousands of miles of ocean only to get near land at the Capes battling treacherous currents. However, hundreds of sailors have nevertheless managed it. Flanagan became obsessed with the idea of sailing vertically around the world--over the poles--as a boy, before he even knew whether it was possible. Thirty years later he became the first sailor ever to do so. This is his account of the remarkable solo adventure.

This was an epic challenge, sailing through the perilous waters off Cape Horn and across the remote, hostile stretch of the Russian Arctic. Flanagan survived being washed overboard, capsizing, a close encounter with pirates, and treated not one but two dislocated wrists--all of this alone, often 1,000 miles from anyone who could help. It wasn't all high drama, however. Flanagan experienced moments of awe-inspiring beauty--sailing alongside a pod of whales, swimming with dolphins, and other sublime, introspective moments as he pondered the vast ocean and his place in it.

This is a timeless and unique story, pacily written with a sense of humor, capturing the zeal and determination required to be the first to sail over the top--and bottom--of the world.