Nine people comprised of two Frenchmen, an Italian and six Englishmen, began the 1967 Golden Globe around the world yacht race. Only one completed the journey. This is the story of this endeavour. The goal was to sail around the world solo, a feat no one had yet achieved; to make matters just that extra bit tricky some of the sailors were total novices. The book analyses the fate of each sailor in turn. Nichols describes how the nine fought through storms and collisions, through the roaring 40s and the furious 50s, and how each man experienced those moments of solitary despair, lonely disappointment and occasional mystical elation that are unique to long-haul solo sailing. The technical side of yachtsmanship also comes under scrutiny while still aiming to prove accessible to those with little understanding of actual sailing methods.