From the Publisher Miles Smeeton was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1906. In 1939, he and his wife Beryl attempted to climb 25,263-foot Tirich Mir, in the Himalaya, with Tenzing Norgay. Although they failed, Beryl achieved renown as one of the first women to climb so high. A career army officer, Miles served with distinction in World War II. In 1951, the Smeetons bought Tzu Hang in England and, though they had just learned to sail, sailed her to Canada. They next voyaged to the South Pacific, and Miles later wrote about that adventure in The Sea Was Our Village. In 1956, Miles and Beryl Smeeton embarked on the voyage described in Once Is Enough. In 1967, they made a third--and successful--Cape Horn attempt, sailing east to west. The Smeetons later founded the Cochrane Ecological Institute in Alberta, Canada, still run by their daughter. Jonathan Raban is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the editor of The Oxford Book of the Sea, and author of ten critically acclaimed books, including Passage to Juneau. He is the winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Heinemann Award For Literature, and received the New York Times Editors' Choice for Book of the Year for Old Glory and Bad Land. He has been called (by The Guardian) "the finest writer afloat since Conrad." Read more From the Back Cover "Unique among books of maritime adventure."--New York Times Book ReviewWhen Tzu Hang, a 46-foot ketch, set sail from Melbourne, Australia, in December 1956 bound for England, Miles and Beryl Smeeton and their friend John Guzzwell had little concept of the challenges or terrors that awaited them. At that time very few small sailboats had successfully rounded Cape Horn, and none had sailed as far south as Tzu Hang--just north of the Antarctic iceberg limit.Six weeks later, in the icy seas several hundred miles west of Cape Horn, Tzu Hang was caught from astern by a huge wave that somersaulted her. Beryl Smeeton, who had been alone at the tiller, was thrown thirty yards into the sea. Despite a broken collarbone, she managed to swim to the wreckage of masts and rigging in the water where Miles and John could heave her on board. Tzu Hang was a shambles: the tiller, rudder, doghouse, anchor, compass, and dinghies had all been ripped away; the masts had broken off level with the deck; and the boat was close to sinking. Working beyond exhaustion, the crew emptied the water bucket by bucket, salvaged what they could, built a new doghouse, fashioned a jury rig, and five weeks later sailed into Arauco Bay on the Chilean coast.After ten months of repair work in a Chilean navy yard, Miles and Beryl Smeeton (without John Guzzwell) sailed again toward Cape Horn and again were capsized, dismasted, and nearly sunk by a rogue wave. Once more, they survived the disaster and sailed 2,000 miles to Valparaiso, Chile.When it was first published in 1959, Once Is Enough electrified the sailing world. But what keeps it fresh and captivating is not just Smeeton's vivid re-creation of the sea's fury. His eloquent descriptions of ordinary life at sea make Once Is Enough timeless reading for sailors and armchair adventurers alike."It is the struggle of these three indomitable sailors for survival and their extraordinary resource . . . that makes their taut journal unique among books of maritime adventure. . . . Tzu Hang and her crew add up not only to survival but to a tale full of sound and fury told by an intrepid but eminently sane survivor."--Times (London) Literary Supplement"The strangest and most memorable thing about Once Is Enough is that it's not a heroic tale of survival, but--of all things--an idyll."--from the introduction by Jonathan Raban"Brigadier Smeeton's saga is the very essence of authenticity. Its message is clear and simple: Beware the sea in anger, for no small boat can conquer it, however expertly sailed."--New York Times Book Review"They are the first people ever to return alive to tell the story of a boat being somersaulted. . . . And they certainly make fascinating company for a reader with his eyes on the heights of human endeavor."--Sunday Times Read more About the Author Miles Smeeton was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1906. In 1939, he and his wife Beryl attempted to climb 25,263-foot Tirich Mir, in the Himalaya, with Tenzing Norgay. Although they failed, Beryl achieved renown as one of the first women to climb so high. A career army officer, Miles served with distinction in World War II. In 1951, the Smeetons bought Tzu Hang in England and, though they had just learned to sail, sailed her to Canada. They next voyaged to the South Pacific, and Miles later wrote about that adventure in The Sea Was Our Village. In 1956, Miles and Beryl Smeeton embarked on the voyage described in Once Is Enough. In 1967, they made a third--and successful--Cape Horn attempt, sailing east to west. The Smeetons later founded the Cochrane Ecological Institute in Alberta, Canada, still run by their daughter. Jonathan Raban is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the editor of The Oxford Book of the Sea, and author of ten critically acclaimed books, including Passage to Juneau. He is the winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Heinemann Award For Literature, and received the New York Times Editors' Choice for Book of the Year for Old Glory and Bad Land. He has been called (by The Guardian) "the finest writer afloat since Conrad." Read more
S**L
Way too technical
Parts of this book were quite enjoyable, but they were few and far between. If you want to read pure, hair raising adventure, this isn't your book. The author describes in painful detail about the sails, the anchor, the minute construction details, etc. Not being a sailor, I was lost and bored most of the time. I also can't believe this couple was so foolhardy as to try this voyage TWICE after failing the first time. They are lucky as he'll to still be alive!
B**B
If you are in to real sea adventures, I highly recommend this book!
My husband & I read this book years ago in paperback but recently bought the Kindle version. We cruised boats together for 25 years and are intrigued with real life sea adventures. The Smeetons were an interesing, amazing couple, together and individually - pair them with John Guzwell and you have expertise & courage beyond mere mortals. Their trip around the Horn is not to be missed! If you are in to real sea adventures, I highly recommend this book. Also recommend High Endeavours: The Extraordinary Life and Adventures of Miles & Beryl Smeeton
B**E
Outstanding, But Beware Surfeit of Nautical Terms
I really loved this book. Mr. Smeeton is an outstanding writer with great attention to detail all the way. The book reads like fiction. A caution--I've been a sailor for fifty years and know nautical terms well,but even I had to look up a few terms. So, don't even try to read the book unless you're prepared to spend long hours learning nautical lexicon.--read a good Hornblower tale instead.
T**X
Very detail oriented sailing archive
The Steering clearly document the trials and tribulations of crossing big seas in small boats. Their boat may have been older technology but the sea remains unchanged. Should be required reading for all novice sailors contemplating a serious crossing. Not for the fear factor, the Smeeton's understood the risks of rounding the horn. But for the understanding of what it's like when things go badly and how to respond in an emergency at sea.
B**N
Once was enough
It dragged at times, however it is a technical subject and therefore must have certain details for the story to make sense. In the epilogue Miles thinks of several things he could have done to survive but does not do before the second attempt. In his writing he could have defined certain colloquial terms and names. Otherwise it is an interesting tale well told.
T**Y
A "must read" for aspiring blue water cruisers
This is a first hand account of two thwarted attempts to round Cape Horn from the west. It is written by Miles Smeeton, the skipper of the forty two foot ketch, Tzu Hang. It is not for sailors only, and if all you want is sailing, you may end up bored. Much of the book takes place in a port town in Chile, where the Smeetons and John Guzzwell (Trekka Round the World) put in for repairs. The Chilean section is interesting in that it is about the people who end up involved in helping to restore the yacht - some of whom are real characters.Be sure to read the forward, which provides a brief expalnation of who these people were, and how they ended up spending their retirement sailing the worlds oceans.Smeeton is not a professional writer, but he writes well, with good descriptions of the people they met, his own impressions, and sensory detail, all of which combine to make the book readable.There is an historical angle as well. It takes place in the mid-1950's. Smeeton and his wife, Beryl, retired after World War II, Smeeton being an Btritish Army officer and veteran of that war. They are virtually never freaked-out, and always find time for tea.If you like Brits, if you like sailing, or if you just like a first hand account of some of the original adventure travelers, you will like this book.
D**L
Reckless!
Disliked reading his narrative when bull-headed determination sent them back into suicidal adventure, repeating all their earlier errors and with the same near-death result. Reckless!
P**F
Survival in Dire Circumstances
I didn’t necessarily agree with their storm tactics but now we understand more about ships and storms. A brave couple who worked together and survived. Bravo to them.
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