Maiden Voyage

• #10 in Best Sailing Books

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Maybe I'm being unfair, but MAIDEN VOYAGE rankled me from the starboard dust jacket to the port, with its repetitive, "The first American woman---and the youngest person ever---to circumnavigate the globe alone." That, and the saccharine title just set my teeth on edge before I ever turned to page one.

But turn I did, hoping this book would be more than it seemed to promise. As an approximate contemporary of Tania Aebi's who bought his first boat just as she set sail in "Varuna" (and a native New Yorker) I expected to be able to relate to Tania, much as I did to Robin Lee Graham who circumnavigated in "Dove" when I was much younger. But I found I really didn't like the Tania Aebi I met in these pages, either when I first read MAIDEN VOYAGE in 1985 or revisiting it in 2006.

Perhaps it was the publisher's pitch. Tania was repetitively described as a "troubled" adolescent, but it soon became clear that her biggest "trouble" was surviving an affluent, eccentric family. With an artist father and a dying, mentally ill mother in a sanitarium in Europe, Tania could be expected to have a slew of "issues" and she does throughout the book. I just found her emotional self-absorption boring in the extreme.

I also found that I was truly infuriated at her father who should have been arrested for intent to commit manslaughter. Apparently Ernst Aebi believed that a solo circumnavigation was just the ticket toward giving his daughter a focus in life, and so he practically shanghaied her into making the trip even though Tania could barely motor "Varuna" out into the Narrows the day she left. Not that Ernst was any better. "Varuna" set sail with all manner of design flaws (weak chainplates, a bad engine, and a water-scooping hawsepipe, any one of which might have sunk her in sight of the Brooklyn Bridge). The man was so driven to send his daughter out to fulfill HIS dreams that he (and they) seemed to have spent no time at all on evaluating the boat for its intended purpose. Given Tania's lack of sailing skills and her lack of familarity with "Varuna," the thing was a deathtrap for her. Miraculously, she lived to tell about it.

I learned more about sailing just taking my 24-footer out onto Long Island Sound three days a week than Tania seemed to learn in months of continuous blue water cruising. Her navigation skills were suicidally poor and her understanding of weather, current and wind seemed stalled at a beginner's level all along.

Her remembrances of people she met and places she visited were the high points of MAIDEN VOYAGE, though we certainly could have used less information about her various (yawn!) lovers along the way, all of whom seemed stamped out of a Gallic cookie-cutter. The writing style is choppy, though it's altogether clear that Bernadette Brennan (of CRUISING WORLD magazine) did most of the actual writing after culling Tania's memory. The "Oh yeah, now this," and "Oh yeah, now that" tone of MAIDEN VOYAGE is a product of a tale told in fits and starts with no unifying thread.

That seems to be the biggest failing of MAIDEN VOYAGE. Although Tania gives us a colorful travelogue, she barely shows us any insight or reflection. The experience of single-handing around the world seems to pass over her like a wave, leaving barely a ripple behind. Returning to New York at age twenty she seems barely more mature than she did at age eighteen when she sailed away. She is not Bernard Moitessier, and "Varuna" is not "Joshua". At the end, she's just a girl and it's just a boat. More's the pity.

If you're a serious sailor or even an armchair adventurer, you'll do well to avoid this exercise in whining, self-centered childishness.

In her travels around the globe (apparently spent mostly in tears, huddled belowdecks and dreading the prospect of doing any actual sailing) the author required constant bailing out of various jams brought about by her inexperience, bad judgment, and immaturity. As I plodded through this mire of self-indulgent excess, the phrase "a danger to herself and others" repeatedly came to mind.

As a former officer on one of those "bad old big boats" with which she continually played a game of high-stakes chicken, I kept wanting to reprimand her for failing to familiarize herself with (and follow) the Rules of the Nautical Road.

This is a case of a spoiled little rich girl wasting her Daddy's money and treating the world's oceans as her private playground. At the end of the book, she's two years older, but still has a lot of growing up to do.

I'm just glad she sold her boat and is no longer endangering people's lives on the high seas.

Ms. Aebi has had a very difficult time both sailing and writing. To circumnavigate the world as the youngest woman ever wasn't her idea. It was pushed upon her by an egoistic father who in doing so threatened her life. Being a good girl and trying to win her father's love she helped him to abuse her. She reveals that her sailing knowlege was completely absent. She had little self discipline. She never writes about loving to sail. She writes about affairs and friendships with men whom she ends up depending on to get her from one port to the next. .... It was a ... way to come of age, and I'm sure she grew as a person. Her itinery was interesting and images of the south sea islands and the red sea remain. The trip was a fantastic adventure, but perhaps one day she can learn to sail.

I love this book! I love the balence of sailing, romace, and of Tania's coming of age through her experiences of her travels. I just read this and immediately started to read it again. It was a great insperation. I could relate to the pitfalls of her highschool experience with school and family. And even could when she was at sea.

From the very first page of the book, I am hooked. I find myself wondering how I would cope with this "HUGE" challenge of sailing around the world--all alone, except for my four-legged best friend, my cat.

My mind is racing along with the author of the book who tells her story straight from the heart of her soul. Her account of the day, hours and minutes of her adventure and survival. I ride the stormy waves of her emotional and physical strengths. Tania Aebi has pure contentment with solitude. I ask myself; could I do that? Moreover, many times the answer is "yes" or at least I believe I know what it might feel like to be out in the middle of ocean, all alone.

This book throws the questions back to you. Tania Aebi did it; I am only the reader of her story. Yet, it is this kind of story that stirs those real questions that one asks themselves. Would I and could I, if given that same opportunity?

Brave and courageous barely scratch the surface of this circumnavigator. Yet, I know want to learn to circumnavigate.

As a reader, I have also come to appreciate the story of the beautiful growth of a girl. There are many times when Tania is tested and has no choice but to think quickly as life on her 26-foot sailboat changes as fast as the wind can change. I have such admiration of her description of the locals she meets throughout her journey. This is a journey of girl and a journey about her life and love.

This is a fantastic narrative of a 'special' father's way to deal with his unmotivated daughter. He bought her a boat and send her sailing (alone) around the world!

What Tania did is extraordinary, even with the help of her dad, who flew around the world to bring her support and spare parts several times during her journey.

Tania had no sailing experience (when she started) and made sailing her profession since the completion of her trip. She writes on every issue of Latitudes and Attitudes.

Makes very interesting reading while is fun and informative.

This book was one of the first that I read in the True Adventure genre and while I have read many since and some that are certainly more sound from a writing perspective, few have come close to the honesty and beauty of the journey that Tania Aebi shares with us in this story. This book does go in to a great amount of detail about sailing, but I think this is superbly important. It gives us insight into what it takes in order to make a journey like this one and we get to see and experience with her the huge learning curve of sailing and all the intricacies of doing it well. I, in fact, appreciated all the detail because I learned from it and am a better reader of sailing stories as a result.

Tania shares so much of herself and the challenges she overcame and the personal growth she experiences. I had a hard time putting the book down as so much happens and you want to know how this young inexperienced woman would handle it. It's always great to find a good adventure story, even more so when it is about a young woman, this book will certainly not disappoint anyone who wants to see life experienced on this incredible journey.

Tania Aebi's "Maiden Voyage" depicts a troubled teen's real life circumnavigation of the Earth on a small sailboat. She knows little of sailing but quickly masters her boat and the wind that takes her around the world. She meets plenty of friends throughout her real life journey that took place in in the late '80's. Several close calls make sure the journey never goes quite as planned.

Good book for those who are interested in sailing or dream of adventure abroad. Ms. Aebi's circumnavigation is a learning experience not only for her, but for all of those who read her book. "Maiden Voyage" is one of Amazon's best kept secrets! A great book!

This is one of those books I grabbed when I didn't have anything else to read. I wasn't expecting much - I was very pleasantly suprised. Most everyone dreams of some great adventure - she proved you could sail solo around the world with almost no experience at all. I would recommend this book to almost anyone. It will make you want to get a boat - be careful.

You know it's a bad sign when the copy you've checked out of the library was actually signed by Tania Abei. Someone went through the trouble of having her sign it (preteniously blathering on about fair winds in her inscription, mind you) and then donated the book to the public library because it was such a lousy read.

Tania has taken something exciting as sailing around the world and put it into words in the most boring manner possible. Her writing lacks emotion. Her description of her love interests made me wonder if she was really describing her relationship with her brother. Her description of her cat falling overboard couldn't have been written with any less passion. She may as well lost a pencil overboard with the way she described her cat falling.

I admit, I couldn't finish it. I got 2/3 of the way through and thought 'What is the point, Tania?'

Sure, I started to fantasize about becoming a pirate, so I bought this book (and many others) to investigate others' seafaring experiences.

This was such an eye-opening, enthralling read. I think I read this book in just a couple of days, I couldn't put it down. Not only was it educational, but it was interesting, amusing and, sometimes, downright scary.

Great read.

I am in awe of Tania Aebi's courage, leaving everything behind to face loneliness for weeks at a time is not for cowards. Her style all through the book is unpretentious, friendly and very honest. And yet the book feels curiously short in content. We read about how she played Solitaire for hours on end, how much each repair on the boat cost, what she ate etc. What we don't read about is her impressions of the places she travels to, the cultures she meets. Read Jonathan Raban's "Journey to Juneau" for the grown-up version of a solo sailing adventure.

Don't start reading this book if you have any plans...you'll break them. I couldn't put it down until I was finished and then reread several parts soon after. I loved it.

Maiden Voyage is a truly great book. It contains everything you could ever want in a novel. It has comedy, drama, hardship, excitment, and even romance. The story is truly amazing, about an 18 year old girl who sails around the world. She starts out with very little knowledge about sailing and by the end she gains a world of new and useful knowledge. A neat part about this book is that throughout the author gives little facts about the places and people she meats. This makes for a very interesting read. I would recommend this book to anybody young or old who is just looking for a warm story to read.

The amazing story of an 18 year old who sets out to see the world. However, unlike the majority of us who board a 747 and are at our destination a few hours later, Aebi travels around the world alone on a sailboat. Her adventures are really interesting and her story is inspiring. At times, the book is a bit technical (it *is* a sailing book), but even for those of us who have never sailed before in our lives, her accounts of her past and her travels really make the book enjoyable and understandable. I've read it several times and it has always managed to inspire me. Never a boring read.

Well, not exactly, but there are plenty of parallels.
More or less thrown into this journey by a zany, wizard-like father, Tania begins her Tolkienesque voyage with no real understanding of the difficulties involved. After experiencing many adventures, some real dangers, and even a bit of romance, she returns home a wiser, stronger, and altogether more mature woman. Heartwarming, authentic, and honest, Tania proves herself to be a sailor and author in the tradition of the grandfather of single-handed circumnavigators, old Slocum himself.
A page-turner.

There are thousands of us who sail and many more of us who write, rarely are the two talents combined as well as they are here. You do not simply read Maiden Voyage, you take the single handed journey around the world along with Tania, and at the end, your life too will be changed. Do not hesitate, if you have not already read this book click "add to cart" now, you will not be dissapointed. The fragile beauty of this story of a young woman's rite of passage is waiting to tug at your emotions and haunt your memory. After reading it, you'll be back to buy a copy for a friend.

Tania managed to sail around the world in a little over two years. The youngest person to sail around the world by herself. Tania story is suspenseful: finding the Varuna, repairs on the Varuna, island near miss, near collisons and death along coast line, surviving storm galls, periods of boredom, a birthday on the ocean, dinner with Luc, meeting Luc's wife, memories of her insane mother, saying good bye to her dying mother, the love of her father, learning reading a sexton, a handy RF radio, losing weight, starving, boredom, a trusted cat companion, waiting out the winter in Thaiti, traversing the Altantic and its massive waves, and sailing into the NY. Tania vulnerablity was concerning: communication with strangers on the ocean, her infatuation with Luc and his exploitive intentions could have threaten personal security; Tania learning by trial an error how to navigate; Tania losing 400 dollars and shortages of cash; tania engine problems and lack of tools, parts and mechanically training.

Being a parent of two daughters I don't know if I could do what Tania's father did -- sending his daughter sailing across the world -- ALONE -- at the age of eighteen. But I do understand his vision of what an adventure can do to change a persons life, and that is definitely seen in Tania's story. She left a troubled teen and came back a woman.

This is a wonderful coming of age story that I think women of all ages will enjoy. It's got it all, love, adventure, death, and yes...even cats.

Maiden Voyage is a wonderful account of Tanya Aebi's adventure around the world. Her story is told in such honesty that any reader may feel the longing to explore the world. I myself have spoken of it so often that my husband is a little worried that I will leave him and the land for the seclusion and adventure of the sea. He needn't worry, but I at least want to learn how to sail.

I would recommend this book to anyone. It is one of the few books that you can read more than once. I must caution you to pace yourself while reading or the book will pass by in the blink of an eye, and you will be left wishing that Tanya had published more books.

I picked up this book on the recommendation of a speaker at one of my grad school classes. The speaker, Roland Legiardi-Laura, is making a film with John Taylor Gatto that examines the problems with schooling and alternatives to it. He recommended Maiden Voyage as a glimpse at one young woman's real education. By choosing sailing the world over a college education, Tania changed the course of her life. I was thrilled to take the voyage with her through her book.

I'm not into sailing and will probably never set sail any farther than a day trip on the Chesapeake Bay, but I loved this book. The beauty of it is seeing a young woman experience the world through fresh eyes. The reader watches as Tania comes into her own and experiences the 'real' world outside of the traditional path from high school to college to the working world of materialism. It inspired me to re-examine everything I take for granted in my life and think about all the things I might be missing in life. Everyone should read this book. My cousin graduates high school in May and I'm going to give her a copy of this book. Not to encourage her to sail around the world, but to find her own passion and chart her own course in life.

The space between Miss Aebi's account of sailing away from her life in New York to her return to America is filled with the most incredible adventure. Her gaining of experience on the sea parallels her maturing from a "lost soul" teenager to confident adult in a page-turning sort of way.

I loved this book!

Was her journey too dangerous for someone so inexperienced and so young? Yes, but perhaps those very same factors made Tania's voyage such an adventure. I have read the book in it's entirety twice, and selected parts more often than I can count. She did what any good writer should do, in that she "showed" her readers rather than "told" her readers. She painted beautiful images of her suroundings whether on the boat, in the South Pacific, or when she dealt with her late mother. A wonderful book for the lovers of travel and adventure.

After finishing only the first 30 or so pages of this incredible account, I began recommending it to friends. This is a book which will be read again and again. It sparks the imagination and gives birth to an incredible feeling of wanderlust and adventure.

This book is an incredible journey!!! I can only say that Tania really had courage...even though at the time she probably would have said..."what do you mean?" It just proves what one can do by "just doing" and "thinking less"... Maiden Voyage is very well written, a good read, and really makes you wonder and understand the epitamy of how a parent's dreams and desires for their children can be criticized, yet have dramatic results. I loved the book and tell anyone involved in boating to read it. It's just an AMAZING story!!!

This was an awesome book. I will probably never get to circumnavigate the world by boat, but living it viacariously through Tania has helped. Who am I kidding?... it made my desire even stronger! Way to go girl; you should have gotten the recognition you deserve!

Review of Maiden Voyage

After reading the book Maiden Voyage for my literature class at my high school, I had had only one thought about the book. What in the world was Tania thinking? She was young, unprepared, and inexperienced in the world of boating.
This book is directed at a slim group of people, not including myself. And living here in Iowa, I find it very hard to connect with Tania and her boating experiences because not very many people sail boats here. I am sure that the topic could be more interesting to many other people, but for many others and myself too I know it would not be. Another thing that made the book even less appealing outside the fact of not being able to connect with it, was how it was set up. The book was an entire flashback except for chapter one, and this made it very confusing towards the middle of the book when she was talking about what she was doing now and you didn't know if she meant then while sailing or now while writing. Also there wasn't very much history about her and her family. All you knew was that she was a troubled teenager, whose parents were divorced and that she wanted to sail around the world to prove to her dad that she could do it. That's it. I was really upset by this I think that I would have liked it more but I had no way to connect to the book while she was sailing or before when she wasn't. And if I could have made the connection before she left to sail I know that I would have enjoyed the book more. In the end I think that Tania had a poor cause to start off with when wanting to sail around the world. She was doing it for her father and not for herself which made the book have not as strong of an appeal as it would of if she wanted to do it for herself. I think that this book could be very good but it was set up was confusing, the connections are to hard to make, and the sheer fact that she is doing it for someone else makes you not be able to see how she is truly feeling as well.

Review of Maiden Voyage

After reading the book Maiden Voyage for my literature class at my high school, I had had only one thought about the book. What in the world was Tania thinking? She was young, unprepared, and inexperienced in the world of boating.
This book is directed at a slim group of people, not including myself. And living here in Iowa, I find it very hard to connect with Tania and her boating experiences because not very many people sail boats here. I am sure that the topic could be more interesting to many other people, but for many others and myself too I know it would not be. Another thing that made the book even less appealing outside the fact of not being able to connect with it, was how it was set up. The book was an entire flashback except for chapter one, and this made it very confusing towards the middle of the book when she was talking about what she was doing now and you didn't know if she meant then while sailing or now while writing. Also there wasn't very much history about her and her family. All you knew was that she was a troubled teenager, whose parents were divorced and that she wanted to sail around the world to prove to her dad that she could do it. That's it. I was really upset by this I think that I would have liked it more but I had no way to connect to the book while she was sailing or before when she wasn't. And if I could have made the connection before she left to sail I know that I would have enjoyed the book more. In the end I think that Tania had a poor cause to start off with when wanting to sail around the world. She was doing it for her father and not for herself which made the book have not as strong of an appeal as it would of if she wanted to do it for herself. I think that this book could be very good but it was set up was confusing, the connections are to hard to make, and the sheer fact that she is doing it for someone else makes you not be able to see how she is truly feeling as well.

When I was living in California a few years back, I got interested in sailing. I wanted to get all the information I could about traveling the sea. Then I came across "Maiden Voyage". I started reading it and I couldn't put it down.
This is a great story. It made me feel like I was there.
I know I wasn't 'but I really wanted to be.
If you like travel narratives on sailing, this a good place to start.

I am re-ordering this book as I have given away my last two copies to friends who were looking for a good page turner. It's been a few years since I last read the book but I am eager to re-live the adventure. As previous reviewers have commented negatively on the author's style and sailing lingo, I must admit that I had no such problem with either. It was a fascinating read. I HOPE Miss Aebi writes further adventures for us.

Sometimes we don't know what we are capable of accomplishing. This was the case with Tania Aebi, a eighteen-year-old high school drop-out and all around unproductive and directionless New York City resident. Her father finally puts his foot down one day, and offers her a choice: a college education near home, or a sailboat with a challenge attached to it. Aebi reluctantly chooses the twenty-six foot sailboat, and a solo around-the-world journey.

Did she choose adventure to test herself, or distance and isolation to run away from her problems? For the next 27,000 miles the reader gets to ponder this question, watching the scared teenager go from basket case to confident captain. Exotic ports like Sri Lanka, Crete, Tahiti, and Bali serve as the settings for her story. Maiden Voyage is an account of the journey to adulthood just as much as it is about a journey around the world.

The youngest female ever to single handedly circumnavigate the globe writes like she is your best friend (except for the occasional rambles of sailing lingo). Page turning and genuinely exciting, this romantic adventure story does nothing short of inspire. The only thing that is missing with Maiden Voyage is a large warning label that says the following: "Warning. Readers of this book may be in danger of selling their houses, quitting their jobs, and buying boats."

I bought a copy for my best friend as soon as I finished reading this! I can not stress how cool this book is.

A native New Yorker is offered the chance to circumnavigate the globe, encountering new people and places. The catch? by herself and within a certain amount of time; the time it takes to break the world record for being the youngest girl to ever sail around the world, single-handedly. A chance and experience of a lifetime, one that this brave young girl will never forget.
Meet Tania Aebi. With an eccentric father who wants the best for her, Tania's story is one that tells a tale of courage, love and unforgettable moments that will shape who she is and the life she will lead. Through Tania's accounts, we as the reader get a glimpse of what she goes through emotionally, physically and mentally. Although some of the writing is hard to understand (especially the boat lingo), it is evident that she is an amateur writer who is striving to tell her interesting tale. Although not a first rate novel, the story stays inspirational and interesting enough to keep reading.
At different port stops, Tania introduces the reader to all types of cultures. From the South Pacific to Australia, Sri Lanka and Bermuda, she really gets a glimpse of how different people of our world lead their lives. At the same time, Tania meets sailor friends at different stops, all with exciting stories encounters with different weather and people. A very important personal part of the storyline is the man she meets at a small party, a Switz named Olivier. Although Tania does not go into depth about their love, it is evident at the end that they were meant to be together.
Overall, I thought that the idea of what Tania has been through is a great saga but at the same time, the writing is very choppy and technical at points. It has encouraged me to live life to the fullest and see the world and how different places function, but the book seemed to lack insight and some of it seemed rushed at the end. Yet stories about women and their experiences about adventuring out in the world are always worth reading, even if they are not five star.

A good book in several respects, though not great. Notable for its "firsts" (and I don't care about the technicalities - Tania was first!) Credit for admitting all her inexperience, and how lucky she was to make it. Attempts to reveal inner thoughts are mostly historical - ongoing affairs are almost unrevealed. For sailing afficianados: lessons learned, milestones. For inspiring youth with courage, this book has more to offer.

I read the original hard cover book several years ago. I gave my copy to a friend that loves to sail. (I never got the book back). I was reading the article in the news recently about the lady that rowed solo across the Atlantic and it reminded me of this incredible story I read several years ago and wanted to see if it was available through Amazon.com. I highly recommend this must read book. I could not put it down.

I truly loved this book. It's an exciting, first person account of an exceptional journey. It's recommended for both seasoned sailors and ArmChair travelers.

An inspiring story of how a "complete ninny" overcomes her fears and insecurities and conquers the world, finds love and discovers her true self. I first read it years ago, and I've re-read it 3 or 4 times since.

Absolutely wonderful book, not only did this young lady have to stuggle with growing up, but with the riggers of learning how to sail. A true voyage of self discovery seen through the eyes of innocence and wonder. Inspiring

Being a sailor, diver, and adventurer with my own share of adrenaline experiences under my belt, I was just slightly awed at the sheer nerve and guts of Tania Aebi in taking on the planet in a small sailboat, all alone. After reading her riveting account, I seriously wondered if I could ever do that. More than pure adventure, this is a tale of inspiration that, hopefully, will encourage others of all ages to step out of their mundane world and into one of some risk, to heighten their life experience. Who wants to reach their twilight years and, looking back, say, "I could have done that, or at least tried," but didn't. Too late then.

The Amazon reviews were helpful and insightful, but one in particular was unjustifiably unkind. I'm referring to "Shiver Me Timbers!" by Jeff H. Minde (aka Indomitable Spirit) on August 1, 2006, on this site. To understand my letter below to him, first read his review under See All Customer Reviews. Then read Maiden Voyage, and decide for yourself.

OK, here goes:

Ahoy Indomitable Spirit!

I just finished Tania Aebi's gripping tale, Maiden Voyage, and then re-read your scathing review. Clearly, for a pipe smoking-therapist-lawyer, you're a bitter melange of would-be man and full-time misogynist. Can you get a "friends and family" discount from a shrinkologist colleague to do a proper diagnosis?

Your "Maybe I'm being unfair" has to be the understatement of the New Millennium. For a Zen dude who putters around daysailing in protected Long Island Sound, your claim that you learned as much as Tania did subjected to open-ocean storms and perils far from help is patently absurd. Granted she had problems from the get-go, and that she lacked the seasoned experience desirable for such a bold undertaking, but the bottom-line is she did it. Tania was an 18-year-old girl when she set sail to face the world and all its uncertainties. Out on the vast expanses and crowded shipping lanes she was forced to make quick decisions, get mechanically savvy fast, and take huge risks to keep going when things fell apart. All you have to do out on the Sound is hail a BoatUS tug, then suck on your pipe until they tow you in. Remember that old adage, "Those who can do, those who can't teach?" Guess where you fall.

Your unjust review is riddled with the biases of a prejudiced and life-challenged pseudo-therapist -- "really didn't like the Tania Aebi..." "I was truly infuriated at her father," "could have used less information about her various (yawn!) lovers..." "she barely shows any insight or reflection..." "her navigating skills were suicidally poor..." and on and on. My, my. And what, may I ask, do you have against lovers, which was handled in a tasteful way. Does the idea of having one make you uncomfortable? Paging Dr. Phil!

But perhaps the most asinine comment was that, after all Tania's travails, "Miraculously, she lived to tell about it." Jeff, it was no miracle. She prevailed, pure and simple, because of her own rational thinking, resourcefulness, and tenacity. If I had to be out on a sailboat in a Force 10 gale, I'd much prefer having Tania at the helm than you, which really would be suicidal.

Tania had a choice to make, and she chose the most risky and daring. She didn't have to set sail, despite her father's pressures. She could have quit anywhere along the way, and found a valid reason for doing so. To say that in the end "she's just a girl and it's just a boat" is demeaningly dismissive, and minimizes an accomplishment you could never hope to achieve.

Instead of putting down the achievements of others braver and more skilled, perhaps you should concern yourself with the cancerous perils of pipe-smoking, which will claim you faster than a rogue wave out on the Sound. And find a lover.

The defense rests.

Walt Clayton

Could have been written better I think. I had to re-read some sentances a few times to understand them. Sometimes I had to back read just to figure out what she was talking about. Maybe I'm just stupid. The places she visits are interesting. Sometimes while reading the book I got in a fetal position and quivered while thinking about how little she knew about sailing before taking off into the ocean. I imagin by the time she got home from her circumnavigation she had learned enough, and gained enough sailing experience to start her circumnavigation. all in all it was worth the read and entertaining. But I would reccomend "Confessions of a Long Distance Sailor" by Paul lutus instead of this book. its written far better, has just as many aventures, is far more education in a worldly and sailing sense, and best of all, its free. just search for it on the web, then you can download it.
Cheers
Chad

Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi was difinatly in my opinion a book that I only read because it was mandatory. I found her experiances great and although very adventurous,she never gave me her true feelings about too much of any thing. If she had told her story with a bit more enthusiaum... I might have been able to feel the things she endured. Maybe I would have a different perspective. Overall I think her voyage was a once in a life time kind of journey and she could've elaborated on that a tiny bit more.

Alone, Tanya Aebi started her voyage to circumnavigate the world, with a vauge sense of seamanship. She drifts in and out of topics causing confusion for the reader. Her writting is choppy and unclear and her journey seems more significant than her writting. If your a boater you can relate to her terminology and get more mentally involved in her story, if not she does a poor job of pulling the reader in. But, the book is very inspiring and I admire her courage and skills.

When I first started this book -which I didn't pick to read but was in a book group I belong to- I wasn't too impressed. It seemed to me Tania had no experience about how to write a book... yet, the fact that it is a real life story convinced me to finish it and I am very glad I did. She grows as a woman and a human being during this trip in a way she would have never done it in NY as a bike messenger. It seemed to some readers that her dad was selfish and wanted to live vicariously through her and endanger her life, but if that's the case, I wish I had a selfish dad who will take me out of a "brilliant" high school drop out bike-messenger career and will give me a boat to sail around the world, tied to the beginning of a writing career... Even though at the beginning her writing is less than compelling, as she comes to terms with the trip, her family and herself, she matures as a writer as well as as a woman, and reveals the wonderful person she always was but that I don't think she would have discovered at 21 had she stayed in NY.
The descriptions of the places and the people she saw and met during the 2 years she travelled were amazing and beautiful. I am very happy I read this and I am sure that if I understood more about sailing I would have had that extra enjoyment of an insider's point of view.
Good luck to her, Olivier and Tarzoon, wherever you guys are now!

As someone who has recently had the pleasure of spending time sailing with Tania in the Society Islands in French Poly, I can tell you that this book is the real thing, as is she.

The book is an account of Tania's voyage as a nineteen-year-old street wise girl from Brooklyn and her metamorphis into the omnipotent sailor explorer she is today.

The book's most redeeming quality for me was really the writing itself. Tania doesn't see herself as a 'writer' per-se but the story telling itself is tremendous.

The intimacy of the book is really rare and wonderful too. Tania risked a lot personnally, emotionally, spirititualy and intellectually in writing this book. The book was so very intimate that upon meeting her in the flesh I had the distinct feeling that I'd known her in the past already, that we'd journeyed together.

It all starts with Tania; an 18 year old girl who embarks on an incredible quest. The mission, circumnatavigate the world in two and half years. From the very start this wonderful story gives you the picture and feelings of what it's like out in the blue yonder. You will travel around the globe with Tania as she explores the ancient islands of the Galapagos or the beauty of Sri Lanka. You will get to know two extrodinary people who help this brave girl along the tough trails of the perilous seas. It's an extrodinary quest that will keep in your seat coming for more.

this book is a great adventure for any age and all sexes.

This was a great book. I sail, and I could relate to a lot of the prblems she had. My uncle sails all around the world, and he had been to and told me stories about all the places she went, so I could really relate to that too. If you don't know much about sailing, it's not that big pf a deal, you'll pick it up pretty quickly (terms, courses, etc...) It was an excellant book, and you should read it.

Once I started to read I could not put it down. Tania is very sincere in sharing her emotions, her romances and experiences of loneliness during her long stretches of time at sea. You can see her grow and blossom from a wimpy 18 year old to a courageous and matured 21 year old. I hope the book will also encourage you to venture out and try something new. Do not fear in fear itself.

this book with me every where. Though I do not have a family that is independantly wealthy, this book sums up the dreams and goals I look forward to later in life. I'm 22 and the romance, danger, beautiful imagery of all the ports Tania visited has engulfed my imagination and made me wish to test my own wanderlust on the sea. This is a great read, very enjoyable time and time again.

Maiden Voyage is a very inspirational story of overcoming difficulties. I have read this book over 5 times, and it touches me in every instance.

INCREDIBLE book...Makes one wish they had the time and money to sail around the world themself. Tania is a true modern day heroine; just reading about her journey on the VARUNA has inspired me and should most readers.

I read this book soon after it came out, and promptly went out and bought it in hardback. Growing up is hard to do, and when you're trying to do it alone on the ocean, it's harder still. If I had ten books to take with me to a desert island, this would rank right up there with my complete Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes. It's fascinating reading, practical and real, yet with the emotion of a young girl struggling to change and grow up. Since Tania Aebi is a contemporary of mine, the drama and challenge of her book have stuck in my head and heart since the first time that I read it in one sitting. When do we see more from her? Where is she now? In my memory, she'll always be a strong, lone figure on the ocean in a tiny boat with a goal in mind. It's an excellently written saga of growing up, with a no guts, no glory approach.

A truly Good Book. Far more than an adventure in a strictly geograpical sense, Maiden Voyage left me uplifted with a reaffirmation of life, lived fully and simply. We get to sail around the world with Tania, experiencing and feeling what she does as we look over her shoulder, living with her through her fears, joys and triumphs. And seeing what she describes. Some of those wonderfully picturesque mental photographs that developed in my mind as I read almost made tears come to my eyes: The southern stars reflected on the calm waters of the Pacific as the phosporescent wake recedes behind us... The lights of Puerto Rico and St. Thomas disappearing below the horizon as we head for the Panama Canal... The reflected brilliance of a Pacific sunset... Unsurpassed for nautical adventure, Tania's enthusaism for sailing and her unigue ability to put into words the sheer magnificence of this earth we often take forgranted...

Perhaps a little on the romantic side, but what other way is there to talk about the sea and all its mysteries. To this day, everytime I see a Contessa 26, I remember Tania's adventures. And, I see a little boat that could... Sure does make you think twice...if she can do it, then?

When you're bored and can't think of a single thing to do with your life, this woman really inspires you to get off your bum, stop watching tv and get a life

The book is interesting and fun to read. Her adventures real and inspiring. However... The thing that struck me about this book is that this girl had, as so many girls do, no interest at all in learning the skills needed to accomplish her goal. She knew for months that she would be making this trip, but made no effort at all to master navigation, diesel maintenance or repair, fiberglass work, basic seamanship, or sailing. She seems to dismiss those basic skills as being somehow beneath her. If she had put as much effort into understanding her boat as she put into understanding makeup, this would have been a much more interesting voyage.

Tania Aebi's book is a truly inspirational story. My wife and I read it simultaneously and we argued about whose turn was it all the time! Tania's story leaving NY at a very early age in a Contessa 26 for a two and a half years around the world trip without much sailing experience is amazing. Since I like sailing I enjoyed it as a sailing adventure but I was equally engaged with such personal inspirational story. We "traveled" with her and admired her courage every mile she did. If you don't sail, you will enjoy it too.
When we finished the book, both my wife and I, had the sad feeling that only a reader can understand..."I wish I wouldn't have finished it yet!"
We followed up looking for more books and end up finding what was of her life and learned that she'd been cruising with her two sons 22 years later to expose them to such amazing experience. She was the first woman who did a circumnavigation solo despite her record (for which she didn't care) was not granted because of a very small cross between two islands that she did with a friend. I am sure she is perceived as the first woman who solo circumnavigated and that's when you understand that the record was the less important part of her journey. You will love this book and if you are a sailor, you will start dreaming about doing it yourself.

I was really excited to start reading this book, but as soon as I started I knew it was not going to be what I thought. There are very many nautical terms that if you are not familiar with, may be confusing at times. The author switches from one setting to another very quickly. I can't say this book is the most disappointing book I have read in my life, but it certainly is amongst the top ten. If you are familiar with nautical wording, then this book would be fine for you. I was not so therefore, was expecting a different type of story.

Very happy with the book. Very well written and a delight to read about this interesting girl sailor. Service was excellent arrived on time and in the codition stated.

This book has never ceased to amaze me. Everytime I pick it up to read, I feel like I have put it down too soon. I only wish I could keep reading and finish this beautiful tale that includes a hint of romance, plenty of insight into dysfunctional relationships, pure miracles, and of course a healthy dose of adventure. This book is non-ficton but sure reads like an adventure novel. Tania's story is truly amazing and this book is now on my list of favorite books of all time.

this is a re-read for me. I bought this book to share with a friend. Loved it!

It is unbelievable that a young girl could sail around the world by herself, dealing with all the conditions. It was an amazing book and fun to read.

Tania Aebi's bravery and toughness cannot be questioned in this, her account of her 2 year voyage around the world. She really knew little to nothing about sailing other than what her father had shown her. Her father was a bit of an adrenelin junkie and a thrill seeker. He talked his daughter into doing something he wanted to do. She had many trials and tribulations with her tiny sail boat and her couple of passenger cats. Hearing about all of her latest lovers and thier enevitable breakups was a bit tiresome,but overall a good book.

I was given this book by some world cruisers as a gift. I was drawn into the story. Easy reading, I enjoyed a couple sections at a time imagining that I was taking the trip along with the author in her small boat. The description of some difficulties and hardships are honest and well described. I could almost the feel the frustrations of failed gear and unexpected experiences. In a few instances I was hoping for more details but not often. I'll share the book with my wife and daughter.

Not only is this a very unique story, it is filled with all the things novice sailors encounter. Tania is a hero.

This book was one of the best books I've read lately. I admire Tania and her courage to venture on her own, and I also admire her father for giving her the freedom to "fly from the nest" per say. As a parent, I know that I wouldn't have allowed my child to sail by herself around the world, but with his support and Tania's will and determination....she did it!!! Amazing!

I want to meet the author of this book. I felt like I was on the sail boat with her on all of her adventures. The story is one of adventure, risks, love, and self-awareness. An excellent story and very inspirational. A must have.

I loved this book! Tania did an excellent job relating her travels and adventures to the reader. Her successful circumnavigation (at such a young age) is an inspiration to follow your dreams. This book was a perfect blend of travel and adventure anecdotes mixed in with sailing problems and learning experiences. As someone landlocked during the winter I'm certain I will be rereading this book several times this winter.

This book makes you realize that anything you want to do is possible. If an 18 year old girl can sail around the world alone then people don't have any excuse not to follow there dreams to. I hope one day to it as well.

Great story of a personal triumph and travel essay all in one! I really enjoyed this book. Good balance of sailing detail without being too technical. Interesting personalities make you feel like you're there sailing with them.

I can't imagine how she stayed with this voyage til the end. I thought I was an adventurer having been a day sailer,an assistant commercial fisherman, a USO entertainer and a 3rd world nurse..but Tania--she's the queen!! Best book I ever read. Hat's off to you Lady.

I picked up this book gave it a quick glance & put it back down thinking no this isn't for me but my wife might enjoy it. I did read it & feel it is one of the best books I have ever read. My wife is next, I guess I better start saving for a sailboat!

Tania's unpretentious story is fun, inspirational, and nail-biting. It's nice to have an author open up the way Tania does about herself, her family, and relationships; strengths and fears.

I first read this book after receiving it as a gift for my 21st birthday in 1997, and I am in the middle of reading it again. Tania's adventure gives me the inspiration to travel and experience the world in its real form. When I read the book I get such an excited feeling within, and I feel as though I can do anything if I set mind to do it. Tania Aebi's book is a wonderful experience, and I'm very grateful that she wanted to share it with the rest of the world. Thank you, Tania!!!

Maiden Voyage is a fantastic read. Prepare for an adventurous voyage when you pick this one up. It whetted my apetite for adventure travel. This is definitely one of the best books I have ever read and I often give it as a gift to fellow adventurous spirits. Read it!

I have read this book twice now & can only say I fall in love with Tania & all her friends each time I read it.If only we could all enter adult hood this way.

If you're an adventurer, an aspiring adventurer, or even an armchair adventurer, this book is for you! One of the best-written personal accounts of a personal journey that I've ever read. It's been at least 8 years since I first picked up the book and I haven't forgotten how it struck my soul. Caution: if you don't want to be tempted to sail around the world, don't read it!

Tania takes you with her on her exciting voyage. Tania's detailed account of her adventure will bring out the explorer within you. She is a remarkable young woman that will inspire you. Take this book to the beach this summer and marvel at the ocean's power and romance.

When you first start reading, you think her father must be mad, sending a tender young lass (who could hardly sail) alone around the world. But obviously it was an inspired decision, as the trip was the making of her. You follow her progress around the world and around herself as she matures and comes to terms with the ghosts of her past. Its the kind of book you want to lend to friends (as I did), but make sure you get back (as I didn't). A great read.

This is a great travel book, as well as a must-read for sailors. After reading it, I had an intense desire to buy a boat and head off into the open seas. It took me weeks to get my thoughts back onto dry land

At the age of 18, Tania Aebi's troubled background had left her estranged from her family, with few plans for the future outside of a vague ambition to be a writer. Then, her father offered to give her a sailboat -- if she would agree to leave her friends behind and sail around the world alone. This book tells the story of her 2 1/2 year voyage, a trip as dramatic and touching as any I have read. Along the way, Tania sails through terrifying storms, barely survives a collision with a freighter, and comes to terms with her family and her past. Through it all she brings an honesty and a fresh eye for the world's beauty that will make you want to jump aboard and sail away yourself. Very few books have touched my emotions like this story of the youngest American woman to circle the globe