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Independent Playak Review: Alone At Sea - a story of Dr. Hannes Lindemann's two solo crossings of the Atlantic Ocean.

About the Author

Hannes Lindemann was born on 28 December 1922, in Germany. As a struggling medical student he worked in England harvesting crops, then in Spain as a photographer and journalist and later in Morocco as a laboratory assistant. Lindemann even donated blood to get extra cash to fuel his trips while working night jobs. When he landed a job as a plantation doctor in Liberia, he began construction of his dugout canoe, the same one which would take him across the entire Atlantic Ocean. His inquisitive and courageous nature led him to many adventures during which time he experimented on himself in the most extreme of conditions. He has written several other books on popular medicine and lives together with his wife in Bonn, Germany.

Content

In October 1955, Hannes Lindemann set out in a dugout canoe and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from the Canary Islands to Jacmel, Haiti, alone and unassisted. He landed in January 1956. This remarkable achievement was done in a wooden canoe carved out of the trunk of mahogany, two and a half feet wide, and twenty five feet long. Even in today’s modern times this would still be regarded as something rather extraordinary.

As a medical doctor, Lindemann was very interested in conducting experiments on himself. One of these was to test the concept that drinking sea water was a good idea during survival at sea. Needless to say it isn’t a good idea! The story unfolds in a totally honest and frank manner and the reader gets a good idea of what he went through during these times.

Exactly a year later he ventured out on yet another Atlantic crossing. This time in a seventeen foot folding Klepper kayak, drinking mostly beer and evaporated milk! 76 days later he arrived, still able to walk unassisted. This second journey seemed even more harrowing than the first and if it wasn’t being thrown around in monstrous seas then it was being becalmed, or encounters with sharks, whales and the battles inside his own mind. A truly awesome story, and which was luckily written finally in 1993; many years after completing these impressive feats.

Conclusion

Dr. Lindemann’s solo crossings of the Atlantic will forever be remembered in maritime history. By reading his book you’ll get a deeper look into the physical and mental battles that were fought within him during those times. It makes for inspirational reading and an absolute must read for anyone with a sense of adventure. Even those without will find themselves turning the pages with pleasure.

The Physical Book

The book itself comes in a thick, hardcover format and is A5 in size, maybe a fraction narrower. There are almost 200 pages. The print is a decent size and this makes for easy reading. There are black and white, as well as colour photographs. The quality of these photos is not very high, but this would be expected given the time at which they were taken. They convey the necessary message clearly and that is what counts.

Where to buy

kanubuch.info

For Playak,
Adrian Tregoning