Rowe N. Around the Big Blue Marble: the BOC Challenge 1994-95 Single-Handed Race Around the World

London: Aurum Press, 1995. — 222 p. — ISBN: 1-85410-354-7.Twelve Years alter launehiiw llie lirsl BOC Challenge — a gruelling 27,000-mile single-handed round-the-world yacht race which is the ultimate test lor sailors Nigel Rowe set sail from Charleston, South Carolina, aboard his boat Sky Catcher on the first leg of the 1994-95 race. The man who, as head of corporate relations tor the multi-national BOC Group, had staged the first three Challenge races (held every four years) could no longer resist the urge to compete in this most challenging of events himself.
The dramatic story of the race, which spans five oceans and eight months — for those that finish, that is — is told from the perspective of someone taking part. More than that, as one of the originators of The BOC Challenge and the person who has masterminded it ever since, Nigel Rowe has a unique insight into the event.
His gripping narrative charts not only his own progress across the high seas, but the fortunes ot his fellow competitors as they too battle against storm-force winds, icebergs and the lurking perils of floating debris. We share his frustrations and fears, his often humorous reflections, and the fascinating routine of life aboard Sky Catcher. There is a vivid account of the frenetic activity at Charleston before the start of the race, and at the three stopover ports — Cape Town, Sydney, and Bunta del Este in Uruguay as the boats and their exhausted skippers come in for a breather.
In the earlier chajiters of the book, the author entertainingly describes his development from novice sailor to world-class yachtsman, and outlines his preparations for The BOC Challenge which included winning his Class in the 3500-mile transatlantic curtain-raiser to the big event. Rarely, it seems, was any of it plain sailing.
Around the Blue Marble is not just a book for sailing enthusiasts. It is a classic tale of derring-do of courage, tenacity and skill against unbelievable odds. A great adventure story.