By offering a primer on Eric Tabarly, Pierre-François Bonneau retraces the entire career of the sailor, from his first steps at sea at the age of 3 to his death in June 1998. Each word (there are about a hundred of them) classified in alphabetical order gives a small glimpse of the character, a window into his personality.
From A as a naval aviator where he started his career in the Navy to Y as a Yacht-Club de France for which he is a member, this book tells us about the different Pen Duick and the crew members who came on board. Inventions, destinations, character traits, this book tells us a lot about the character.
The simple word access offers a reading by "pick-up". You can read everything or pick what interests you. The character's lover won't discover a big scoop, but in the end, the plunge into this sailor's life through his victories and his crew remind us of the life of the man who marked sailing forever.
This book is embellished with photos, some of which are double-page spread. They are from the personal collections of the team members and most of them have the interest of not having been published yet. On the other hand, the publisher will be reproached for not having used a better quality paper. The photo print on this mat paper does not give the expected result. The same goes for the soft cover, which does not give the book a good hold.
Too bad for a book that's coming out on the 20th e anniversary of the sailor's disappearance and could have found its place at the head of a good nautical library.
- Éditions Voiles Gallimard
- 15.5 x 22.5 cm
- 224 pages
- 25 euros
