Tim Severin decides to recreate the medieval voyage of St. Brendan. His premise is that the monk followed the example of other Irish explorers who sailed in leather boats all over the North Atlantic Ocean and presumably could have discovered America before Leif Erikson or Christopher Columbus. To prove that this was possible Severin uses the Navigatio account of St. Brendan's travels to design and create a medieval boat. Then with a very brave and supportive crew they sail it from Ireland to Newfoundland. On the way Severin makes observations about how certain landmarks could have been protrayed in the exaggerated descriptions used in the Navigatio.

People who like history or sea stories or both.

Severin creates an excellent balance between history and adventure. His chapters often describe a leg of his own journey as well as how it marries up with the history of Irish exploration and what the Navigatio recorded. Severin's own awe at the project is very endearing. The cast of characters that come in to either help build or help sail the boat are described in such detail that they come to life.

If I read this book before I went to bed, I had dreams of my boat drifting in the icy cold North Atlantic. LOL I also wish my copy included more pictures since they had taken cameras along on the voyage. I would have loved to see some of the sites they described like the whales and the icebergs.

Read more about St. Brendan and particularly the Irish history of exploration which I knew nothing about.

His enthusiasm for his project is infectious.

Between the excitement of the voyage and the substance in the history, this book will appeal to many different folks. Plus it's a pretty quick read. I really enjoyed it.

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Created Jun 15, 2007 at 7:34pm • Submit your own review...