On a cold, blustery, late November day in 1920 a little black 45-foot yacht beat her way slowly through the Narrows against an ebbing tide and a raw nor'wester and tied up at St. George, Staten Island. To the casual observer there was nothing unusual about the event, except possibly the lateness of the season, but to the practiced eye there were signs that spelled something more than a post-season run to the fishing banks. Her storm trisail, her tattered ensign, her decks and rail scoured white, the life lines strung between her shrouds - all were marks that told of a battle with strong winds and heavy seas. She was the Typhoon, thirty-two days from the Azores, and in her short career since her launching in July, she had completed a cruise of seven thousand-odd miles that had taken her twice across the North Atlantic. This is the story of the Typhoon, from the time of her conception by William Nutting, editor of Motor Boat magazine, and his friend, the legendary naval architect William Atkin, to the finish of her cruise a year later - a journey to prove that it was possible to cross a large ocean in what was considered at the time a very small vessel. First published in 1921, The Track of the Typhoon is a classic tale of sailing across the Atlantic and back again for the fun of the thing: for the sport of picking one's way across great stretches of water by sextant and pitting one's wits against the raw, honest forces of nature. It is a story that further cements what Slocum, Voss, Blackburn, and Day knew-that the size of a boat has little to do with its seaworthiness. Most of all, Typhoon will inspire a confidence in the possibilities of the small yacht and instill in readers a desire to explore the sea in their own small craft.
William Washburn Nutting (1884-1924) was an American sailor and author. He co-founded the Cruising Club of America in 1922 and was editor of Motor Boat magazine. He was lost at sea in the Atlantic in 1924. Tim Murphy is editor-at-large of Cruising World and author of Adventurous Use of the Sea,which tells the full story of William Washburn Nutting and sixteen other influential cruisers and yacht designers from the past century. Murphy develops marine-trades curricula for the American Boat and Yacht Council.
"Nutting's adventurous spirit is captivating. His lively prose, filled with delightful humor, flows across the pages like a fresh sea breeze. . . . a classic to be read and reread." "With a dry wit and deadpan understatement, William Nutting's classic tale, The Track of the Typhoon, takes the reader on an unforgettable transatlantic voyage in a 45-foot gaff ketch designed by Nutting and his friends. The skipper and his crew brave storms, knockdowns, and food supplies that dwindle dangerously--though the stock of cognac never seems to run low. For Nutting, a man who famously prioritized madcap maritime fun over safety, it was all just a splendid jaunt across the ocean--one that many of us would love to have made--in spite of multiple near-death experiences."
