Transoceanic rowing is an extreme endurance sport as dangerous and demanding as climbing Mount Everest. Athletes spend months in tiny boats on the open water, battling currents and storms with sheer physical fortitude. In pairs, teams or alone, rowers test themselves against the power of the world's largest bodies of water and the strength of one another in racing competitions. London-based financial worker Adam Rackley partook in one such race across the Atlantic in 2010. Salt, Sweat, Tears, his first book, chronicles his transformative experience at sea and the fascinating history of ocean rowing.
The first transatlantic rowers were an unlikely duo with little chance of success. In 1896, two Norwegian fishermen set out from New York in a wooden fishing boat, seeking fame and fortune by making a human-powered voyage across the north Atlantic. Despite capsizing in a hurricane, they persevered for 55 days across 2,500 miles, landing on the Isles of Scilly southwest of Great Britain. Their feat remained unmatched for many decades (and their record time unbeaten for 114 years), until a wave of adventurers in the 1960s established the modern sport of ocean rowing. These early competitors were colorful characters, such as a freewheeling smuggler/shark hunter and a stern British paratrooper.
Rackley alternates between this historical narrative and his personal journey. His own ordeal is equal parts adventure and introspection, charting a satisfying arc of preparation, execution and spiritual growth through adversity. The monotony of months at sea is peppered with struggles both physical and philosophical, giving Rackley's already thrilling journey surprising depth. Salt, Sweat, Tears should find broad appeal among nonfiction readers. --Tobias Mutter, freelance reviewer