The Old Man and the Sea

Le voyage d'Anthony Smith, octogénaire, a été initialement inspiré à la fois par l'expédition Kontiki de Thor Heyerdahl (qu'il connaissait) et par l'incroyable histoire des survivants d'un désastre maritime de 1940, qui ont passé 70 jours à la dérive dans l'Atlantique, atteignant finalement la terre émaciés et proches de la mort.
While this might sound like a voyage no-one would wish to emulate, to octogenarian Anthony Smith it sounded like an adventure, and he placed a typically straightforward advertisement in the Telegraph that read “Fancy rafting across the Atlantic? Famous traveller requires 3 crew. Must be OAP. Serious adventurers only.”
In his inimitable style, Smith details their voyage and the hardships they endured with a matter-of-fact air that makes his story seem all the more impressive. His advanced age allows him a wider perspective not only on the journey but on life itself, and his never-say-die attitude to the difficulty of the journey is inspirational.
‘Old men ought to be explorers’ said T.S. Eliot, and this book certainly gives a compelling argument in his favour. It is both a great story (a huge storm on the final night of the voyage almost wrecked them on a reef) and a call to action for the older generation – do not go quietly, says Anthony Smith, but seek out adventure as long as you are able.