Description

One boat. One sailor. Zero help.

The Vendée Globe is the most dangerous solo race on Earth.

No stops. No assistance. No second chances.

Every four years, a small group of sailors leave France and attempt the impossible: a 24,000-mile nonstop circumnavigation of the planet through the most violent waters on Earth—the Southern Ocean, the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Horn, and beyond.

Half the fleet won't finish.

In The Last Horizon, Julien Peltier delivers the definitive narrative history of the race that sailors call "the Everest of the Seas"—a brutal test of endurance that pushes beyond mountaineering, spaceflight, or ultramarathons.

Inside you'll discover:

• The radical 1980s idea that reshaped modern ocean racing

• The legends who risked everything chasing immortality

• The shipwrecks, dismastings, and disappearances that haunt the Southern Ocean

• The high-tech revolution of foiling IMOCA 60 yachts flying above the waves

• The astonishing 2020 rescue that stunned the world

• And the psychological reality of 80 days completely alone at sea

Blending edge-of-your-seat survival stories with cutting-edge marine engineering, neuroscience, and climate science, The Last Horizon is both a thriller and a meditation on why humans still seek the edges of the map.

For readers of The Perfect Storm, Endurance, Into Thin Air, and anyone obsessed with true adventure, extreme sports, exploration, and human resilience.

If you've ever wondered what drives someone to sail into the most dangerous ocean on Earth—alone—this book is your answer.