In Pursuit of the Sun is the detailed account of the extraordinary journey undertaken by Alain Gerbault, the famous French sailor and pioneer of solo sailing. In this book, he recounts the continuation of his adventure after his victory in crossing the Atlantic: he leaves New York aboard his sailboat Firecrest, refurbished for an even more ambitious journey.
Gerbault describes in detail his long solo voyages across the oceans, particularly his crossing of the Pacific, marked by storms, dead calms, constant risks, and moments of grace when the sea became his only companion. He recounts his stopovers on the Pacific islands, his encounters with the Polynesian inhabitants, his discovery of new cultures, and the profound fascination that island life held for him.
The narrative is punctuated with personal reflections: the quest for freedom, his relationship with nature, his taste for challenge, and his desire to escape the modern world. Gerbault reveals his philosophy as a solo sailor, seeking to capture the beauty of the journey rather than performance.
Part logbook, part historical account, and part human adventure, À la poursuite du soleil is a major work of maritime literature, showing how one man pursued his dream of sailing around the world, guided solely by his passion for the sea and his desire for harmony with the elements.