Sea, Ice and Rock

When leading mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington was researching Quest for Adventure, his study of post-war adventure, he contacted Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail single-handed and non-stop around the world, for an interview. This simple request turned into an exchange of skills, which then grew into a joint expedition to Greenland’s unexplored Lemon Mountains. Sea, Ice and Rock is the story of this epic journey. With both Bonington and Knox-Johnston having little experience in the other’s craft, their expedition was not without difficulty. But through one another’s support, the two men and their team sailed from Britain to Greenland, going on to twice attempt the Lemon Mountain’s forbidding highest peak, the Cathedral. Though their attempts ended in a dramatic descent, this could not dampen the unfailing optimism with which the two approached their task. They recount their experiences not only with appreciation for the awe-inspiring nature that surrounded them, but also for one another. Layers of alternate narration between Boningtonand Knox-Johnston make this a truly collaborative memoir. In the same way they exchanged skills on their expedition, the two authors rely on one another’s recollections to fill the gaps in their own. Full of ambition and perseverance, anyone wondering why Bonington and Knox-Johnston are masters in their fields need only read Sea, Ice and Rock.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston is a sailing legend. Since the beginning of his sailing career in the Merchant Navy in the 1950s, he has gone on to break multiple records and international recognition. In 1969, he became the first person to sail single-handedly and non-stop around the world, the only competitor out of nine to complete the Times Golden Globe Race. He then went on to win the two-handed Round Britain race in both 1970 and 1974, with Leslie Williams and Gerry Boxall respectively, and also completed his second solo circumnavigation of the globe in 2007, at the age of sixty-eight. He has established the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, and is the author of seven books. As well as being inducted into the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Hall of Fame, he has been named Yachtsman of the Year by the Royal Yachting Association four times, and in 1995 was awarded a knighthood for his sailing achievements.

Born in 1934, Chris Bonington – mountaineer, writer, photographer and lecturer – started climbing at the age of sixteen in 1951. It has been his passion ever since. He made the first British ascent of the north face of the Eiger and led the expedition that made the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna, the biggest and most difficult climb in the Himalaya at the time. He went on to lead the expedition that made the first ascent of the south-west face of Everest in 1975, when Doug Scott and Dougal Haston became the first Britons to summit, and he reached the summit of Everest himself in 1985 with a Norwegian expedition. He has written seventeen books, fronted numerous television programmes and has lectured to the public and corporate audiences all over the world. He received a knighthood in 1996 for services to mountaineering, was president of the Council for National Parks for eight years, and is the non-executive chairman of Berghaus and a chancellor of Lancaster University.

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