{"product_id":"triumph-and-tribulation","title":"Triumph and Tribulation","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003e'Experience is said to be the name men give to their mistakes and of the experience I gained in Spitsbergen that may well be true.'\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe circumnavigation of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eSpitsbergen\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is the first of three voyages described in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eH.W. 'Bill' Tilman\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e's fifteenth and final book, a remarkable example of Tilman's ability to triumph when supported by a crew game for all challenges. The 1974 voyage of the pilot cutter \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eBaroque\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e takes Tilman to his furthest north—the highest latitude of any of his travels in the northern or southern hemisphere. The account of this achievement makes compelling reading, the crew pulling together to avert potential disaster from a navigational misjudgement.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA younger, less experienced crew join Tilman in 1975, this time heading north along \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eGreenland\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e's west coast until a break in the boom necessitates the abandonment of the objective and an early return. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003e'That one can never be quite confident of reaching any of the places I aim at may be part of their charm, and failure is at least an excuse for making another voyage.'\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe following year proves to be Tilman's last voyage in his own boat, his account beginning with a dry nod to his artillery background: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003e'As I begin to describe this voyage, the discrepancy between the target and the fall of shot provokes a wry smile.'\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTilman never expected crews to pay, covering all the costs of his voyages personally. He therefore held the quite reasonable view that his crew would pull their weight, show loyalty to the ship and take the rough with the smooth. Sadly, the crew in 1976 fell far short of that expectation, forcing several changes of plan and eventually obliging Tilman to leave \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eBaroque\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e in Iceland. Not for the first time in Tilman's remarkable 140,000 miles of voyaging is he moved to quote Conrad: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003e'Ships are all right, it's the men in them.'\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTilman set a high standard and led by example; where his companions rose to the challenge, as they did in the majority of his expeditions, the results were often remarkable. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eTriumph and Tribulation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e closes this newly extended edition of his literary legacy, a fine testament to a remarkable life\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Seconds \u0026 Sales","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57321759572346,"sku":null,"price":5.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0596\/0803\/9633\/files\/TriumphandTribulation.jpg?v=1790680439","url":"https:\/\/secondsandsales.com\/products\/triumph-and-tribulation","provider":"Seconds \u0026 Sales","version":"1.0","type":"link"}