Tristan Jones
Encyclopedia
Tristan Jones was an author and mariner who wrote numerous books and articles, many in the first person, about sailing. His stories tended to be a combination of both fact and fiction in the tradition of Welsh story tellers and it has often been difficult to tell these apart.
. He was the illegitimate son of a working-class girl, and was brought up mainly in orphanages, with little real education. He joined the Royal Navy
in 1946, after the end of World War II
, and served for 14 years.
Then he bought a sailboat, tried whiskey smuggling, and scraped a living sailing the Mediterranean Sea
.
According to Anthony Dalton's account, "Then came a midlife sea change. Arthur Jones looked into his future, imagined greatness, and began to claw his way to it. Having taught himself to sail, he taught himself to write. He was a natural at both. As Tristan Jones, in his mid-forties, he sailed out of Brazil
's Mato Grosso
and into a Greenwich Village
apartment to write six books in three years and reinvent his past."
His imagined past included being born on his father's tramp freighter off Tristan da Cunha
in 1924, leaving school at 14 to work on sailing barges, and wartime service in the Royal Navy as a boy seaman.
His books recount numerous feats. The most famous is recounted in The Incredible Voyage: how he took a sailboat to the Dead Sea
, the lowest open water on earth, and then sailed and trucked a sailboat to Lake Titicaca
, the world's highest lake, thus establishing "the altitude record for sailing". He then hauled his sailboat across Bolivia
to the Paraguay River
, and sailed down through the Mato Grosso to Paraguay
and Argentina
. He was not allowed to launch his sailboat in the Dead Sea, though he did make a brief sailing voyage in a boat belonging to an Israel
i naval officer; and while en route to Lake Titicaca, he sold the sailboat he had taken to Israel, and bought another.
This account was his first book.
His left leg was amputated in 1982, as a result of health problems and accidents. Despite this, he resumed sailing, in an effort to inspire other people with disabilities. He sailed the trimaran
Outward Leg from San Diego to London
by way of Colombia
, Panama
, and New York
; the story of this voyage was told in his book Outward Leg. He then continued across central Europe by river and canal, and around south Asia
to Thailand
; this story became his next book, The Improbable Voyage.
He lost his right leg in 1991, and with that his incredible spirit began to die too, although he returned briefly to sea.
A few years after his voyage from San Diego to Thailand, Jones visited New York, and spoke about his travels at the New York Open Center. This talk was recorded, and has been released as a videotape and DVD, titled Tristan Jones: the Psychology of Adventure. Later, the producers of The Psychology of Adventure sat down with Jones at a pub in Greenwich Village for a videotaped interview, which became The Incredible Tristan Jones.
Life
Tristan Jones, whose real name was Arthur Jones, was born in 1929 in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. He was the illegitimate son of a working-class girl, and was brought up mainly in orphanages, with little real education. He joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1946, after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and served for 14 years.
Then he bought a sailboat, tried whiskey smuggling, and scraped a living sailing the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
.
According to Anthony Dalton's account, "Then came a midlife sea change. Arthur Jones looked into his future, imagined greatness, and began to claw his way to it. Having taught himself to sail, he taught himself to write. He was a natural at both. As Tristan Jones, in his mid-forties, he sailed out of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
's Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest...
and into a Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
apartment to write six books in three years and reinvent his past."
His imagined past included being born on his father's tramp freighter off Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying from the nearest land, South Africa, and from South America...
in 1924, leaving school at 14 to work on sailing barges, and wartime service in the Royal Navy as a boy seaman.
His books recount numerous feats. The most famous is recounted in The Incredible Voyage: how he took a sailboat to the Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
, the lowest open water on earth, and then sailed and trucked a sailboat to Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It sits 3,811 m above sea level, making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world...
, the world's highest lake, thus establishing "the altitude record for sailing". He then hauled his sailboat across Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
to the Paraguay River
Paraguay River
The Paraguay River is a major river in south central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina...
, and sailed down through the Mato Grosso to Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. He was not allowed to launch his sailboat in the Dead Sea, though he did make a brief sailing voyage in a boat belonging to an Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i naval officer; and while en route to Lake Titicaca, he sold the sailboat he had taken to Israel, and bought another.
This account was his first book.
His left leg was amputated in 1982, as a result of health problems and accidents. Despite this, he resumed sailing, in an effort to inspire other people with disabilities. He sailed the trimaran
Trimaran
A trimaran is a multihulled boat consisting of a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls , attached to the main hull with lateral struts...
Outward Leg from San Diego to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by way of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
; the story of this voyage was told in his book Outward Leg. He then continued across central Europe by river and canal, and around south Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
; this story became his next book, The Improbable Voyage.
He lost his right leg in 1991, and with that his incredible spirit began to die too, although he returned briefly to sea.
Films about Tristan Jones
- Tristan Jones: the Psychology of Adventure (1990)
- The Incredible Tristan Jones (1990)
A few years after his voyage from San Diego to Thailand, Jones visited New York, and spoke about his travels at the New York Open Center. This talk was recorded, and has been released as a videotape and DVD, titled Tristan Jones: the Psychology of Adventure. Later, the producers of The Psychology of Adventure sat down with Jones at a pub in Greenwich Village for a videotaped interview, which became The Incredible Tristan Jones.
Books by Tristan Jones
- The Incredible VoyageThe Incredible VoyageThe Incredible Voyage is Tristan Jones' account of his record breaking voyage from the lowest body of water on earth to the highest . Considered Jones' best book, it spans several years. Jones' voyage happened using two different boats: first was the "Barbara" and the second was the "Sea Dart"...
(1977) - Ice! (1978)
- Saga of a Wayward Sailor (1979)
- Dutch Treat (1979)
- Adrift (1980)
- Aka (1981)
- A Steady Trade: a Boyhood at Sea (1982)
- One Hand for Yourself One for the Ship: The Essentials of Single Handed Sailing (1982)
- Yarns (1983)
- Heart of Oak (1984)
- Outward Leg (1985)
- The Improbable Voyage (1986)
- Somewheres East of Suez (1988)
- Seagulls in my Soup (1991)
- To Venture Further (1991)
- Encounters of a Wayward Sailor (1995)