The sixth-century voyage of St Brendan from Ireland to America, is one of the most fascinating of all sea legends. Could the myth of the Irish monk and his crew sailing the Atlantic in a boat made of leather, nearly a thousand years before Columbus, have been reality? In 1976, Tim Severin and a crew of four men, set out to recreate the Brendan legend. Using the exact same methods in constructing their sailing vessel, they set out on their hazardous voyage, making it one of the most inspiring expeditions in the history of exploration.

In an extraordinary attempt to recreate St Brendan's journey to America, Tim Severin and his crew embarked on an epic voyage across the vast North Atlantic. Brilliantly written, this is their story.

The route they chose was the 'Stepping Stone' route (Hebrides, Faroes, Iceland and along the coast of Greenland). It is also a story of historical and archaeological interest which proves that it could be possible for the mediaeval account of the legendary voyage of the Irish monk, St. Brendan, to have been a fairly factural record of a voyage to North America centuries before the Vikings.

"In the end," writes Tori McClure, "I know I rowed across the Atlantic to find my heart, but in the beginning, I wasn't aware that it was missing." During June 1998, Tori McClure set out to row across the Atlantic Ocean by herself in a twenty-three-foot plywood boat with no motor or sail. Within days she lost all communication with shore, but nevertheless she decided to keep going. Not only did she lose the sound of a friendly voice, she lost updates on the location of the Gulf Stream and on the weather. Unfortunately for Tori, 1998 is still on record as the worst hurricane season in the North Atlantic. In deep solitude and perilous conditions, she was nonetheless determined to prove what one person with a mission can do. When she was finally brought to her knees by a series of violent storms that nearly killed her, she had to signal for help and go home in what felt like complete disgrace. Back in Kentucky, however, Tori's life began to change in unexpected ways. She fell in love. At the age of thirty-five, she embarked on a serious relationship for the first time, making her feel even more vulnerable than sitting alone in a tiny boat in the middle of the Atlantic. She went to work for Muhammad Ali, who told her that she did not want to be known as the woman who "almost" rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. And she knew that he was right. In this thrilling story of high adventure and romantic quest, Tori McClure discovers through her favorite way—the hard way—that the most important thing in life is not to prove you are superhuman but to fully to embrace your own humanity. With a wry sense of humor and a strong voice, she gives us a true memoir of an explorer who maps her world with rare emotional honesty.

Recounts the harrowing voyage of Timothy Severin and his crew from Dingle, Ireland across the North Atlantic in a thirty-six-foot leather boat to prove that a sixth-century Irish monk, St. Brendan, could have reached North America as legend claims

Using the great explorer's journals as a guide, Severin retraces his route from Venice to the Kindu Kush on motorcycle.