It’s amazing how he was still clear minded enough to calculate all of those false coordinates while steadily losing his sanity. An engineer to the end.
I agree! He was extremely smart! I honestly believe if his yacht had been built correctly and had been ready on time he would have gotten close to winning this race! Also I haven't seen anyone mention this but it disgusts me that the first thing the guy who found the boat did was sell the logbooks to the newspaper. Disgusting repulsive he's a terrible person. The government was going to keep this quiet to spare his family and to let his legacy be a good one. Whoever that guy is who sold those needs to be named honestly he's a monster.
@@WhitneyDahlin For real, what an absolute POS. Imagine unearthing some ugly secret about a dead person that would do nothing but upset their loved ones and tarnish their memory, and being like “Hello? Newspaper? How much will you give me for this?”
@@WhitneyDahlin And he'd sold the logs while agreeing with others that they should be kept private! However, he wasn't the guy who found the boat, he was the press agent who pushed the "small-town hero" image. Which explains his two-facedness.
I felt such a tremendous empathy for him while watching this. We've all had situations where we got in over our heads and didn't know how to get back out of it - but rarely with stakes so high. What a very human, very sad, story.
what will i do if i was in his place ? i think i ll continue the race and play my chances with the jury maybe it will slip (that's more human).. i'll play the chance even if its very small maybe the game had a disgraceful happy ending for me .. the sea madness made him too righteous and self-judging maybe it will made me more deceitful
This story is indeed tragic however it is tough to feel bad for Donald when ultimately, it was his decision to gamble the financial welfare of himself and his family on a hopeless endeavor. This video mentions repeatedly how "intelligent" Donald is, yet choosing to sail around the world alone and with no professional sailing experience is the most naïve thing I have ever heard of.
I find it equally poetic and tragic that what brought Crowhurst beyond the brink of sanity was, in a sense, the same reason Mattisier decided to go back into sea... The fake expectations of an uncaring world, one that Crowhurst just wanted to appease and that Mattisier desperately longed to escape.
Bernard Moitissier actually wrote a book about his journey called "The Long Way" and goes into detail on why he kept going. It's an amazing read, and serves as basically the complete opposite perspective on Crowhurst's tragic failure. I highly recommend it. There's also a full length documentary on Crowhurst's journey called "Deep Water" that is also excellent. if you are remotely interested in this story, both are absolutely worth checking out.
Possibly the saddest part of this entire story to me is that the sailor whose boat sunk, Nigel Tetley, had completed his circumnavigation and only needed to sail about 5,000 nautical miles back into port to claim the prize money for fastest voyage. His ship, the _Victress,_ was in pretty bad shape, but Tetley could have taken it easy and coasted along to win. He believed that Crowhurst was right behind him though because of the false navigation data he was providing, so Tetley pushed his ship as hard as he could and that's why it sunk. Had Crowhurst not unintentionally tricked Tetley into thinking that he needed to sail as hard as he could to win the race, Tetley could have comfortably rode his ailing ship back to port and won.
Mind games and bluffing are everywhere in competition… that’s what makes competition great amongst men. Teltley could have chosen to coast along as fast as his boat could safely make, but chose to go for the glory, and failed also.
Crowhurst's final days are part Lovecraftian horror, part Greek tragedy. His philosophical entries are so haunting- a slow, gutwrenching descent into insanty. Your storytelling does Crowhurst's tale justice. I hope you will continue to relay other historical accounts such as this.
What’s worse is that the last of his writings seemed to be asking for forgiveness, “there is no need for hurtful”, or at the very least he was asking for no harsh responses from the media, his family, etc
@@jankygruntalso the lines before that where he's basically asking the cosmic beings he believed he was competing against to let him out of the game, or finish the game. Then, asking them to essentially make the rules more clear next time. Finally relenting to the cruelty of his existence and begging for someone or something to give an explanation, some kind of meaning to the absurdity and cruelty of it all. Like a final prayer spoken before death. Hoping that God will finally answer you. But his voice echoes into darkness as always. Past the cosmic chess metaphor and mad ramblings that's what I gathered out of it at least.
@@BallBatteryReligionThis! I completely agree. It also broke my heart how he seemed to believe the only way for the game to end was through death. "it is the mercy" So sad to me that in addition to all the agony you mentioned he also believed the only Mercy for him was death, and that was the only way for him to escape the game. Truly a heartbreaking story.
This is an excellent telling of this story. I have heard about it before, but never with such empathy for this man. Your narration and artwork is fantastic, I am thrilled to have found this channel. It deserves more recognition. By the way. Robin Knox-Johnston was the only participant to complete the race and was awarded the golden globe prize. He donated the prize sum of £5000 to Crowhurst's family.
Not a sad story at all he was a total loser from start to finish 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄..... Ok I feel a little sorry for him of course, but right from the get-go you could see that his was a completely moronic undertaking.....
The art is horrible. I was able to listen to his podcast, he is an excellent narrator, but the art is so incredibly bad I can't watch the video. It's like staring a pile of shit swirling in a toilet bowl, but at least the toilet removes the crap quickly, this video strives to keep it around for as long as possible.
Hearing him being faced with mortality and the idea of being forgotten after he died, indirectly asking his wife to stop him, but her (without malice of course) asking him the question that haunted him internally and it breaking him... killed me. Poor man.
I know financial ruin, and national embarrassment were a thing, but I'd ask my wife to leave the country with me or just start over. It wasn't worth dying for.
@@joegrstagreed but that would have ripped him apart to have made his life even worse than when it was monotonous is quite the opposite effect he was going for
Here's the thing. Never attempt suicide. YOU JUST DONT KNOW. I am a smart guy and I "knew" beyond doubt that with my (avg) looks and (woeful) social skills that I would be lonely and depressed my whole life, so attempted suicide at 19. And 30, Intensive care both times. At 31, completely unforeseen, fell in love, started marriage, business, family, am now rich w/ amazing wife & kids,,,...doesn't matter what this guy thought he couldn't live thru. News cycle is over in a week. Life goes on. He was an idiot. The only thing I know about life is, you don't know.
It’s so heartbreaking that his wife was just trying to be supportive and give him confidence in his time of need and it led him to believe that he was obligated to finish the job. If he was able to contact his wife in that final stretch of the journey I’m sure he would’ve made it home. Just a small reminder of her supportiveness would have convinced him to wade through the shame of his failure
Both Tetley and Crowhurst were using self built catamarans. Tetley saw the the race as a battle between himself and Crowhurst as to who had built the better boat. It was Crowhurst's false positions that that made Tetley push his own boat so hard that it ultimately broke up. If he'd just carried on as normal he could have beaten Knox-Johnston and won the race, which he later realised when Crowhurst's deceptions became public. He never really recovered from this and eventually committed suicide a few years later so Crowhurst was ultimately responsible for Tetley's death as well as his own. Very tragic.
Tetley and Crowhurst were sailing trimarans, not catamarans. Crowhurst's boat was professionally built, but not properly commissioned and tested. I believe Tetley's boat was professionally built as well.
@petermiller114 they were both based off the same Hull plans but had different uppers, Tetley had been living on board his for a while prior to the race and was rather comfortable, Crowhursts "Teignmouth Electron" was very basic with only a small "doghouse" for him to live in.
This reads very poetically but isn’t right. Crowhurst had nothing to do with Tetley’s death. Tetley didn’t die from a classic suicide, his body was found hanged on a tree dressed in lingerie, with his hands behind his back. It was sexual asphyxiation
@@surty8406im sorry what? How many people do you know that have killed themselves by hanging with their hands tied behind their back that thats a believable enough excuse to you
I’ve never seen a video essay on horrible end and situations with such stunning artwork. Every single shot inhabits the art style of that era while reflecting with an artist lens of the 21st century. It’s giving Picasso.
@@BPFACTS88 well, that's quite an assumption, but I see where you're coming from. Maybe she wasn't the brightest bulb, but in this video it's presented that she was supportive of her husband's wish to do something great.
@@BPFACTS88 On the one hand, I think you’re right. On the other, he had wagered everything the family had on his foolhardy quest. He didn’t need to win, but he had to compete. He had to at least set sail.
That is one of the saddest stories I've heard in a long time. If only he could have realized that turning around immediately because the boat was essentially unfinished would have been the best way to save face, but I think he wouldn't have gotten himself into the situation if he could think that way.
Yes reading about the struggles he endured in trying to prepare his boat properly included some people letting him down or even lying to him about what was accomplished. The boat was not in great shape for such a trip.
Sunk cost is a powerful driver, unfortunately. I think it's easier from the outside and in hindsight to see things clearer. Throughout the story I kept hoping he would just turn back and get to his family safely, and don't give a damn about the financial troubles or the public's opinion. But that's easy to say from the comfort of my living room.
He could probably even argue the boat wasn't fit for purpose, ergo the agreement with Best would be voided due to the boat being defective. Maybe a bit of a long shot, but it's a better chance than anything he actually did
Tetley's life after the race was also tragic. He tried going around the world again but couldn't find sponsors and his book sold poorly. He was founded dead hanging from a tree a few years after the race.
@@user-hdhdhhdhdhsnjdjdjdioowjnow this could completely be impossible but maybe he climbed the tree, tied the ropes around one of the branches… and of course, tied the noose around his neck… and possibly held his breath for as long as he could while slowly climbing down the tree (the rope would have to have been tied close to the trunk) so as to not break his neck and eventually succumbing to suffocation. This honestly could very well sound ridiculous and is just a small conclusion that I came up with during a short period of reading your comments.
This is like a real life Edgat Allan Poe story, simply riveting, so very recognizably human, it even has the Poe theme of actual, physical isolation as an allegory for the gnawing anxiety of having to live down one's own deceptions
I agree. They were both experts in their field and didn't fit with typical society. Which I do not see as a failure. I was in junior high school when this happened, and even then I wondered how men could do this in such small boats. It was too much to ask of humans. In a way, it was cruel.
Thank you for this. My dad, who passed away recently, read many books about sailing. One about this particular man was his favorite, I think. He often recommended it to me, but I never did read it. He was never able to sail himself but it was his dream. Part of me thinks he recognized himself in this man.
I mean trying to cheat his way into something clearly without sufficient preparation is most definitely his ego speaking. Just like the fake Halo speedrunner who got exposed in front of an entire audience. There are non-pathological paths to satisfy the needs to achieve, and this isn't it.
@@zchen27 I think his mental state at the time also played into this, not ego per say but having the whole town as well as a reporter who is counting on you to do well I think it may have been pressure. I mean even before setting off to sail he was nervous and shaking. It may have started out as ego but I think the outside pressure and need to achieve something great in his life misguided him. Truly a rather sad tale.
As the only one to finish, Knox-Johnston got cash prize for fastest time as well as the trophy for finishing first. He gave the money to Crowhurst's widow. (To his infinite credit).
This is heartbreaking. Listening to this while working is a bad idea. The fact that you can see the tragedy heading your way with no idea of how to avoid it. This will plague me during the quiet moments. I absolutely love the way you tell the story, and the artwork is absolutely fitting.
Im genuinely shocked he never consider the obvious option of sinking his vessel. He could still he a hero, but all evidence could be neatly destroyed. I know it seems silly to say but either he could go down with the ship as a hero or survive as a hero. Both options are favorable for the well being of his family.
I could almost guarantee that he did. That's the first real solution I came up with in the short time watching this video and apparently you had a similar thought process. They go out of their way to say how intelligent Donald was more than once, and he spent an unimaginable amount of time alone thinking about his predicament. The real problem seems to be that he went mad.
He never sank the boat because up until near the end that would've been an insane option and contrary to his goals. And later, when it became an arguably sane option, he was totally far gone. Then again, the fact that (according to other documentaries) he left his logbooks neatly on the table and seemingly went out of his way to preserve the true logs rather than the fictional ones before he died implies that he didn't *want* to destroy the evidence of his lies. Rather, he wanted them to be found and the truth to be known, both by the public and his family. Why he did it is anyone's guess: Perhaps it was a way of finally freeing his conscience from the moral burden of his deceptions before he ended his life, or maybe he figured that a newly-ascended cosmic being wouldn't care if the mortal world condemned him as a fraud. Whatever the case, sinking his boat would've been counterproductive to getting the truth out there.
The reason is in his writings he said he was a cosmic being and deceit is the greatest crime a Cosmic being could partake in and secondly I imagine he'd have gone bust and he could still d ie if they don't find him.
Some people want the escape above anything else, but - tragically - lack the faculties to do so. Maybe he was like that, too. Or maybe he was really stubborn, no way to know now, it seems
Knowing the story already, this is a brilliant presentation all around. The sensationalized accounts miss the point of this very unfortunate parable, and these illustrations add a lot too. Thank you for creating this. You’ve got a new subscriber, for sure.
Moitessier was the ultimate legendary sailor, He was first and actually did almost two rounds. I read his book as a teenager. I cannot remember if he mentioned Donald Crowhurst in his books. I will try to find out it would be interesting to have his view on that.
It's so difficult to tell a raw story with artfulness and style, without sensationalizing or dramatizing the story itself. This is the first I've seen of you/ your team's(?) work and I am impressed, deeply so. You (all?) clearly demonstrate thought, respect, and empathy for the lives your speaking about.
P.S. Have you every heard about the wreck of the Batavia? A Dutch trading ship that was wrecked and stranded on a small, rocky outcropping (the Abrolhous) in 1629. One of the sailors turned out to be a brilliant, narcissistic sociopath, who set about creating a culture in which he was God and the survivors his subjects. It is a fascinating story I'd love to see you cover (though you probably have a lot of stuff on your plate!).
Try to make sure he sees your comment . I don't know if he ever replies to people but if he does that's where you need to click on to him to make sure he sees your comment
Poor fellow. I hope his family recovered somehow. Desperation steers you down some terrifying seaways if you are unmoored from a Sure Anchor. I wish his wife had read his mental state - and the reality of his situation - more accurately that last evening together. I’m sure she wished to encourage his dreams, though.
Sadly if it had gone the other way neither would have fully grasped how completely she saved his life and it may have bred resentment. But better to resent your living partner than be dead
In the book I'm reading about this I feel his wife wasn't really in touch with what Crowhurst was about, and he seemed to wish that she had been more emotionally in tune with him. Poor guy. Several times he wished that SOMEone would tell him to hang it up and come home, but nobody did.
The problem isn’t with the never give up attitude because it’s important to keep trying if you want something with your whole self. The problem is refusing to recognize that what you’re doing isn’t working and so being unwilling to change course. We need to let people go through some failure without being ridiculed for it. You ALWAYS learn more from failure than you do from having success on the first go. Donald’s story is very sad but if he had been willing to learn about sailing, making sure his boat was completed properly and listened to people who knew what they were doing and had experience (the guys building the boat) he could have used that knowledge to start again and who knows how far he could have gone. If he had proven his design it’s pretty much guaranteed he’d make money. He couldn’t even say to his wife that he was terrified and not sure of his survival. Instead he asked if she was going to worry, then SHE trying to be supportive told him he would regret not going. She obviously wanted him to be happy but he was so afraid of losing face that he ended up dead and she obviously had to live with the knowledge that he really wanted her to tell him no, plus the guilt she would have felt because her children lost their father. People PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE learn to say what you mean and ask for what you need! I don’t mean, “I need ice cream or a fancy car”; I mean, “I need you to help me figure out how to deal with………….” Find someone who will give you honest support when you’re so stressed or afraid that you’re not thinking clearly. Someone you can at least express your true feelings to even if they end up letting you talk yourself around to the solution. Finally, if someone comes to you and is expressing their true feelings, let them talk and don’t try to instantly fix the issue. Don’t tell them what they are doing wrong or how they “should have done it,” listen for what they might not be saying and when you have helped them get to the real problem help them with suggestions not orders on how they can fix things. If all someone hears from you when they seek you out is how/what they’re doing it wrong they will stop coming to you and you may be their last hope for support and comfort.
@@Ariadne-xy8iw i dont disagree with you. Its just that these nice sounding modern sayings are often just shallow phrases or even wrong on closer inspection. "Never give up!" Just unalived a little boy recently when his father overtrained him and the boy had some kind of underlying problem and his new abode is the great beyond now. Especially in sports that attitude often leads to heavy injury. "Just follow your heart" is another one. I think we all need to battle our vices in some way, not every whim of our heart/self comes from a good place.
I love that last line… I’ve heard this story before but he was written off as a conman, he was just a desperate man in bad circumstances, considering a lot of these stories of financial and MH crisis leading to family annihilation and his is self destruction it’s more I feel pity for him than anything and it’s so tragic that he was asking for permission from his wife to not go and she realized it too late, beautiful work on this story… you’ve gained a new follower
How fucking lazy do you have to be to abbreviate mental health to MH when that isn’t a common abbreviation? I had to google what the fuck you meant. Don’t use abbreviations for things that aren’t commonly used.
The man was doomed by his own incapability to express his own feelings, doomed by the castratingly patriarchal programming that disallows men from expressing themselves in their full humanity for fear of public shaming. The poor man was made so afraid of expressing and processing his own emotions that he literally couldn't express them to save his life, even to his own wife. Ultimately it k!lled him.
As a recovered meth addict I can sympathize with feeling like your mind is breaking. His notes at the end look very similar to stuff my ex and I would write down on our benders. It's sad that all this could have been prevented so many times up to the point of no return. :/
I just last week had a really bad shrooms trip (I forgot to eat beforehand) and his notes also remind me of the state I was in while I was peaking. Scary as hell. Sidenote, I was getting *really* strong CEVs which I usually don't, it was like I was drifting through a matrix of screaming faces and I (in my inebriated state) thought I was getting a glimpse into hell. Once sober I was trying to describe it bc it looked familiar for some reason. Turns out it was the Jimmy Neutron brain blast animation with the screaming face on the Wabbajack staff from Skyrim used for the neural connection pillar things. Lmfao
@@stinky-smellycrazy what your brain can stitch together. One time I was listening to the sound of the fabric of reality tear apart and the final crescendo was this really familiar noise I couldn’t quite place but it made perfect sense to end reality. Then I heard it in a video weeks later and it was the sound of Mario hopping and hitting a coin block 🤷♂️
@@michaelcloyd-white4500lmfao like the gzschh sound of him hitting a block or the actual boing-kaching! sound of him knocking a coin out of the block?
Since he set sail I've been begging him to throw in the towel and go home. That's not how the story was ever going to end, but I held out hope. What a heart wrenching story, what a masterful telling of it. I'm gonna go cry for this man, lol
If I were writing a fiction story with this as the plot, Nigel Tetley would be exactly the name I’d have used for the upper-class British yachtsman in the race.
He was a dreamer, not a doer and not a thinker, a plain old dreamer. The newspapers also were a little ahead of themselves too, announcing a prize for the fastest / first. While I'm no sailor, these journeys take a lot of planning. Don't forget, Chichester took YEARS to plan his journey. He just didn't set out one day. I've seen the wreck of he 'Teignmouth Electron' at Cayman Brac. May Crowhurst rest in eternal peace.
I disagree. His major problem was lack of preparation and the ability to weather the cost of bowing out. No amount of thinking can compensate for that once things are underway. As for saying he's not a doer, or that just goes against everything we've read.
'Someone had spray painted the words “Dream Boat” on the transom in place of a name - oddly fitting, given her history, but cruel nonetheless. Donald Crowhurst’s dream turned to ashes back in 1969, and now this, his dream boat was rotting away, hidden in the trees.' - Eric Loss
i'd like to say that i love your tone of voice. it's quite different from other 'true horror' youtubers; a lot of them try to speak like news anchors: loudly, and with a strange rising and falling emphasis that really grates on the ears. this might sound strange, but your tone sounds (to me) quietly desperate, pleading maybe, or apologetic. it reminds me of the channel Shrouded Hand- he has a very similar tone, and i am quite a fan of his. the tone really adds to the 'atmosphere' of the video, and it feels almost as if you were there, or you were donald himself, if that makes sense.
The fact this channel hasn’t popped off is insanity. The production, the narration, the stories. And the Ralph Steadman-esque drawings are the cherry on top. S tier content my friend. Keep it up and best of luck.
I love that in this story is another story of Moitissier. A man who, when everyone was at their worst, found a true level of peace. Where many men found hell, one man found heaven
A terribly sad and moving tale of man's ego getting the better of him. I feel for the wife and children, having to live their lives knowing that their father died because he couldn't admit that he wasn't the man he wished he was.
I think the helplessness unique to his situation drove him mad. and as someone who used to be suicidal i think i can recognise the act of trying to regain control over your life & regain agency by choosing how it ends. it is a morbid act, and feel for him and his family who truly suffered.
I can’t remember the last time I cried at the end of a UA-cam video. But wow. This was a masterpiece. I hope Donald found peace. Thank you for sharing his story.
I've heard this story told by many a youtuber. I'm a big fan of your channel for how you illustrate and voice these narratives, IMO you humanized Crowhurst in a way that is rare among the retellings. Thanks for making this, a take on an old tale but better and uniquely presented by a thoughtful story teller.
bruh mattisier just saying "fuck this im goin back around i love sailing this was great imma sail forever" is amazing. could probably argue he's the best sailor ever
@@deformedcube apparently he passed in ‘94 from prostate cancer at the age of 69, but his entire life he sailed all over the world. His level of being at peace is something I wish I had
I feel a strange sense of understanding I feel with Donald’s final entries. To take the reigns of your own life and put everything on the line, to tempt fate by subjecting yourself to the mercy of the ocean, a perfect representation of chaotic potential in it’s rawest form. All with nothing but your thoughts, memories, and past failures to dwell on while you desperately work to stay afloat. In it’s brutal indifference, the universe used the sea to punish this man, who should have prepared himself twice over how much he dreamed of winning. He lost the cosmic game the moment he put everything on the line. In his moment of ultimate despair, he concluded that his fate was the result of his attempt to cheat the game by faking his progress. Who am I to say that he’s delusional ? Sorry if this sounds disjointed or weird. I’m not the greatest at expressing myself, and I don’t usually write comments.
Exactly what I thought, who knows what kinds of visions or insights he experienced out on the open sea, finally disconnected from the illusions we forge for ourselves. Plus the deep ocean is a mad and spiritual place, it's where all of life comes from, and is a place that still instills a primal fear in us in it's mystery and reflective nature of the cosmos.
Yeah thats what I got. Another thing i noticed, was "there is no need worry about time plus or minus" and "important reason for work is lost understand", to me thats him at the point that all the events that happened before have become abstract, seemingly theological events. And those quotes are referring to all the work he did calculating fake times and positions, all of the guilt and emotion tied to motivating him to do it in the first place is still knocking about, so is the process. But he has lost all understanding of why he was doing it in a grounded sense. Because to him, its all become games, legends, myths and poetry. Ones which dictates his emotions.
Yes, I’m surprised it took me so much scrolling down to reach a comment like this. I feel like he was having an existential reckoning and thinking about how he wanted to go about it in the next incarnation
I just looked at the time (11:19pm) and have managed to binge your storytelling for the greater part of the day; without it at any time, becoming mundune. A truly, well-rounded way of conveyance, that allows for the listener to be immersed. A rogue diamond, especially when I initially thought it to be about equestrians lol.
This is one of the saddest stories I have ever heard. I hope in his last moments his delusional brain painted a happier picture for him, that he had not lied, that thinking he had was just some madness from the sea, and that he had sailed the whole trip and he really was a hero, about to come home :( Rest in peace.
I'm glad your channel is getting a lot of subscribers and views because it is truly a gem in this putrid sea of content that is UA-cam. You present these eye-catching titles and thumbnails without resorting to cheap clickbait and telling these fantastic stories. I hope you continue this channel for a long time to come.
Wow. Absolute wow. I have never even heard of this story. I'm so glad that my first hearing was by such a talented content creator. The writing, narration and art combine to create a truly unique and enthralling experience. This channel deserves a hell of a lot of attention and subs. What a story. On one hand, he was such a fool, his actions feel like they could have led to no other end. But it's also clear how it happened. He was desperate for some sense of validation, some sense of self worth. And those are both thing I can tremendously relate to. So I can understand why he made these choices at the same time. Just impossible situations.
LOVE the way you told this story and most of all, the artwork…which matches perfectly with it. This story is heart wrenching. I have so much empathy for his stance and feel for him and the mess he got himself into. I have not been there, but I get it and think most of us, have grappled with just a tiny fraction of what that feels like, at some point/s in our lives.
Your storytelling is profoundly captivating. I'm sitting here listening like a 10 year old listening to grandpa's war stories. You earned my subscription and like!
seriously, I want to meet the person who made all this and shake his hand because it is one of the most understatedly perfect videos I’ve seen on UA-cam
The aesthetic of these videos is a like flipping through a contemporary art magazine that's too expensive to buy and I love it. I remember watching a documentary of Crowhurst a couple years ago thinking that his story was profound. Now I realize its just a very publicized loss, a man gambling everything and failing. We don't want to hear about the failures because it scares us.
Beyond the brilliant yarning style and the gripping artwork there is a single magic touch. The click of the slide projector as the chapters change is genius.
The sad irony about this whole thing was that Donald actually did accomplish something remarkable. He built and designed his own boat, and though rushed and falling apart, it made it through most of the journey. He would’ve completed the race, as essentially the winner, the last one standing. The journey didn’t beat him, the lies and pressures of letting everyone down did. Such a sad story.
@perpetualmotion357 his ego and pride couldn't handle going back home as a failure. I have a feeling it was a get to the end or die trying sort of thing.
There are many channels that follow a similar story telling/video essay structure but the visuals/illustration style is beyond original/unique - bravo sir this is some beautiful work/art
This is heartbreaking. This poor man that, for whatever reason, thought he wasn't enough. This artwork is beautiful and this was told beautifuly. Also, "irradiated olive trees" is a phenominal phrase.
Perhaps the most brilliant storytelling channel I’ve ever seen on here. Absolutely beautiful artwork, sketches, no ads, no sensationalism. Pure art in every way.
Everything about this video essay makes it a masterpiece. I know you've moved away from this process of creating the art yourself, by hand, for every video... but, WOW, it would be amazing to see one in this highly original style every once in awhile... or once a year.
I'm dying of laughter right now as the narrator describes Donald's mental processes, and in awe of the power of the reading and the insights from both. Brilliant. Thank you so much! Truly great.
I feel nothing but pity and co passion for Crowhurst and his family. Amazing work creating this documentary. Art style, storytelling and execution is phenomenal
your art is fantastic. the wave at 3:23 is amazing, as are the font choices. the narration was especially gripping -- it made me feel like i had a stone in my stomach, and was delivered with poise and empathy. truly beautiful!
I've known about this story for decades, but I have to say that this is one of the best presentations of it that I have encountered. You do a masterful job of describing the whole situation, with great empathy for Crowhurst. Too many people fail in that regard when telling this tale. Thank you for doing such a fantastic job.
Agree with the person who talked about how much the illustrations enriched this story. Well done and thank you so much for your time and effort on telling this with such tenderness and heart.
Dude, where have you been all of my life? I am a new subscriber and binge-watching your channel. I cannot believe you are covering Crowhurst. I watched a movie about him ten years ago and often tell people that it is one of only three movies that have made me cry. Thank you.
This story gives me vaguely the same feeling of constant anxiety and growing dread as watching Beau is Afraid (and/or reflecting upon my own choices which is just the worst).
What is really sad is Crowhurst was already a hero. He was a father and when you have children even if you are just a marginally good father, you are a hero in their little eyes. And always with be. I'm sure his wife regrets not pushing him to stay but she was probably just trying to support his dreams and do what wives normally don't do when they're fearful of losing their husband. Support him leaving even if he may never return. This was such a good video, Horses. You really had me reeled in and the drawings were very interesting too. 🤍
A timeless parable of the hero transitioning to the necessary role of anti-hero and becoming the mirror that enables society to see its failings through his descent into moral and mental oblivion. Very well narrated and the visuals are top notch. Cheers.
This video is probably the best thing I have seen in a year. What a story, narration, illustration, colours, philosophy, everything. Thank you so much for this!
I really love your videos. You have your own style you add to your narration in your script, and aesthetic-So It’s interesting to watch your early videos (admittedly, hard to watch aesthetically but still lovely to listen to), and to witness such a vast improvement. I’d expect nothing less as clearly you have a unique finesse to your work. I really enjoyed your latest videos, and I have with every video of yours! Be well and keep creating . It is appreciated
I’m thinking of how his wife realized he was begging her to give him reason to stay. One of the last times she’d ever see him and he was fearing for his life. I cannot imagine the heartbreak and guilt of losing a loved one like that.
A tale of man, a tale of the sea, a tale of bravado, a tale of foolishness, a tale of madness, sadness and death.....and above all, a tale well told! Liked and subscribed.....👍🏻
Now THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is a STORY! Superbly told. This is content worthy of our time, our attention, and our likes. Too bad it's such a rare thing these days. Keep up the good work. F***ing brilliant!!!
It's a shame that he went through such suffering. If he'd come home and admitted his lies, he'd face embarrassment and bankruptcy, but he would be with his family still. There's praise to be given for all the effort and work he'd put in sailing and surviving all that time despite being inexperienced and sailing on an unfinished boat nonetheless! I hope he's alright, wherever he is now..
It’s amazing how he was still clear minded enough to calculate all of those false coordinates while steadily losing his sanity. An engineer to the end.
I agree! He was extremely smart! I honestly believe if his yacht had been built correctly and had been ready on time he would have gotten close to winning this race! Also I haven't seen anyone mention this but it disgusts me that the first thing the guy who found the boat did was sell the logbooks to the newspaper. Disgusting repulsive he's a terrible person. The government was going to keep this quiet to spare his family and to let his legacy be a good one. Whoever that guy is who sold those needs to be named honestly he's a monster.
@@WhitneyDahlinI believe at the end he says the man who gave the logbooks to a news publication was Rodney Hallworth
@@WhitneyDahlin For real, what an absolute POS. Imagine unearthing some ugly secret about a dead person that would do nothing but upset their loved ones and tarnish their memory, and being like “Hello? Newspaper? How much will you give me for this?”
@@garretgreen1449 of COURSE his name is RODNEY 🙄 I hope he didn't live long enough to enjoy the money.
@@WhitneyDahlin And he'd sold the logs while agreeing with others that they should be kept private!
However, he wasn't the guy who found the boat, he was the press agent who pushed the "small-town hero" image. Which explains his two-facedness.
I felt such a tremendous empathy for him while watching this. We've all had situations where we got in over our heads and didn't know how to get back out of it - but rarely with stakes so high. What a very human, very sad, story.
what will i do if i was in his place ? i think i ll continue the race and play my chances with the jury maybe it will slip (that's more human).. i'll play the chance even if its very small maybe the game had a disgraceful happy ending for me .. the sea madness made him too righteous and self-judging maybe it will made me more deceitful
@hamzatouj6312 i like this comment a lot, raw honesty within yourself its very commendable.
This story is indeed tragic however it is tough to feel bad for Donald when ultimately, it was his decision to gamble the financial welfare of himself and his family on a hopeless endeavor. This video mentions repeatedly how "intelligent" Donald is, yet choosing to sail around the world alone and with no professional sailing experience is the most naïve thing I have ever heard of.
I would’ve been drinking in Argentina 😂🎉
This isn't reddit you don't have to pat the back of everyone you see comment for your own self validation@@gabrielrodriguez1298
I find it equally poetic and tragic that what brought Crowhurst beyond the brink of sanity was, in a sense, the same reason Mattisier decided to go back into sea... The fake expectations of an uncaring world, one that Crowhurst just wanted to appease and that Mattisier desperately longed to escape.
so true, yes!
Well said
Great comment!
...Damn. I think you're onto something.
This is an excellent point
Bernard Moitissier actually wrote a book about his journey called "The Long Way" and goes into detail on why he kept going. It's an amazing read, and serves as basically the complete opposite perspective on Crowhurst's tragic failure. I highly recommend it.
There's also a full length documentary on Crowhurst's journey called "Deep Water" that is also excellent. if you are remotely interested in this story, both are absolutely worth checking out.
Possibly the saddest part of this entire story to me is that the sailor whose boat sunk, Nigel Tetley, had completed his circumnavigation and only needed to sail about 5,000 nautical miles back into port to claim the prize money for fastest voyage. His ship, the _Victress,_ was in pretty bad shape, but Tetley could have taken it easy and coasted along to win. He believed that Crowhurst was right behind him though because of the false navigation data he was providing, so Tetley pushed his ship as hard as he could and that's why it sunk. Had Crowhurst not unintentionally tricked Tetley into thinking that he needed to sail as hard as he could to win the race, Tetley could have comfortably rode his ailing ship back to port and won.
Disappointing yes but I'd hardly call that the saddest part as .. you know .. the man went insane and died and all that
It's not the sadness Olympics. Both can be true at the same time. @@joeldeakin2003
@@joeldeakin2003 That's the point, because not only he doomed himself, he indirectly pushed Tetley to his own demise.
Mind games and bluffing are everywhere in competition… that’s what makes competition great amongst men.
Teltley could have chosen to coast along as fast as his boat could safely make, but chose to go for the glory, and failed also.
@@romanlinnik7441 Tetley didn't die though.
Crowhurst's final days are part Lovecraftian horror, part Greek tragedy.
His philosophical entries are so haunting- a slow, gutwrenching descent into insanty.
Your storytelling does Crowhurst's tale justice. I hope you will continue to relay other historical accounts such as this.
What’s worse is that the last of his writings seemed to be asking for forgiveness, “there is no need for hurtful”, or at the very least he was asking for no harsh responses from the media, his family, etc
@@jankygruntalso the lines before that where he's basically asking the cosmic beings he believed he was competing against to let him out of the game, or finish the game. Then, asking them to essentially make the rules more clear next time. Finally relenting to the cruelty of his existence and begging for someone or something to give an explanation, some kind of meaning to the absurdity and cruelty of it all. Like a final prayer spoken before death. Hoping that God will finally answer you. But his voice echoes into darkness as always. Past the cosmic chess metaphor and mad ramblings that's what I gathered out of it at least.
@@BallBatteryReligionThis! I completely agree. It also broke my heart how he seemed to believe the only way for the game to end was through death. "it is the mercy"
So sad to me that in addition to all the agony you mentioned he also believed the only Mercy for him was death, and that was the only way for him to escape the game.
Truly a heartbreaking story.
@@mitch8088 He seemed to choose death before dishonor.
This is an excellent telling of this story. I have heard about it before, but never with such empathy for this man.
Your narration and artwork is fantastic, I am thrilled to have found this channel. It deserves more recognition.
By the way.
Robin Knox-Johnston was the only participant to complete the race and was awarded the golden globe prize. He donated the prize sum of £5000 to Crowhurst's family.
Thank you so much for the last sentence. My heart was aching for her. I just feel pain for Crowhurst
@@damnbro_idci think we all do.
That was kind
Wow!! That only adds to the poignancy of this story.
@johnqpublic1406he’s still alive.
Just one giant never ending anxiety/panic attack. Poor guy, he was in an impossible situation
Not a single reply?!?!!
little wonder, this whole trip from the very start was just plain stupid !
Poo guy???? He put himself in this situation 100%
@@theastrode7219 haha , you said poo.
@@theastrode7219 poo lmao
The fact that he was under so much stress and pressure probably made his descent into madness that much easier. Such a sad story
Not a sad story at all he was a total loser from start to finish 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄.....
Ok I feel a little sorry for him of course, but right from the get-go you could see that his was a completely moronic undertaking.....
Ironic really
The art style is part optimistic part pessimistic. Crude and beautiful, hard to look at and impossible to look away from but in a good way. I love it.
I agree, the art style kept me really engaged
The art is horrible. I was able to listen to his podcast, he is an excellent narrator, but the art is so incredibly bad I can't watch the video. It's like staring a pile of shit swirling in a toilet bowl, but at least the toilet removes the crap quickly, this video strives to keep it around for as long as possible.
@@RLKmedic0315I liked it
Very Wes Anderson.
You would like Ralph Steadman
Hearing him being faced with mortality and the idea of being forgotten after he died, indirectly asking his wife to stop him, but her (without malice of course) asking him the question that haunted him internally and it breaking him... killed me. Poor man.
I know financial ruin, and national embarrassment were a thing, but I'd ask my wife to leave the country with me or just start over. It wasn't worth dying for.
@@joegrstagreed but that would have ripped him apart to have made his life even worse than when it was monotonous is quite the opposite effect he was going for
Here's the thing. Never attempt suicide. YOU JUST DONT KNOW. I am a smart guy and I "knew" beyond doubt that with my (avg) looks and (woeful) social skills that I would be lonely and depressed my whole life, so attempted suicide at 19. And 30, Intensive care both times.
At 31, completely unforeseen, fell in love, started marriage, business, family, am now rich w/ amazing wife & kids,,,...doesn't matter what this guy thought he couldn't live thru. News cycle is over in a week. Life goes on. He was an idiot. The only thing I know about life is, you don't know.
It’s so heartbreaking that his wife was just trying to be supportive and give him confidence in his time of need and it led him to believe that he was obligated to finish the job.
If he was able to contact his wife in that final stretch of the journey I’m sure he would’ve made it home. Just a small reminder of her supportiveness would have convinced him to wade through the shame of his failure
What are you talking about? When does it say that in the video?
You didn't mention the foreboding incident of his wife's attempt to christen the boat but the bottle bounced off the hull.
Yes... in sea-going folk-lore that is meant to be somewhat an omen of bad luck......But it happens quite often in reality.
What kind of heavy duty bottles ya all got?
He also didn't mention that after all of this, Nigel Tetley ended up dying because of autoerotic asphyxiation
@@samwich9242 That's wild lmao
@@samwich9242😮LMAO 🤣😂
A sublime treatment of human frailty, and fallibility. Subtle, sympathetic, and humane.
dead on
@Memphisgeorgejewelry I just got here and I really loved it!
Both Tetley and Crowhurst were using self built catamarans. Tetley saw the the race as a battle between himself and Crowhurst as to who had built the better boat. It was Crowhurst's false positions that that made Tetley push his own boat so hard that it ultimately broke up. If he'd just carried on as normal he could have beaten Knox-Johnston and won the race, which he later realised when Crowhurst's deceptions became public. He never really recovered from this and eventually committed suicide a few years later so Crowhurst was ultimately responsible for Tetley's death as well as his own. Very tragic.
I don’t know if I’d say he’s responsible but I also find it hard to say he wasn’t responsible at all. You’re right that it’s very sad all around.
Tetley and Crowhurst were sailing trimarans, not catamarans. Crowhurst's boat was professionally built, but not properly commissioned and tested. I believe Tetley's boat was professionally built as well.
@petermiller114 they were both based off the same Hull plans but had different uppers, Tetley had been living on board his for a while prior to the race and was rather comfortable, Crowhursts "Teignmouth Electron" was very basic with only a small "doghouse" for him to live in.
This reads very poetically but isn’t right. Crowhurst had nothing to do with Tetley’s death. Tetley didn’t die from a classic suicide, his body was found hanged on a tree dressed in lingerie, with his hands behind his back. It was sexual asphyxiation
@@surty8406im sorry what? How many people do you know that have killed themselves by hanging with their hands tied behind their back that thats a believable enough excuse to you
I’ve never seen a video essay on horrible end and situations with such stunning artwork. Every single shot inhabits the art style of that era while reflecting with an artist lens of the 21st century. It’s giving Picasso.
Truly tragic event. His wife was so supportive, can't imagine the wreckage of despair she felt when she found out.
are you kidding me? she knew she was sending him to his death or was completely oblivious. she cared only about the money and nothing else.
@@BPFACTS88 well, that's quite an assumption, but I see where you're coming from. Maybe she wasn't the brightest bulb, but in this video it's presented that she was supportive of her husband's wish to do something great.
@@BPFACTS88 On the one hand, I think you’re right. On the other, he had wagered everything the family had on his foolhardy quest. He didn’t need to win, but he had to compete. He had to at least set sail.
She was sending HIM? He was choosing to go@@BPFACTS88
He‘s gay?!
That is one of the saddest stories I've heard in a long time. If only he could have realized that turning around immediately because the boat was essentially unfinished would have been the best way to save face, but I think he wouldn't have gotten himself into the situation if he could think that way.
Yes reading about the struggles he endured in trying to prepare his boat properly included some people letting him down or even lying to him about what was accomplished. The boat was not in great shape for such a trip.
Sunk cost is a powerful driver, unfortunately. I think it's easier from the outside and in hindsight to see things clearer. Throughout the story I kept hoping he would just turn back and get to his family safely, and don't give a damn about the financial troubles or the public's opinion. But that's easy to say from the comfort of my living room.
*Penzance.
He could probably even argue the boat wasn't fit for purpose, ergo the agreement with Best would be voided due to the boat being defective. Maybe a bit of a long shot, but it's a better chance than anything he actually did
Tetley's life after the race was also tragic. He tried going around the world again but couldn't find sponsors and his book sold poorly. He was founded dead hanging from a tree a few years after the race.
The circumstances around his death are actually really bizarre, and indicate an accidently death by asphixiation rather than a suicide
@@user-hdhdhhdhdhsnjdjdjdioowjoh😢.
........oooooooh!!!!!😂😮😅
@@user-hdhdhhdhdhsnjdjdjdioowjnow this could completely be impossible but maybe he climbed the tree, tied the ropes around one of the branches… and of course, tied the noose around his neck… and possibly held his breath for as long as he could while slowly climbing down the tree (the rope would have to have been tied close to the trunk) so as to not break his neck and eventually succumbing to suffocation.
This honestly could very well sound ridiculous and is just a small conclusion that I came up with during a short period of reading your comments.
@@user-hdhdhhdhdhsnjdjdjdioowj it is not more likely, it's just we are unsure whether it was purposeful or not.
It is important to note that the 🌳 tree was cleared of any wrongdoing.
This is like a real life Edgat Allan Poe story, simply riveting, so very recognizably human, it even has the Poe theme of actual, physical isolation as an allegory for the gnawing anxiety of having to live down one's own deceptions
I agree. They were both experts in their field and didn't fit with typical society. Which I do not see as a failure. I was in junior high school when this happened, and even then I wondered how men could do this in such small boats. It was too much to ask of humans. In a way, it was cruel.
unfortunately it is ai
lol what@@sppl623
i had the same thought!
Egdgyyat Allen Poe lol
The illustrations were absolutely gorgeous! this is genuly one of the best youtube videos I've ever seen!! Amazing work man
Thank you for this. My dad, who passed away recently, read many books about sailing. One about this particular man was his favorite, I think. He often recommended it to me, but I never did read it. He was never able to sail himself but it was his dream. Part of me thinks he recognized himself in this man.
There's still time!
@@chrism4008 still time for what?
@@JesusChrist-md3yu to read the book
@@chrism4008quite right
Lmao watch him still not reading it regardless
Ego is deadly. He had so much to live for…such a shame. Wonderful content. Love the artwork, presentation and compassionate storytelling.
Partially ego, but it was a deeper need to achieve, even if it was misguided. God rest his soul
Bury the light deep within
Cast aside, there's no coming home
We're burning chaos in the wind
Drifting in the ocean all alone
I mean trying to cheat his way into something clearly without sufficient preparation is most definitely his ego speaking. Just like the fake Halo speedrunner who got exposed in front of an entire audience. There are non-pathological paths to satisfy the needs to achieve, and this isn't it.
@@zchen27 I think his mental state at the time also played into this, not ego per say but having the whole town as well as a reporter who is counting on you to do well I think it may have been pressure. I mean even before setting off to sail he was nervous and shaking. It may have started out as ego but I think the outside pressure and need to achieve something great in his life misguided him. Truly a rather sad tale.
As the only one to finish, Knox-Johnston got cash prize for fastest time as well as the trophy for finishing first. He gave the money to Crowhurst's widow. (To his infinite credit).
This is heartbreaking. Listening to this while working is a bad idea. The fact that you can see the tragedy heading your way with no idea of how to avoid it. This will plague me during the quiet moments. I absolutely love the way you tell the story, and the artwork is absolutely fitting.
In addition Robin Knocks-Johnson who won the £5,000 gave it all to Crowhursts family, which I think was a wondeful thing to do.
Im genuinely shocked he never consider the obvious option of sinking his vessel. He could still he a hero, but all evidence could be neatly destroyed. I know it seems silly to say but either he could go down with the ship as a hero or survive as a hero. Both options are favorable for the well being of his family.
I could almost guarantee that he did. That's the first real solution I came up with in the short time watching this video and apparently you had a similar thought process. They go out of their way to say how intelligent Donald was more than once, and he spent an unimaginable amount of time alone thinking about his predicament. The real problem seems to be that he went mad.
He never sank the boat because up until near the end that would've been an insane option and contrary to his goals. And later, when it became an arguably sane option, he was totally far gone.
Then again, the fact that (according to other documentaries) he left his logbooks neatly on the table and seemingly went out of his way to preserve the true logs rather than the fictional ones before he died implies that he didn't *want* to destroy the evidence of his lies. Rather, he wanted them to be found and the truth to be known, both by the public and his family. Why he did it is anyone's guess: Perhaps it was a way of finally freeing his conscience from the moral burden of his deceptions before he ended his life, or maybe he figured that a newly-ascended cosmic being wouldn't care if the mortal world condemned him as a fraud. Whatever the case, sinking his boat would've been counterproductive to getting the truth out there.
He would still have to verbally explain his trip. It would have come out. He was doomed.
The reason is in his writings he said he was a cosmic being and deceit is the greatest crime a Cosmic being could partake in and secondly I imagine he'd have gone bust and he could still d ie if they don't find him.
Some people want the escape above anything else, but - tragically - lack the faculties to do so. Maybe he was like that, too. Or maybe he was really stubborn, no way to know now, it seems
Far better than current televised documentaries, deserves much more attention. Art is incredible.
Knowing the story already, this is a brilliant presentation all around. The sensationalized accounts miss the point of this very unfortunate parable, and these illustrations add a lot too. Thank you for creating this. You’ve got a new subscriber, for sure.
Moitessier was the ultimate legendary sailor, He was first and actually did almost two rounds. I read his book as a teenager. I cannot remember if he mentioned Donald Crowhurst in his books. I will try to find out it would be interesting to have his view on that.
This truly feels like a labor of love. The artwork, narration, music, typography.. all stellar and comforting. Glad to have found this gem.
It's so difficult to tell a raw story with artfulness and style, without sensationalizing or dramatizing the story itself. This is the first I've seen of you/ your team's(?) work and I am impressed, deeply so. You (all?) clearly demonstrate thought, respect, and empathy for the lives your speaking about.
It’s a one man show here but ty! ❤️
-Michael
@@HorsesOnYT even more impressive 😮
P.S. Have you every heard about the wreck of the Batavia? A Dutch trading ship that was wrecked and stranded on a small, rocky outcropping (the Abrolhous) in 1629. One of the sailors turned out to be a brilliant, narcissistic sociopath, who set about creating a culture in which he was God and the survivors his subjects. It is a fascinating story I'd love to see you cover (though you probably have a lot of stuff on your plate!).
Sounds like an interesting story
Been to the island, flat and small, nowhere to go.
Try to make sure he sees your comment .
I don't know if he ever replies to people but if he does that's where you need to click on to him to make sure he sees your comment
Sounds something I’d like to read about. This venture by Donald would make a good film but must be sensitively done!
Sounds fascinating
I am taken aback by the absolute pristine level quality of this documentary, must be the best one I have seen on UA-cam in my 15 years here.
Poor fellow. I hope his family recovered somehow. Desperation steers you down some terrifying seaways if you are unmoored from a Sure Anchor. I wish his wife had read his mental state - and the reality of his situation - more accurately that last evening together. I’m sure she wished to encourage his dreams, though.
I agree... They were both in a Catch 22 situation..... One word...Just one word...one way or another...could have changed the ultimate outcome.
I bet she wanted so bad to make him stay but didn’t want to be the reason why he never went.
@@lidiawilliams4837100%
Sadly if it had gone the other way neither would have fully grasped how completely she saved his life and it may have bred resentment. But better to resent your living partner than be dead
In the book I'm reading about this I feel his wife wasn't really in touch with what Crowhurst was about, and he seemed to wish that she had been more emotionally in tune with him. Poor guy. Several times he wished that SOMEone would tell him to hang it up and come home, but nobody did.
Every time i hear the modern mantra of "never give up!" I think that its very wrong and knowing when to better give up is an important life skill.
The problem isn’t with the never give up attitude because it’s important to keep trying if you want something with your whole self. The problem is refusing to recognize that what you’re doing isn’t working and so being unwilling to change course. We need to let people go through some failure without being ridiculed for it. You ALWAYS learn more from failure than you do from having success on the first go.
Donald’s story is very sad but if he had been willing to learn about sailing, making sure his boat was completed properly and listened to people who knew what they were doing and had experience (the guys building the boat) he could have used that knowledge to start again and who knows how far he could have gone. If he had proven his design it’s pretty much guaranteed he’d make money. He couldn’t even say to his wife that he was terrified and not sure of his survival. Instead he asked if she was going to worry, then SHE trying to be supportive told him he would regret not going. She obviously wanted him to be happy but he was so afraid of losing face that he ended up dead and she obviously had to live with the knowledge that he really wanted her to tell him no, plus the guilt she would have felt because her children lost their father.
People PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE learn to say what you mean and ask for what you need! I don’t mean, “I need ice cream or a fancy car”; I mean, “I need you to help me figure out how to deal with………….” Find someone who will give you honest support when you’re so stressed or afraid that you’re not thinking clearly. Someone you can at least express your true feelings to even if they end up letting you talk yourself around to the solution. Finally, if someone comes to you and is expressing their true feelings, let them talk and don’t try to instantly fix the issue. Don’t tell them what they are doing wrong or how they “should have done it,” listen for what they might not be saying and when you have helped them get to the real problem help them with suggestions not orders on how they can fix things. If all someone hears from you when they seek you out is how/what they’re doing it wrong they will stop coming to you and you may be their last hope for support and comfort.
@@Ariadne-xy8iw i dont disagree with you. Its just that these nice sounding modern sayings are often just shallow phrases or even wrong on closer inspection. "Never give up!" Just unalived a little boy recently when his father overtrained him and the boy had some kind of underlying problem and his new abode is the great beyond now. Especially in sports that attitude often leads to heavy injury. "Just follow your heart" is another one. I think we all need to battle our vices in some way, not every whim of our heart/self comes from a good place.
Horrifying? No. Harrowing, absolutely! What a sad ending. The mind at sea. You did him a service with showing his humanity. Thank you for this telling
the mind is a fragile thing. it’s been said before. we’re never quite sure how damaged the glass can get before it all shatters at once
@@wren_.Excellent analogy
That was the saddest midlife crisis I’ve ever heard! Great narration though. 👍🏼👍🏼
I once had the fantasy of sailing around the world until I flew over the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean that changed my mind pretty quick
Yeh the art is great
Yeah, I watched sailing videos and realized how scary this would be. Nothing but water.
I love that last line… I’ve heard this story before but he was written off as a conman, he was just a desperate man in bad circumstances, considering a lot of these stories of financial and MH crisis leading to family annihilation and his is self destruction it’s more I feel pity for him than anything and it’s so tragic that he was asking for permission from his wife to not go and she realized it too late, beautiful work on this story… you’ve gained a new follower
How fucking lazy do you have to be to abbreviate mental health to MH when that isn’t a common abbreviation? I had to google what the fuck you meant. Don’t use abbreviations for things that aren’t commonly used.
The man was doomed by his own incapability to express his own feelings, doomed by the castratingly patriarchal programming that disallows men from expressing themselves in their full humanity for fear of public shaming. The poor man was made so afraid of expressing and processing his own emotions that he literally couldn't express them to save his life, even to his own wife. Ultimately it k!lled him.
As a recovered meth addict I can sympathize with feeling like your mind is breaking. His notes at the end look very similar to stuff my ex and I would write down on our benders. It's sad that all this could have been prevented so many times up to the point of no return. :/
I just last week had a really bad shrooms trip (I forgot to eat beforehand) and his notes also remind me of the state I was in while I was peaking. Scary as hell.
Sidenote, I was getting *really* strong CEVs which I usually don't, it was like I was drifting through a matrix of screaming faces and I (in my inebriated state) thought I was getting a glimpse into hell. Once sober I was trying to describe it bc it looked familiar for some reason. Turns out it was the Jimmy Neutron brain blast animation with the screaming face on the Wabbajack staff from Skyrim used for the neural connection pillar things. Lmfao
@@stinky-smellycrazy what your brain can stitch together. One time I was listening to the sound of the fabric of reality tear apart and the final crescendo was this really familiar noise I couldn’t quite place but it made perfect sense to end reality. Then I heard it in a video weeks later and it was the sound of Mario hopping and hitting a coin block 🤷♂️
@@michaelcloyd-white4500 that's amazing, sounds utterly terrifying but funny af
@@michaelcloyd-white4500lmfao like the gzschh sound of him hitting a block or the actual boing-kaching! sound of him knocking a coin out of the block?
Sadly, i too have such a journal. Wish you the best.
Since he set sail I've been begging him to throw in the towel and go home. That's not how the story was ever going to end, but I held out hope. What a heart wrenching story, what a masterful telling of it. I'm gonna go cry for this man, lol
yeah i waiting for him to win 😭😭
Oh wow, how old are you then
@elina4005 why does that matter?
@@NOWAYProductions-zd9lc coz this case happened in the 60s
@@elina4005they meant whilst listening to the story.
If I were writing a fiction story with this as the plot, Nigel Tetley would be exactly the name I’d have used for the upper-class British yachtsman in the race.
He was a dreamer, not a doer and not a thinker, a plain old dreamer. The newspapers also were a little ahead of themselves too, announcing a prize for the fastest / first. While I'm no sailor, these journeys take a lot of planning. Don't forget, Chichester took YEARS to plan his journey. He just didn't set out one day. I've seen the wreck of he 'Teignmouth Electron' at Cayman Brac. May Crowhurst rest in eternal peace.
I disagree. His major problem was lack of preparation and the ability to weather the cost of bowing out. No amount of thinking can compensate for that once things are underway. As for saying he's not a doer, or that just goes against everything we've read.
He wanted to be something, but couldn’t accept what he actually was and couldn’t put in the work to become what he wanted.
'Someone had spray painted the words “Dream Boat” on the transom in place of a name - oddly fitting, given her history, but cruel nonetheless. Donald Crowhurst’s dream turned to ashes back in 1969, and now this, his dream boat was rotting away, hidden in the trees.'
- Eric Loss
one of the best video essays i have ever watched… this was sitting in my watch later for months and im so glad i came across it again. well done
i'd like to say that i love your tone of voice. it's quite different from other 'true horror' youtubers; a lot of them try to speak like news anchors: loudly, and with a strange rising and falling emphasis that really grates on the ears. this might sound strange, but your tone sounds (to me) quietly desperate, pleading maybe, or apologetic. it reminds me of the channel Shrouded Hand- he has a very similar tone, and i am quite a fan of his. the tone really adds to the 'atmosphere' of the video, and it feels almost as if you were there, or you were donald himself, if that makes sense.
I agree with your statement about about other narrators but I don’t agree about this guy’s tone, it doesn’t sound desperate or pleading to me at all.
The fact this channel hasn’t popped off is insanity. The production, the narration, the stories. And the Ralph Steadman-esque drawings are the cherry on top. S tier content my friend. Keep it up and best of luck.
I love that in this story is another story of Moitissier. A man who, when everyone was at their worst, found a true level of peace. Where many men found hell, one man found heaven
A terribly sad and moving tale of man's ego getting the better of him. I feel for the wife and children, having to live their lives knowing that their father died because he couldn't admit that he wasn't the man he wished he was.
"There is no good or evil, only the Truth" Damn Don that's deep
And ironic considering all his lies
I think the helplessness unique to his situation drove him mad. and as someone who used to be suicidal i think i can recognise the act of trying to regain control over your life & regain agency by choosing how it ends. it is a morbid act, and feel for him and his family who truly suffered.
I can’t remember the last time I cried at the end of a UA-cam video. But wow. This was a masterpiece. I hope Donald found peace. Thank you for sharing his story.
I've heard this story told by many a youtuber. I'm a big fan of your channel for how you illustrate and voice these narratives, IMO you humanized Crowhurst in a way that is rare among the retellings. Thanks for making this, a take on an old tale but better and uniquely presented by a thoughtful story teller.
bruh mattisier just saying "fuck this im goin back around i love sailing this was great imma sail forever" is amazing. could probably argue he's the best sailor ever
Is he still sailing around ?
@@deformedcube apparently he passed in ‘94 from prostate cancer at the age of 69, but his entire life he sailed all over the world. His level of being at peace is something I wish I had
Trust a Frenchman to abandon his family for self satisfaction
I feel a strange sense of understanding I feel with Donald’s final entries. To take the reigns of your own life and put everything on the line, to tempt fate by subjecting yourself to the mercy of the ocean, a perfect representation of chaotic potential in it’s rawest form. All with nothing but your thoughts, memories, and past failures to dwell on while you desperately work to stay afloat. In it’s brutal indifference, the universe used the sea to punish this man, who should have prepared himself twice over how much he dreamed of winning. He lost the cosmic game the moment he put everything on the line. In his moment of ultimate despair, he concluded that his fate was the result of his attempt to cheat the game by faking his progress.
Who am I to say that he’s delusional ?
Sorry if this sounds disjointed or weird. I’m not the greatest at expressing myself, and I don’t usually write comments.
Exactly what I thought, who knows what kinds of visions or insights he experienced out on the open sea, finally disconnected from the illusions we forge for ourselves. Plus the deep ocean is a mad and spiritual place, it's where all of life comes from, and is a place that still instills a primal fear in us in it's mystery and reflective nature of the cosmos.
Yeah thats what I got. Another thing i noticed, was "there is no need worry about time plus or minus" and "important reason for work is lost understand", to me thats him at the point that all the events that happened before have become abstract, seemingly theological events. And those quotes are referring to all the work he did calculating fake times and positions, all of the guilt and emotion tied to motivating him to do it in the first place is still knocking about, so is the process. But he has lost all understanding of why he was doing it in a grounded sense. Because to him, its all become games, legends, myths and poetry. Ones which dictates his emotions.
Yes, I’m surprised it took me so much scrolling down to reach a comment like this. I feel like he was having an existential reckoning and thinking about how he wanted to go about it in the next incarnation
I just looked at the time (11:19pm) and have managed to binge your storytelling for the greater part of the day; without it at any time, becoming mundune. A truly, well-rounded way of conveyance, that allows for the listener to be immersed. A rogue diamond, especially when I initially thought it to be about equestrians lol.
Your illustrations capture the energy and emotion of this story so well; you're a great artist.
This is one of the saddest stories I have ever heard. I hope in his last moments his delusional brain painted a happier picture for him, that he had not lied, that thinking he had was just some madness from the sea, and that he had sailed the whole trip and he really was a hero, about to come home :( Rest in peace.
I'm glad your channel is getting a lot of subscribers and views because it is truly a gem in this putrid sea of content that is UA-cam. You present these eye-catching titles and thumbnails without resorting to cheap clickbait and telling these fantastic stories. I hope you continue this channel for a long time to come.
I hope so too. I'm with you, all the way!
Wow. Absolute wow. I have never even heard of this story. I'm so glad that my first hearing was by such a talented content creator. The writing, narration and art combine to create a truly unique and enthralling experience. This channel deserves a hell of a lot of attention and subs. What a story. On one hand, he was such a fool, his actions feel like they could have led to no other end. But it's also clear how it happened. He was desperate for some sense of validation, some sense of self worth. And those are both thing I can tremendously relate to. So I can understand why he made these choices at the same time. Just impossible situations.
LOVE the way you told this story and most of all, the artwork…which matches perfectly with it. This story is heart wrenching. I have so much empathy for his stance and feel for him and the mess he got himself into. I have not been there, but I get it and think most of us, have grappled with just a tiny fraction of what that feels like, at some point/s in our lives.
Your storytelling is profoundly captivating. I'm sitting here listening like a 10 year old listening to grandpa's war stories. You earned my subscription and like!
seriously, I want to meet the person who made all this and shake his hand because it is one of the most understatedly perfect videos I’ve seen on UA-cam
The most common misconception in society is that you have to do something great for your life to have meaning. It’s so sad that he couldn’t see that
You have one of the most interesting channels I’ve come across in a long time. These topics all speak to me, and your art! I love it!
The aesthetic of these videos is a like flipping through a contemporary art magazine that's too expensive to buy and I love it. I remember watching a documentary of Crowhurst a couple years ago thinking that his story was profound. Now I realize its just a very publicized loss, a man gambling everything and failing. We don't want to hear about the failures because it scares us.
Beyond the brilliant yarning style and the gripping artwork there is a single magic touch. The click of the slide projector as the chapters change is genius.
This was absolutely stunning, so thoughtfully crafted and intimatley pieced together. Gorgeous work.
The sad irony about this whole thing was that Donald actually did accomplish something remarkable. He built and designed his own boat, and though rushed and falling apart, it made it through most of the journey. He would’ve completed the race, as essentially the winner, the last one standing. The journey didn’t beat him, the lies and pressures of letting everyone down did. Such a sad story.
He didn’t make it most of the way. He fucked around in the Atlantic Ocean and waited till the others lapped him to rejoin the race.
I'm wondering why he didn't intentionally sink the boat with all his logs in it to try and save face?
@perpetualmotion357 his ego and pride couldn't handle going back home as a failure. I have a feeling it was a get to the end or die trying sort of thing.
Umm no he wouldn't have completed the race or won. He didn't even participate in the actual race
There are many channels that follow a similar story telling/video essay structure but the visuals/illustration style is beyond original/unique - bravo sir this is some beautiful work/art
This is heartbreaking. This poor man that, for whatever reason, thought he wasn't enough. This artwork is beautiful and this was told beautifuly. Also, "irradiated olive trees" is a phenominal phrase.
Perhaps the most brilliant storytelling channel I’ve ever seen on here. Absolutely beautiful artwork, sketches, no ads, no sensationalism. Pure art in every way.
It’s like walking through a featured exhibit at The MET. Truly NY MET-quality storytelling through text, writing, and art style
Everything about this video essay makes it a masterpiece. I know you've moved away from this process of creating the art yourself, by hand, for every video... but, WOW, it would be amazing to see one in this highly original style every once in awhile... or once a year.
I'm dying of laughter right now as the narrator describes Donald's mental processes, and in awe of the power of the reading and the insights from both. Brilliant. Thank you so much! Truly great.
I feel nothing but pity and co passion for Crowhurst and his family. Amazing work creating this documentary. Art style, storytelling and execution is phenomenal
your art is fantastic. the wave at 3:23 is amazing, as are the font choices. the narration was especially gripping -- it made me feel like i had a stone in my stomach, and was delivered with poise and empathy. truly beautiful!
Your storytelling, pacing, artwork, and even your speaking voice are all very good.
I've known about this story for decades, but I have to say that this is one of the best presentations of it that I have encountered. You do a masterful job of describing the whole situation, with great empathy for Crowhurst. Too many people fail in that regard when telling this tale. Thank you for doing such a fantastic job.
Simply incredible, the story telling, the ART?? Magnificent
Agree with the person who talked about how much the illustrations enriched this story. Well done and thank you so much for your time and effort on telling this with such tenderness and heart.
The artworks remind me of Schiele, this is amazing, the pacing, the music, everything. Best channel I've discovered in quite some time
Dude, where have you been all of my life? I am a new subscriber and binge-watching your channel. I cannot believe you are covering Crowhurst. I watched a movie about him ten years ago and often tell people that it is one of only three movies that have made me cry. Thank you.
This story gives me vaguely the same feeling of constant anxiety and growing dread as watching Beau is Afraid (and/or reflecting upon my own choices which is just the worst).
What is really sad is Crowhurst was already a hero.
He was a father and when you have children even if you are just a marginally good father, you are a hero in their little eyes. And always with be. I'm sure his wife regrets not pushing him to stay but she was probably just trying to support his dreams and do what wives normally don't do when they're fearful of losing their husband. Support him leaving even if he may never return.
This was such a good video, Horses. You really had me reeled in and the drawings were very interesting too. 🤍
A timeless parable of the hero transitioning to the necessary role of anti-hero and becoming the mirror that enables society to see its failings through his descent into moral and mental oblivion. Very well narrated and the visuals are top notch. Cheers.
This video is probably the best thing I have seen in a year. What a story, narration, illustration, colours, philosophy, everything. Thank you so much for this!
Man, what a fantastic storyteller you are! This was totally captivating the entire time! Got my sub!
This story (as narrated), can only be called sadly beautiful. I believe the tone, pace and empathy in the narration is what made it. Great job.
I really love your videos. You have your own style you add to your narration in your script, and aesthetic-So It’s interesting to watch your early videos (admittedly, hard to watch aesthetically but still lovely to listen to), and to witness such a vast improvement. I’d expect nothing less as clearly you have a unique finesse to your work. I really enjoyed your latest videos, and I have with every video of yours!
Be well and keep creating . It is appreciated
I gotta say this is one of the greatest UA-cam docs I have ever seen. Thank you thank you
Your videos are consistently fantastic. I thought I knew this story, but you took it to a new level. Thank you for the work you do!!! ❤❤❤
I’m thinking of how his wife realized he was begging her to give him reason to stay. One of the last times she’d ever see him and he was fearing for his life. I cannot imagine the heartbreak and guilt of losing a loved one like that.
You're my new favorite story teller on UA-cam. The art, the pacing, the charm. Can't wait for you to blow up
Love this format, really well produced. Amazing work.
that was wonderful storytelling, so gripping for such a tragic tragic tale. thank you for this!
Listening to this guy's ambitions for his boat, it sounds like he'd be the typical indie game dev enthusiast in present day.
Great story telling and artwork. Such a sad story..
I love the art style you use, it goes perfectly with content. Keep up the good work.
A tale of man, a tale of the sea, a tale of bravado, a tale of foolishness, a tale of madness, sadness and death.....and above all, a tale well told!
Liked and subscribed.....👍🏻
Now THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is a STORY! Superbly told. This is content worthy of our time, our attention, and our likes. Too bad it's such a rare thing these days. Keep up the good work. F***ing brilliant!!!
It's a shame that he went through such suffering. If he'd come home and admitted his lies, he'd face embarrassment and bankruptcy, but he would be with his family still. There's praise to be given for all the effort and work he'd put in sailing and surviving all that time despite being inexperienced and sailing on an unfinished boat nonetheless!
I hope he's alright, wherever he is now..
he died