The improbable voyage of the yacht Outward Leg into, through, and out of the heart of Europe

"The Improbable Voyage" is the astonishing account of master sailor and storyteller Tristan Jones' 2,307-mile voyage across Europe in an oceangoing trimaran, Outward Leg. Continuing his round-the-world journey, Tristan traveled from the North Sea to the Black Sea via the rivers Rhine and Danube. Tristan welcomed each difficulty-including a Bulgarian gunboat-as a challenge to be met and overcome. Battling ice and cold, life-threatening rapids and narrow defiles, German bureaucrats and Romanian frontier police, the indomitable Tristan made his way through eight countries and emerged triumphant, if battered, bruised and penniless, at the Black Sea. This voyage provides a memorable addition to the travel accounts of Central Europe. Tristan gives us a vivid glimpse of the quality of life along Europe's oldest water routes and behind the Iron Curtain. Flying the Red Ensign, the Stars and Stripes, and the Red Dragon of Wales, and playing bagpipe music at full volume, Tristan announced his passage in every town, city, and country. He became legendary along the Danube.