Cork Boat

by John Pollack

Release Date: 06 January, 2004

Edition: Hardcover

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165,321 Corks. 1 Boat.

In addition to fulfilling his childhood dream of building and launching a boat made of corks, Pollack describes a range of fascinating experiences including working for President Clinton, assisting his geophysicist father in Botswana and other far-flung places, winning an international pun competition, touring the untouched 1912 cabin in Antarctica left behind by Captain Scott's ill-fated expedition, and evacuating Capitol Hill on the morning of 9/11. This book would be the perfect gift for a graduating high school or college senior, and will also appeal to wine lovers, sailors, the unemployed, fans of Portugal, and those with an interest in politics.

Pollack's writing flows. He slips in the occasional gentle pun as he tells his story, and briefly shares historic or literary footnotes to further enrich his tale. His appreciation for people and human nature made this book a standout in the adventure travel genre, in my mind, in contrast to the sneering superiority that has disappointed me in travel books by Paul Theroux or Bill Bryson.

Cork Boat leaves the reader feeling that life is interesting, varied and that anything is possible. Pollack finds this richness and achievement by reaching out to others, and letting them contribute to the fulfillment of his dream. It reminds me of the children's story of Stone Soup: "Never had the peasants tasted such a soup. And fancy, made from stones!" (Imagine: a boat made from corks!)

165,321 Corks. 1 Boat.

Follow the exploits of John Pollack as he faces uncountable obstacles while building his childhood dream - a boat made of wine corks - and then sails it down the Douro River in Portugal.

At turns funny and touching, this is a great read.

The only fault I could find in this book is there are no photos of the downriver journey, or even of the boat - even though several times the narrative mentions pictures being taken! (The curious can find a few pictures of it by typing "Cork Boat" in the google "image search", though...)