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Impressions of William F Buckley, Jr.’s 1987 “Racing Through Paradise”
February 13, 2025
By Alsena L. Martin
Many writers yearn to travel and write, a way to journal improvements for their sport, create a new chapter in their book, or find inspiration for new story ideas. William Buckley’s, “Racing Through Paradise” navigates these desires on a voyage across the Pacific Ocean with a crew to remember. The six crew members listed on this voyage are Dan Merritt, Evan Galbraith, Christopher Buckley, Reginal Stoops, Christopher Little, and Richard Clurman. Along the way, they contribute to a collective journal, sharing their sailing experience and feelings.
Exhilarations soar through these details involving their journey and creating this book. The crew encounters everything from what it costs to set sail to struggles with the weather. Buckley even shares details about navigational technology from the eighties. As a creative writer, I see much inspiration for a nonfiction film that includes the energy of inventors in their early years of navigating the GPS systems. Someone should create a story sharing how GPS and other navigational tools made their way – a treasure much like watching ET, Goonies, Jaws, or Cocoon from the eighties but in nonfiction. As a youngster during this time, I remember some of the logos, companies, and games mentioned. It was often not the game that interested me but the bonding between friends and family.
One of the many areas that stood out was on page 73, where Buckley mentions Pete’s Bar in Horta as a “center of sailing life and a place to leave messages for other sailors.” I found these details unique. It makes me want to create a space on land like this for relaxing and receiving packages. I love how the crew collected newspapers at various stops on their voyage. Like the crew members, I often collect newspapers and literature when I travel, and I love finding new sources.
As a reader, you might also find it interesting that Buckley shares encounters with new languages, new customs, the politics of the eighties, and various organizations. It was exciting looking up the etymology behind the foreign boat names. When they arrived in novel places, each community had some form of customary welcome with various regulations. It is always good to learn these things ahead of time. Politics was slightly different back then, but Buckley’s details are fascinating. Knowing the politics of various areas and how your home country relates is essential. I love it when authors mention the Peace Corps and the people along the way. Community services like these help our world grow into better relations globally.
As I conclude, a humbling area emerges on page 182 where the sailors spot land after a long voyage and how it is never as close as it appears. This made me think about recent events like the DC Plane Crash involving those who travel. We go along in life and spend a lot of time and energy planning our destinations, only to have it all end in the last mile. It is unfortunate to see travelers never return home. Although Buckley and his Crew made it, this is a reality that all sailors and travelers must consider. It is such a deep concern that it makes me wonder about loved ones who have passed and what happens to them next. In life, we only see the top side.
My deepest hope is that peace will be with us all when we reach our last mile. Stay safe on your travels and thank you for reading.
Source
Buckley, William F. Racing Through Paradise. New York, United States of America: Random House, 1987. Book.
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