This is the story of Bernard and Françoise Moitessier's honeymoon voyage aboard Joshua, sailing from Europe to the islands of the Pacific and back by way of Cape Horn, the "logical route," because it was the fastest. Setting out from Tahiti, they make their way through the Roaring Forties, iceberg territory, and the relentless gale-force winds of the higher latitudes. They owe their survival to careful preparation, superior seamanship, and their sens of harmony with Joshua and the sea.

Cape Horn is also the tale of how Joshua, Moitessier's dream boat, became a reality, and how he recovered from the disaster of losing his previous boat--which he himself had built--to pursue his great love: sailing the world's oceans.