Tristan Jones

Arguably one of the best loved icons of 20th century nautical literature, Tristan thrilled his readers with sixteen books of adventures on seas and rivers, and hundreds of magazine articles.

Although he passed away from a stroke in Thailand in 1995, his books remain in print in Britain and in America.

Tristan Jones was an enigma. No one, not even his closest friends, knew much about him and the first two thirds of his life. He cleverly buried his true history and invented a new one to make himself appear more interesting than he thought himself to be. A natural and gifted story-teller, he had no trouble in convincing most people of his heroic deeds.

He said he was born of Welsh seafaring parents aboard his father’s tramp steamer off the islands of Tristan da Cunha in May 1924 – hence his name - Tristan. Biographical details tell of him growing up in the (non-existent) tiny hamlet of Llangareth, near Barmouth. In fact he was born Arthur Jones, in a Liverpool hospital, on May 8th, 1929. His mother, who may or may not have been Welsh, was unmarried.

He wrote of serving in the Royal Navy during WWII, and of being torpedoed three times before his 18th birthday. Naval records, however, show he signed on in November 1946, at age 17 ½, and served until December 1960. He claimed a long list of international sailing records, few of which he had earned. Among them, over 400,000 miles at sea in small boats – 180,000 of which, he said, he sailed solo. He actually sailed about 75,000 miles, and almost none alone.

Tristan’s major strength was his superb narrative style. He could make words sing. He could hold readers and lecture audiences spell-bound with his tales, fiction and fact. He was a master – a fact recognised by the Welsh Arts Council, who awarded him a literary prize in 1979. In 1991 he also won the John Morgan Prize for Literature.

© Copyright Anthony Dalton 2003

Tristan Jones’s books are published by
Sheridan House, in the USA - sheridanhouse.com
and by Adlard Coles Nautical, in Britain - acblack.com
connection: Self proclaimed Welshman

link by:researcher
anthonydalton.com
Canadian biographer Anthony Dalton author of the revealing 'Wayward Sailor'.

		Wayward Sailor: In Search of the Real Tristan Jones Anthony Dalton’s revealing biography – WAYWARD SAILOR in search of the real Tristan Jones is available online at Amazon. Click now to check availability!
		ICE Follow Tristan's adventures in one of the worlds most dangerous environments! Click for availability!
		The incredible voyage More adventures! Click for availability!
		The imporbable voyage More adventures! Click for availability!

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