A dramatic and thrilling portrait of a long-forgotten true adventure and astounding seafaring achievement.

In The Raftsmen, author and documentary filmmaker Ryan Barnett takes readers on an astonishing maritime adventure set in the aftermath of World War II.

For four French expatriates who escaped the clutches of the Nazi regime to find asylum in Canada, adventure was to be the antidote to depression brought on by the cruelty of war. In 1956, armed with nothing but the flannel on their backs, a small stock of food, and some crude navigation and communication equipment, the quartet set sail from Halifax.

Their goal: to become the first crew to cross the Atlantic by raft. Fashioned from telephone poles and built entirely by hand, the raft they called L'Egare II would be their home for 88 harrowing days as they crossed the North Atlantic from Canada to Britain. And they made it!

In The Raftsmen, Barnett and comic illustrator Dmitry Bondarenko explore the adventure-fueled men aboard the L'Egare II, and the complex emotional undercurrents that led to their daredevil voyage.

Original archival photography and film stills taken by the crew aboard the raft, along with news reports and contemporary interviews with still-living members and other key players, round out the re-telling of this amazing journey.

Sixty years after they set sail, the epic story of the raftsmen's historic Atlantic crossing is brought to life for the first time.

Ryan Barnett ; Illustrated by Dmitry Bondarenko

Ryan Barnett's profile page

Dmitry Bondarenko is a freelance illustrator, born in Moscow and raised in Toronto. A classically trained artist with certification from Sheridan College and OCAD University, his enthusiasm for history and material culture led him to a friendship with author Christian Cameron, with whom he has been producing artwork for Cameron’s Tyrant and Killer of Men series. Recently he has created artwork for the Red Knight series from Orion Books, set in a medieval fantasy universe. Bondarenko has also created artwork for numerous publications, television, and film. He may be found on the web at www.dmitryillustration.com.

Dmitry Bondarenko's profile page

An inherently fascinating read from beginning to end, "The Raftsmen" is unreservedly recommended for the personal reading lists of real life action and adventure fans, and will prove to be a unique and enduringly popular addition to community library collections.

Midwest Book Review

Fascinating, thrilling real-life adventure story.

Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children's and Young Adult Literature

Using a blend of archival photography and artwork interwoven with narrative comics, Barnett and Bondarenko engage readers with a rich and emotionally charged account of this long-overlooked voyage... The Raftsmen brings all the excitement of a television docudrama to the printed page through beautifully illustrated maps and sequentially illustrated accounts of major challenges during the voyage. This colourful and entertaining book is suitable for younger readers as well as for adults.

Canada's History Magazine

Now, the account of L'Egare II has arrived in book form as The Raftsmen, a storytelling tour de force that sees author Ryan Barnett and illustrator Dmitry Bondarenko combine their talents to remarkable effect.

Canadian Geographic

This intriguing debut tells the remarkable story of how Henri Beaudout sailed across the Atlantic Ocean with three companions on a 30-foot wooden raft in 1956... Barnett's book is beautifully laid out, and Bondarenko's lively graphic segments blend seamlessly with the narrative. This is a fascinating story that will take readers on a mostly forgotten but still inspiring voyage.

Publishers Weekly

A fascinating blend of nonfiction storytelling, narrative comics, and archival imagery.

Hakai Magazine's eNewsletter

One of the great unsung maritime adventures of the twentieth century is the 1956 crossing of the North Atlantic by three French Canadians on a 30-foot raft built of nine telephone pole length logs and 6,000 feet of rope. Captained by Henri Beaudout, a draftsman, the voyage was designed to test his theory that a raft launched between the latitudes of 45 and 50 degrees north and powered only by a sail and the Gulf Stream has to end up in Europe in 100 days at most. But there was a more personal reason, too: Beaudout hoped the excursion would exorcise the demons that had plagued him since his experiences in WWII. Joining him as his crew were Gaston Vanackere, the cameraman who recorded the voyage, and Marc Modena, the radioman. The narrative nonfiction account of the 89-day voyage from Halifax to Cornwall in England is heavily illustrated with Vanackere's photographs, supplemented by comic art interludes drawn by Bondarenko. The highly dramatic account makes compelling reading for armchair adventurers of all ages.

Booklist

Ryan Barnett's combination of words and photographs combine with Bondarenko's graphic comic to make a book that is not only fascinating but also handsome.

Owen Sound Sun Times

The account of the voyage is gripping, as is the illustrated narrative... The core story comes across every bit as odd, remarkable, and worthy of being remembered as Barnett intended.

Quill and Quire

A fascinating and thrilling real-life adventure story.

Kirkus