When loose deep sand was encountered, the ‘Jeep’ had to pull both the yacht and the sedan. [ed note … this caption was included in the original article]
Shepard went on to write an article for Wide World Magazine titled First to Sail the Sahara. An 1800 mile journey with his wife and family in a sand yacht over the Desert in 1956 (it’s also been republished as a book, but this may be a modern item). The second, Sahara Adventure, is an actual book and probably a more complete account of the trip. I’ve just bought it, so I’ll report on it once I read it.
In many places the ‘Jeep’ was the center of attraction.
A typical camp scene—time for oiling the rifle and catching up on correspondence.
This photo at Agadir, just before the party started its desert journey.
a beacon for those traveling the desert wastes at night . . . Fort Trinquet.
Another rest haven for the party—the ancient walls of Fort Tindouf.
Food for the party came from the sharp shooting of Mrs. Sheppard.
J. Mortimer Sheppard, glove trotting correspondent for Willys for three years will soon release “Sailing Sahara’s Sands” the complete narrative of his desert journey. [ed. note: I believe this was retitled Sahara Adventure].
This is the land yacht which Sheppard sailed across the Sahara—with the ‘Jeep’.
The importance of water is the Sahara vividly portrayed.
Wow, Dave, you find the coolest Willys’ content. 🙂
But when I read the lines, “Shepard spent three years traveling around the globe on behalf of Willys as a correspondent in the mid 1950s”, it made me think you were born 50-60 years too late 😉
That just seems like a job made for YOU!
Sounded like a cool gig to me, too 🙂
Dave, Your sailing skills would come in handy if you decided to repeat this adventure.
I think the term “skills” is a stretch. Perhaps sailing “luck” is a better word choice, and it would take luck for me to survive sailing the Sahara!
I think today’s Sahara has a new element of survival skill requirements that may not have existed back then. Today you would be target.