Name of a Swiss yachtsman, anybody?

About 3 years ago I came upon a second hand book, an autobiography of a Swiss yachtsman and adventurer. His story was engrossing and somewhat unusual.

He was active in the 1930s to 1950s. I cannot remember the man’s name, nor the title of his book (which I have lost). I have tried several internet searches, but to no avail. Perhaps someone out there knows of this yachtsman and can give me his name. Some details of his adventures follow:

As I said, he was Swiss, born into an upper class family. He started sailing in the Mediterranean, learning by trial and error. He ended up in Israel and worked in a kibbutz before moving on, by yacht, to Africa. He worked in Africa for a few years before crossing the Atlantic single handed in his next yacht, sailing from east to west. He crossed the Atlantic in the 1950s.

As I said, I have forgotten his name. I seem to remember that his surname was double-barrelled. Anybody know of this man?