[.ca] Fatal Storm: The Inside Story of the Tragic ... (ISBN 0071361405)

From Amazon.com:
In the world of competitive off-shore sailing, Christmas Day is thought of as Boxing Day Eve--that is, the eve of the annual Sydney-to-Hobart Race. One of the world's three major offshore races (along with the Fastnet out of England and America's Newport Race to Bermuda), the 630-mile course from Sydney, Australia, to Hobart, Tasmania, is a test of skills, guts, and endurance in notoriously unpredictable, fickle waters--and in any weather. On Boxing Day, 1998, the 115 boats jockeying at the starting line off Sydney's Nielsen Park Beach had been warned that low-pressure weather systems were conspiring to guarantee a wild and chancy race. Yet few sailors anticipated the ferocity of the storm that descended around two o'clock the next morning, whipping up gale-force winds and waves tall enough to send 25-ton yachts "spearing into midair," then "plunging down into the trough ... like repeatedly launching a truck off a 30-foot ramp and awaiting the crash." The race quickly devolved into the worst sailing disaster in recent memory. Seven crews abandoned their boats. Over 50 sailors were rescued under near-impossible circumstances. Seven died, and five boats sank. Journalist Rob Mundle follows the dramatic struggles in Fatal Storm, skillfully re-creating from firsthand accounts the stories of bravery, luck, and folly that left a handful of sailors convinced they'd never go near the Hobart again. Yet as one veteran yachtsman lived to point out, "It's something you just have to do.... You can't be under the illusion at any time that it is safe." --Svenja Soldovieri

Interesting:
A pretty good read. The story jumped around a bit, but you can keep up with it. The map toward the start was a big help in locating where the accidents happened. The pictures could have used a little more explaining.

Great Subject; Well Written:
I read this book just before reading Bruce Knecht's version of the 1998 Sydney-Hobart race titled: The Proving Ground. I think Fatal Storm is a better book. It is focused on the facts and personalities that really mattered; and is written in a straight forward style. He does not try and create drama where there is none, nor does he give inordinant attention to flamboyant, prominent people who were not really at the center of the race tragedy. He may have omitted details of interpersonal tension and questions of competency within race teams (such as the Sword of Orion) but he might have been making a prudent judgment call in doing so. (While Bruce Knecht is very direct in describing intra-team problems and discord, one suspects he is blowing tenuous facts out of proportion to create drama.) My one criticism is not unique: the book is organized first by time frame, then by yacht. It's difficult to follow as there is a fair amount of information about other boats between leaving the discussion of one boat, then picking it up again.

Great Read for a long airline flight:
I finished this book on a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles...with one disaster after another occurring in this massive storm, the writer keeps the reader actively turning pages throughout the book. You would not believe the bravery of everyone involved, from the actual racing teams to the rescue teams, not one person was left unphased by this experience. I am not an active sailor now, but with some experience in racing with a crew on sailboats, I found the account of this true story gripping. Certainly, a fun book to read, even if you are not into sailing. It may even convince you to never go open ocean sailing!

Fast, furious and informative. READ THIS BOOK!:
When I decided to read this book, I actually started with another book on the subject recommended by Sports Illustrated. Based on Amazon reviewers I selected this one and wasn't disappointed. Mundle attempts to show the personal side of the individuals as well as the intense struggle on each boat and helicopter. This is a spellbinding story which he did a good job of relaying. I learned about sailing but more importantly, I learned what it felt like to confront your worst nightmare come true. This is a great subject correctly described by the author and as a bonus, the pictures in the book are good also. Off-coast sailing? Not for me after this book.

Clip on your lifeline!:
If you've ever wondered what it's really like to be inside the cabin of a sailboat that has just been flipped by an 80-foot wave and 100 mph winds, read Fatal Storm. Mundle's sailing experience and descriptive prose made this fateful race come alive for me. Long after I had put the book down from a record three-hour reading session, my world was still rocking, I still felt the wind and rain in my face, and I found myself glancing behind, waiting for the next rogue wave to slam me down one more time. Anyone even remotely interested or connected to the world of sailing should not miss this spellbinding tale. Most important, you will remember its important lessons when you leave for an offshore cruise or race of your own.