Fatal Storm. The 54th Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race - Softcover

Mundle, Rob

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0713661682 ISBN 13: 9780713661682

Publisher: Adlard Coles Nautical, 2001

Synopsis

The Sydney to Hobart yacht race has become established as one of the world's major sporting events. In 1998 it became one of the world's major sporting disasters. Six sailors tragically perished, countless others suffered injuries and numerous yachts sank or were badly damaged. The subsequent search and rescue operation was one of the most phenomenally accomplished peacetime efforts the world has ever seen. Rob Mundle, one of Australia's leading journalists and yachtsmen, tells this story of challenge and survival with compassion, vigour and understanding. He details the history of the race, the excitement of the start and the thrill of competition, and from his extensive interviews with officals, crews, survivors and rescue service personnel he relates like no other the calamity and triumph of the 1998 blue water classic. This is a tale of high adventure, of fascination with and fear of the sea, and of the emotions of the families of the competitors as well as the competitors themselves; the dreadful situations when faced with fatalities, and the feelings of utter helpless when it came to saving others. It is a salute to the rescuers, and a tribute to those who died.

About this title

Review:

'A riveting and harrowing story of the storm which devastated a sporting nation.' Ray Kershler, Daily Telegraph

From the Back Cover:

“Mundle’s portrayals of courageous sailors and heroic rescuers fighting for their lives are as vivid as any I have read.”--John Rousmaniere, author, Fastnet, Force 10

“Wet and nonstop action. Thrilling.”--Washington Times

“Harrowing shoreside reading.”--Booklist

“A compelling story, well written and meticulously researched.”--Cruising World

One of the world’s three great ocean sailing competitions, the annual 600-mile race from Sydney, Australia, to Hobart, Tasmania, pits sailboats against the notoriously rough waters of Bass Strait and the Tasman Sea.

The 115 boats leaving Sydney Harbor on December 26, 1998, expected rough weather, but the gale that caught the boats well at sea in the predawn hours of December 27 was anything but routine. The freak, unseasonal storm brought hurricane-strength winds, waves six stories high, and the worst sailing disaster in recent history. Seven boats were abandoned at sea and five sank. Fifty-seven sailors were plucked from the decks of broken boats or from the sea itself under impossible conditions. Six sailors died.

Rob Mundle is a veteran Australian journalist and television reporter as well as a longtime competitive sailor. He has reported on six America’s Cup matches, four Olympics, and numerous other sailing events, and is the author of Ocean Warriors and other books.

About this edition

• Publisher: Adlard Coles Nautical
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0713661682
• ISBN 13: 9780713661682
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 344