StarAstrologer - Books : Fastnet, Force 10: The Deadliest Storm in the History of Modern Sailing, New Edition
List Price: $16.95Our Price: $11.53 You Save: $5.42 (32%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 790
EAN: 9780393308655
ISBN: 0393308650
Label: W. W. Norton & Company
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 288
Publication Date: 2000-04
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Sales Rank: 136733
Studio: W. W. Norton & Company
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
In August 1979, 303 yachts began the 600-mile Fastnet Race from the Isle of Wight off the southwest coast of England to Fastnet Rock off the Irish coast and back. It began in fine weather, then suddenly became a terrifying ordeal. A Force 10, sixty-knot storm swept across the North Atlantic with a speed that confounded forecasters, slamming into the fleet with epic fury. For twenty hours, 2,500 men and women were smashed by forty-foot breaking waves, while rescue helicopters and lifeboats struggled to save them. By the time the race was over, fifteen people had died, twenty-four crews had abandoned ship, five yachts had sunk, 136 sailors had been rescued, and only 85 boats had finished the race. John Rousmaniere was there, and he tells the tragic story of the greatest disaster in the history of yachting as only one who has sailed through the teeth of a killer storm can. With a new introduction by the author.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Although I am not a sailor (and was occasionally left beind by Rousmaniere's use of sailing terminology), I thoroughly enjoyed this account of the deadly 1979 Fastnet race. The book is a narrative of a summer sailing race turned disaster off the coast of England and Ireland. As a bonus Rousmaniere is a good writer unlike so many other adventurers.
One of the most striking elements of the storm is that its effects varied so much over a very small distance. The author, who took part ... Read More
Rating:  -
Incredible story. Well written. My family are sailors and my brother sailed one Fastnet race, so the details were both fascinating and scarey. Couldn't put the book down. If you have ever sailed, whether it be in a small sunfish or a larger boat, this story will ring so true. You will understand the challenges and the forces of nature, and hopefully make sure you are well prepared if you try anything on this scope. Great reading.
Rating: -
Even non-sailors will enjoy the thorough account of how a fast moving storm from America's Midwest grew into a sudden, shocking fury that wiped out the 1979 Fastnet race. Several boats and their fates are covered.
Rating: -
If you are looking for a good guys vs. bad guys screed; if you are looking for a juvenile, sensationalistic piece, look elaewhere. This is an intelligent, objective documentary of sea disaster in which boats were lost and people died. You don't have to be a yachtsman, just a muture student of the human experience.
Rating: -
Rousmaniere has done a great job on this book. He combines story and technical data quite well. He obviously did a lot of research, and it's reflected in the book. If you're a Sunday sailor - or a want to be ocean racer - this book is a must!
Browse for similar items by category:
|
|
|
Make Us Your Home Page
Bookmark This Site NOW
Go to Astrology Store