Fatal Storm: The Inside Story of the Tragic Sydney-Hobart Race: Amazon.co.uk: James Hardy, Rob Mundle, Robert Mundle: Books

Amazon.co.uk Review

"As far as I was concerned, death was just there in the water alongside us. You could sense it was there. I was thinking if I get out of this I'm going to be a lucky bloke. The whole boat was completely engulfed in white water, completely submerged. We went into the night thinking the next wave could be the one that took us out."

Journalist and yachtsman Rob Mundle had covered the Sydney to Hobart yacht race 30 times, three times as a competitor, but the 46th renewal was to be the most extraordinary, and ultimately tragic story he has ever had to report.

Millions around the world had witnessed the sunshine carnival of the race start on Boxing Day morning in 1998. Within 24 hours the fleet would be devastated by a "weather bomb"--a freak cyclone with gusting winds of90 knots and waves to 80 feet--and one of the most dramatic sea rescues of modern times began. Six lives were lost and a further 55 competitors were winched from their stricken vessels as they lay at the mercy of the towering sea.

In interviews with the survivors and their rescuers and through a rich selection of awe-inspiring photographs, Mundle takes us to the heart of the storm, recounting stories of their desperate courage and extraordinary endeavour as the tragedy unfolded.

Fatal Storm is a powerful and moving celebration of the spirit of adventure that carried these men and women to the ocean and a fitting tribute to those who did not return. --Alex Hankin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

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 helplessness when it came to saving others. It is a salute to the rescuers and a tribute to those who died. The annual 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. Rob Mundle, tells this story of challenge and survival, details the history of the race, the excitement of the start and the thrill of competition, and from his interviews with officials, crews, survivors and rescue service personnel he relates the calamity and triumph of this event. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

After a slow start I simply couldn't stop reading this book. 31 May 2000

By apjk@compuserve.com

Format:Paperback

This book started off very slowly for me. It was as if the author was trying too hard to create a dramatic introduction to what was, by its very nature, a dramatic story. Once into the race, though, the book simply grabbed my attention and did not let me go until I had finished reading. As a yachtsman with only limited exposure to foul weather, the detached, almost clinical, narrative Mundle uses to describe death and destruction on the high seas filled me with dread. I did not get wet but I felt the fear, the despair and the desperate anxiety of the crews while they were fighting for their lives. This is a terrifying story, wonderfully presented.

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Excelent gripping account of "worlds toughtest yacht race". 5 April 2000

By A Customer

This book was just what I was looking for, something to read while on holiday, that turns a long flight into a short hop you know what I mean. the first few chapters explain the main players and give some personal background, but the book really gets going when we start the race. All the chapters follow different disaster each could be a book in its own right! How so few people died is amazing. The book follows a good line between the morbid and the reality of such a situation. This is as close as I want to get to rolling a yacht while keeping my feet dry!

More drama in one book than all the Patrick O'Brien series. 15 Aug 1999

Format:Hardcover

Rob Mundle gets to the very heart of his subject, the confined quarters of a sailboat in horrendous sea conditions. He's been there. He puts you there so effectively in his vivid accounts of these stricken yachts that you come away from reading the book, thanking the good Lord that you the reader are still alive...having survived the storm. A must read for anyone going to sea or building a boat to sail offshore! Mundle gives you more drama in one book than you get in the entire Patrick O'Brien series.