A really outstanding adventure book, a real nail-biter, all the more dramatic because it's a TRUE story, is below. And even more poignant to me, because I've sailed on that same ship, and had my hand held as I was helped on board, by some of the very crew members who perished in the storm.
The Ship and the Storm: Hurricane Mitch and the Loss of the Fantome
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In October 1998, one of the most savage storms in Atlantic history cornered a 282-foot passenger sailing ship against an exposed Caribbean coastline. With nowhere to hide and no time to run, the Fantome turned to face Hurricane Mitch's assault of 180 mile-per-hour winds and 50-foot seas. As the eye of the storm approached, Fantome's satellite phone went dead. The ship and its 31 crewmembers simply disappeared, leaving only questions that won't go away.
The Ship and the Storm explores every facet of this tragic story. Was the ship seaworthy? Why did the captain put to sea with the storm approaching? What happened in the eye wall of the worst hurricane in 200 years?
This riveting real-life drama is forensic journalism at its finest, taking us from the deck of the ship, to cruise company headquarters in Miami, to the National Hurricane Center, to the families of the crewmembers. From Jim Carrier's extensive on-site research and hundreds of hours of interviews emerges a story of hubris, courage, and the power of nature.