Synopses & Reviews
“The wind was blowing at hurricane strength-sixty-five knots and over-and increasing in the gusts to eighty knots. His boat was surfing on waves as high as a sixty-foot, six-storey building. . .Each wave that struck choked and froze him, the icy water working its way down inside his survival suit.” —from
Close to the Wind by Pete Goss
In Near Death on the High Seas, Cecil Kuhne collects some of the most terrifying and astounding experiences of sailors confronting the awesome, raw power of the sea. These tales-filled with everyday heroes and survivors-comprise a riveting and often breathtaking collection of extraordinary stories that show the terrible ferocity of the untamable ocean.
Also featuring:
• Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki- the historic and celebrated journey of the Kon-Tiki as it journeys across the Pacific.
• Steve Callahan's Adrift- a solo sailor loses his boat in the Atlantic must survive in a five-foot life raft for 76 days, fighting off sharks with a makeshift spear.
• Francis Chischester's 'Gipsy Moth' Circles The World-the stirring story of a one man's solo sail around the globe at age 65.
• John Rousmaniere's Fastnet, Force 10-in one of the worst sailing tragedies in history, a massive rescue operation takes place amidst sixty-knot winds and forty-foot breaker waves.
About the Author
Cecil Kuhne is the editor of two previous anthologies on adventure travel,
On the Edge and
The Armchair Paddler. A former whitewater rafting
guide, he has also written nine books about rafting, kayaking, and canoeing. He lives in Dallas.
Table of Contents
Preface by Cecil Kuhne
Foreword by William F. Buckley Jr.
Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea, by Steven Callahan
Dark Wind: A Survivors Tale of Love and Loss, by Gordon Chaplin
Gipsy Moth Circles the World, by Sir Francis Chichester
Close to the Wind, by Pete Goss
Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft, by Thor Heyerdahl
Godforsaken Sea: Racing the Worlds Most Dangerous Waters, by Derek Lundy
The Long Way, by Bernard Moitessier
Fatal Storm: The Inside Story of the Tragic Sydney-Hobart Race, by Rob Mundle
The Last Grain Race, by Eric Newby
Sea Change: Alone Across the Atlantic in a Wooden Boat, by Peter Nichols
“Fastnet, Force 10”, by John Rousmaniere
The Brendan Voyage, by Tim Severin
Notes on the Contributors