The Compelling True Story Of The 1998 Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race
On 26 December 1998, huge crowds cheer as 115 yachts carrying 1,135 crew leave picture-perfect Sydney Harbour for the 54th annual race to Hobart. By nightfall the next day, one of the world's great ocean challenges has become a desperate race for survival. Sixteen yachts and more than 150 competitors are missing. A massive and dangerous rescue attempt is underway. In the darkness and fury, battered crews fight for life as their boats are smashed by winds of up to 150 km/h and waves the size of office blocks. By morning, six experienced sailors are dead - victims of a storm so severe weather forecasters call it "an extreme event:".
Why did the race go so badly wrong? Why were so many crews unprepared for the devastating conditions. Why did some competitors ignore cries for help while others risked their own lives to assist? And how did the survivors outlast nature's worse?
Using extensive research and writing with gripping immediacy and page-turning suspense, Debbie Whitmont weaves together the threads of this unique human drama, from the courage of the crew members and their heroic rescuers to the anguish and despair of those listening helplessly onshore. Her powerful book will captivate you from the very first page.
