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Title: The Ship and the Storm: Hurricane Mitch and the Loss of the Fantome by Jim Carrier ISBN: 0-15-600740-1 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: 03 June, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (24 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A thoroughly reseached tale of a tall ship and her crew
Comment: This book tells the story of the Sailing Vessel Fantome, and its final encounter with Hurricane Mitch. This story is more compelling than Perfect Storm, in that much of what happened to the ship and crew is known. The majesty of tall ships adds to the dramatic atmosphere in a way a fishing boat cannot. This thoroughly researched and documented story is more meaningful and interesting than Isaac's Storm because of the timeliness and contemporary interviews.
This is a story of the most basic man versus nature. It is easier to follow this storm than the one in Perfect Storm. Hurricane Mitch was followed by the modern world from its earliest moments to its predatory fury over Honduras.
Jim Carrier has carefully researched and told the story of the Fantome and her history. He has recounted the last month of the ship and its aftermath without any of the sensationalism and second-guessing that was common in so much of the press and in magazine articles afterwards. And finally, he applied "Forensic Journalism" to draw some conclusions about those moments that we don't know what happened. This is a story that is a fine addition to anyone with an interest in stories of the sea and human drama. Of course, those who have been fortunate to sail on the tall ships will insist on owning this book.
As I read this book, I was sailing aboard the S/V Polynesia, another ship of the Windjammer/Barefoot Fleet. To my east, two hurricanes were on the prowl. This added to the chill of reading this book. I knew the Fantome and her crew, and they have a permanent place in my heart. I followed the news closely and shared it with others. I imagined myself in Captain Guyan's place, and thought of the decisions that he would have made. And I cried with the memories as Amazing Grace was played when the sails went up.
Jim Carrier had done a remarkable job with his research and this book. Once you read this book, you will understand the truth and the known details of what happened to this beautiful ship and her crew.
Rating: 4
Summary: The Imperfect Storm
Comment: A journalistic look at a cruise shipwreck caused by Hurricane Mitch, Carrier's book delves into the history of the Fantome, an old tall ship that sank with 30 men aboard due to bad luck and, in hindsight, a misplaced desire to save property at the expense of human life. Larded with too much inane chatter saved off the Internet while the drama played out, the book is further flawed by excess padding about the storm's aftermath on the obscure western Caribbean islands where the Fantome sailed. Too long by a third, the tale needed a sharper editor. Still, what Carrier conveys about the ship and its Miami-based company is compelling enough to make up for his reporter's tendancy to include too much unnecessary flotsam about what survivors dreamed as their loved ones died, what the dead men left as their last requests, and what the howling storm sounded like to the many British and American expats who dug holes in the ground to wait out Mitch on islands devastated by the Category 5 storm. What the book makes clear is how stupid the management of Windjammer Cruises was for not canceling the boat's final cruise before the storm got out of control. Evidently, there were many opportunities for the crew to anchor and let the storm possibly damage the ornate boat, but at least their lives would have been saved. Comparisons with "The Perfect Storm" are silly. Both books are interesting reads. So what if this one followed the bigger bestseller? It is overlooked, but should not be.
Rating: 5
Summary: Good meteorological detail
Comment: This book was unique in that in went into detail on what went on in the minds and decisions of forecasters at the National Hurricane Center, as well as specific details on the meteorological events of Hurricane Mitch. I enjoyed the book's arrangement of detailed events aboard Fantome, with an intermittent change to events with Mitch, and events at the NHC and Windjammer management. Very suspenseful and detailed. Good sea adventure.
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Title: Barefoot Pirate: The Tall Ships and Tales of Windjammer by Ed Crowell, Robert W. Schachner ISBN: 0757001289 Publisher: Square One Publishers Pub. Date: 01 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
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Title: Rescue in the Pacific: A True Story of Disaster and Survival in a Force 12 Storm by Tony Farrington ISBN: 0070486190 Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 1998 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Fastnet, Force 10: The Deadliest Storm in the History of Modern Sailing, New Edition by John Rousmaniere ISBN: 0393308650 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: April, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: The Proving Ground by G. Bruce Knecht ISBN: 0446611859 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Godforsaken Sea: The True Story of a Race Through the World's Most Dangerous Waters by Derek Lundy ISBN: 0385720009 Publisher: Anchor Books/Doubleday Pub. Date: 02 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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