A Hard Chance; Terror Under Sail - The Sydney-Hobart Race Disaster [Hardcover]

Kim Leighton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1999

When 114 sailing yachts set out from Australia's Sydney Harbor on Boxing Day, December 26, 1998, for the 43rd Annual Sydney-to-Hobart ocean classic the mood was festive. Crowds jammed the harbor and headlands in the midsummer heat to watch the yachts tack east to the Sydney Heads, set colorful spinnakers and run with the wind, south, for the finish line 630 miles distant in Hobart, Tasmania. None knew they were being stalked by a deadly storm. In the next 48 hours, the monster storm would strike, destroying yachts, washing scores of sailors overboard into 80-foot seas, killing six and spurring the largest sea rescue ever mounted by Australians. In the style of A Perfect Storm and Into Thin Air, A Hard Chance traces the fateful collision course between a violent storm at sea and the world-class sailors and racing yachts that would bear its full and deadly fury. As the storm unleashes its power, A Hard Chance amplifies the sea of terror that individual rescuers and racers overcame through skill and raw courage to save their boats and crew and pluck 55 doomed yachtsmen from the Tasman Sea.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

On December 26, 1998, 115 yachts set out from Sydney Harbor at the start of the Sydney to Hobart race--a grueling 735-mile race down the east coast of Australia, across the Bass Strait, and down the length of Tasmania. The Syd-Hob is widely known as the toughest open-ocean race on earth, but the 1998 race was the toughest yet. By the end of the day on the 29th, six lives were lost, over 50 sailors were rescued, five boats were sunk, and many more boats--and sailors--were damaged.

A Hard Chance is another look at the Syd-Hob disaster, one refreshingly free of overarching fingerpointing. While the efforts of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in rescuing more than 50 sailors are enthusiastically praised, the Weather Bureau--which bore the brunt of the blame by some accounts--is absolved. In the end it was each sailor's decision to participate, and each skipper's responsibility to make decisions for his or her ship. ("It is one thing to willingly participate in an ocean race as a sport, a pastime or a passion. It is voluntary. None of the 1,135 participants was on board because he or she was required to be.")

Journalist Kim Leighton allows the voices of the participants to shine through, lending immediacy to his narrative of a dangerous race gone seriously wrong. The text does sometimes get bogged down in technical detail, and landlubbers may feel adrift in a sea of sailing terminology ("We started to gibe as the wind shifted and we blew a spinnaker, which we replaced with a number three jib"), but the story remains compelling. --Sunny Delaney

Review

"Leighton far exceeds the bar set by some of the more notable works (The Perfect Storm, for example) on maritime disasters. This book delivers exactly as it should: with large doses of heroism, incompetence, ego and frightening insight into an unforgiving sea." -- Seth McEvoy, ForeWord Magazine

A Hard Chance is a sailing term for racing up wind. This true and chilling book traces the fateful collision course between a violent storm and the world-class sailors and racing yachts that would bear its full and deadly fury. Within 48 hours from the start of the race, a monster storm struck, killing six and spurring the largest sea rescue ever mounted by Australians. A Hard Chance is a gripping, hour by hour account of the terror the racers expereinced, its so real you feel like you were there. -- From The Author

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 287 pages
• Publisher: Willow Creek Pr (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157223282X
• ISBN-13: 978-1572232822
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,130,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read; crisp, informative and enjoyable., October 25, 1999

By 

Daniel Lagace (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Hard Chance; Terror Under Sail - The Sydney-Hobart Race Disaster (Hardcover)

"A Hard Chance" was a great read. It put me there, aboard the boats that took a terrific pounding in Bass Strait during the Sydney to Hobart ocean race. If you enjoyed Sebasatian Junger's "The Perfect Storm," you'll love Kim Leighton's "A Hard Chance."

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent and concise,gripping story,well written,good det, October 31, 1999

By 

A chicago Sailor ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Hard Chance; Terror Under Sail - The Sydney-Hobart Race Disaster (Hardcover)

Kim Leighton has a nice way of weaving together the multiple details,gives appropriate attention to the the overall story and those behind the scenes. One gains/reaffirms a deep appreciation for all involved;sailing crews, families, rescue teams.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars made me never want to leave the sight of land again, October 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Hard Chance; Terror Under Sail - The Sydney-Hobart Race Disaster (Hardcover)

I'm not a sailor, so I really liked that I could understand all the techno-jargon. Even people who don't sail will really get what happened out there. I felt the force of that storm. There were times I put the book down and realized I was holding my breath against the sea and hoping I wasn't bruised or broken. I never want to leave land again. Finally, I appreciated the US slant of a book about a distinctly non-American race. This book is worth the read.