Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"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."

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.

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.

Kim has clearly never sailed. I got this as a gift with the anticipation of reading an account similar to "Fastnet, Force 10" and was totally disapponited. Kim's complete lack of understanding of sailing made it almost impossible to understand what he was trying to explain. You don't need to use a lot of "jargon" in writing a sailing book but you should be accurate. I knew I was in trouble when the first picture in the book, identified as "manuvering before the start", was clearly taken after the start. If you have even a small amount of sailing knowledge and want to read this account to learn something, you'll be disappointed.

My husband got this book, and I was pleasantly surprised when I picked it up to look it over and then just kept reading and reading. I liked the writer's style -- it's a book that someone with no background in the sport of yaught racing could understand, and yet it supplies all the information needed by the reader in a clear, thoughtful manner. And is a great read.

Just finised Kim Leighton's A Hard Chance: The Sydney-Hobart Race Disaster this past weekend as we moved into the new millenium. The book provided just enough of the factual details to excite in any sailor's imagination a picture of what it must have been like to be on each of the ill-fated yachts during the brunt of the storm. Just as watching a movie derived from a Stephen King novel is never quite as scary as reading the book, there is nothing more bone-chilling than what those of us can imagine who have rode out a bad storm aboard a sailboat. I found the book also to be fortified with enough descriptions and definitions so as to be understood by nonsailors as well. In particular, I identified with David Cook, one of the rescued crewmembers of Solo Globe Challenger, who said that he was willing to attempt the race again but only if accompanied by the same crew. As I awaited whatever disaster Y2K might bring, I noticed an interesting similarity. Here I was surrounded by the same crew with which I had weathered storms racing on Lake Erie aboard the yacht "Moonshadow". As we watched the millenium change in Australia, we breathed a sigh of relief and went back to talking about our times together on the water and shared Kim's book.

In the final days of 1998, 115 yachts set out from Sydney, Australia toward the Tasmanian capital of Hobart in another running of a traditional race. This one is sometimes called the Mt. Everest of yacht racing, because it takes its entrants through dangerous waters and often through perilous weather, too. This did not turn out to be the deadliest race ever in yachting history, but it certainly was the deadliest Sydney-Hobart race. Its sailors found themselves battling a storm of incredible power, one that the weather bureau never expected to turn into such a monster.

I love true adventure tales. "Into Thin Air" and "Shadow Divers" are among my favorite titles. I therefore purchased this book with considerable anticipation, and while I am not sorry I bought it - I did read all of it, and no one forced me to do so - I found it a disappointment. It somehow manages to take what ought to be a thrilling human story, and bog it down in endless technical details.

This book makes great reference to sailing and life. Kim clearly points out some of the riggers of sailing, why the sport is a draw to so many from around the world and how the Aussie people have striven to make the sport a representation of their own identity. I was skeptical when I was given the book as a gift yesterday, anticipating a dry read, I was pleasantly surprised by the inspirational nuances and literal references to sailing as the every-man's sport in Australia.

You are there - Leighton's descriptions make you feel every bump and thud. The author's choice of words and descriptions show a true story teller at work. What a story! I have no desire to sail - ever..

I was anticipating a terrific read after I looked over exerpts of the book on the America's Cup Web site ... but frankly I was bored. I did read the whole book but compared to Fastnet Force 10 this book is very weak in story and technical descriptions.

a.e.