Near Death on the High Seas: True Stories of Disaster and Survival (Vintage Departures Original) [Paperback]

Cecil Kuhne (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 11, 2008 | Series: Vintage Departures Original

“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.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The first in a promising series of nonfiction adventure anthologies deals with disasters and near disasters in small craft on the high seas. Some of the accounts are of those who went to sea for science (Thor Heyerdahl’s “Kon-Tiki”) or as merchant sailors (Eric Newby’s “The Last Grain Race”). More are of narrow escapes from disaster while yachting (Steven Callahan’s “Adrift,” Sir Francis Chichester’s “Gypsy Moth Circles the World,” and Peter Nichols’ “Sea Change”). In the grimmest narratives, death not only stalks but catches its prey, in the South Pacific in Gordon Chaplin’s “Dark Wind,” off the coast of Australia in Rob Mundle’s “Fatal Storm,” and in the Irish Sea in John Rousmaniere’s “Fastnet, Force 10,” about history’s worst yacht-racing disaster. This kind of sampler offers little to the seasoned adventure reader, perhaps, but is invaluable for introducing the curious to the subject and some classic books about it. On to mountains, deserts, jungles, the sky, the ocean deeps, the bowels of the earth, and beyond! --Roland Green

Review

“Gripping. . . . Not merely a collection of tales of derring-do; at its strongest it delivers a full-blooded sense of lives lived far beyond the comfort zone most of us have so meticulously constructed.”–The New York Sun

“Invaluable for introducing the curious to the subject and some classic books about it. On to mountains, deserts, jungles, the sky, the ocean deeps, the bowels of the earth, and beyond!”–Library Journal

“A simply marvelous collection. Whether in the urgent prose of those who sail more than they write, or the gifted language of great natural narrators, this book throbs. Sometimes the waves are so close that you recoil; at other moments you ache with the pain of the sacrifices to the sea. Read all the dozen pieces and relish each one–this is blood-hot writing.”–Frank Delaney, author of Simple Courage and Tipperary

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 433 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (March 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307279340
• ISBN-13: 978-0307279347
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,425,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Near Death on the High Seas, July 27, 2008

By 

Alexandro C. Telander "Alex C. Telander" (Roseville, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Near Death on the High Seas: True Stories of Disaster and Survival (Vintage Departures Original) (Paperback)

The sense of adventure is one facet of humanity, and while some choose to ignore it, others indulge in it: dabbling with the dangerous, playing with the portentous, and facing their fears. Near Death on the High Seas is a collection of real life stories about people who strive for thrill and adventure, through the medium they love: a boat and the open sea.

The book opens with an inspiring Foreword from the late William F. Buckley Jr.. Then the first story begins simply about a man and his boa...more The sense of adventure is one facet of humanity, and while some choose to ignore it, others indulge in it: dabbling with the dangerous, playing with the portentous, and facing their fears. Near Death on the High Seas is a collection of real life stories about people who strive for thrill and adventure, through the medium they love: a boat and the open sea.

The book opens with an inspiring Foreword from the late William F. Buckley Jr.. Then the first story begins simply about a man and his boat. Having traveled the seas many times over, he is a skilled seamen but on this particular day a storm will give him a run for his money and leave his beloved boat in pieces, while he barely escapes with his life. The stories are provocative, descriptive, and well-written. The important thing to remember is that each of them actually happened. While at times they seem similar, these are real lives lived close to the edge. In some cases not all survive - real people have sadly died in catastrophic events. Near Death on the High Seas also includes memorable and renowned high seas stories from Thor Heyerdahl on his Kon-Tiki journey to the Polynesian islands, as well as Sir Francis Chichester circling the globe on his Gipsy Moth.

Near Death on the High Seas is a book that will take you across the icy cold seas of the world, through torrential storms and typhoons, daring the horrors of the deeps; all from the comfort of home. And remember that while these are well written accounts of daring and destruction, they are also about real people who faced real dangers for the thrill of being on the open water in a boat.

For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Experiences of 12 adventurers, April 12, 2008

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Near Death on the High Seas: True Stories of Disaster and Survival (Vintage Departures Original) (Paperback)

Near Death on the High Seas is a compilation of condensed experiences from twelve different events that have taken place over the last fifty years. From Thor Heyerdahl and "Kon-Tiki" sailing across the Pacific in a reed raft to the modern, highly sophisticated craft the endured force 12 winds only ten years ago in the annual Sidney to Hobart race that nearly wiped out the entire fleet.

We have all heard of the hardships and trials that men and women have related to the world about the various competitions and exploits that modern sailors have endured while sailing the world's oceans. You already know that sailing on the world's oceans is a dangerous business.

These stories are told by the men and women that experienced them. You hear of the bone-chilling cold while sailing at 40 degrees south in seas that can reach the height of a six-story building. You will stand beside sailors as they turn into the wind and backtrack along a compass bearing to rescue fellow sailors whose craft have succumbed to the whim of a rogue wave and have stepped off into a life raft with no hope of rescue before they freeze to death.

Cecil Kuhne has the easy job here. All had to do was edit these fantastic stories into a wonderful book. The people that narrate these accounts actually lived through them!

Armchair Interviews says: For anyone that has pondered sailing solo across the sea, this is a must read.