The Ship and the Storm (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In October 1998, a wayward tropical storm blossomed into one of the most powerful hurricanes in modern history. When it finished its devastating course throughout the Caribbean, Hurricane Mitch had killed thousands of people, left hundreds of thousands more homeless, and destroyed whole towns. Journalist Jim Carrier turns up a small but telling incident: the disappearance of a 282-foot schooner called the Fantome. Guided by a young but accomplished English captain and manned by seasoned West Indian sailors, the cruise ship put into port in Belize to discharge its passengers, then set out to sea in an attempt to outrace a storm that, defying expectation, changed its course and in the end sent the Fantome and its crew beneath the waves. All that was terrible enough; added to it was the legal battle that awaited the crew's survivors, one that hung over the disaster "like a poisonous cloud." Following the Fantome's course hour by hour, Carrier covers all aspects of the incident thoroughly and sympathetically. His book makes a compelling companion to Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm as a fine reconstruction of a maritime tragedy, one that does honor to the unfortunate dead. --Gregory McNamee --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Booklist

In October 1998, Hurricane Mitch terrorized the Caribbean and Central America, leaving thousands dead, causing billions of dollars in damage, and crippling countries. In the midst of it struggled Guyan March, captain of the Fantome, the largest ship owned by Windjammer Barefoot Cruises. Having determined the Fantome was too big to seek safe harbor in any of the nearby ports, Windjammer and Captain March made the last-minute decision to take the ship out to sea in an attempt to get out of the storm's path. Carrier's account of this desperate race traces the development and erratic path of the storm as it consistently defied all predictions, relates the communications between Windjammer and the Fantome as they ran out of options, and pieces together what must have been the last few minutes of the ship and of the crew's lives. The heart-wrenching testimony of the crew's families, horror stories of survivors on land, and scientific background from the meteorologists provide a thoroughly detailed context in which to view one of the worst hurricanes in recorded history. Gavin Quinn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: International Marine; 1 edition (October 16, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007135526X
• ISBN-13: 978-0071355261
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #59,892 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly reseached tale of a tall ship and her crew, October 23, 2000

By	Dean Dey "dey196" (Lewes, DE USA) - See all my reviews

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.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Human Wreckage of Hurricane Mitch..., December 10, 2000

By	L. Alper (Englewood CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In "The Ship & the Storm" Jim Carrier has given us a valuable memorial to a tragic loss of life. Additionally, it is an exciting page turner which vividly describes the experience of a killer hurricane.

Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras in October 1998. As readers discover in this book, it also amazed seasoned hurricane researchers with it's unpredictability & bizarre readings. In 24 hours Mitch exploded from being a tropical wave that weathermen were writing off as it weakened, into a killer Category 4 hurricane that would become one of the strongest ever recorded.

Meanwhile, off the coast of Honduras, Windjammer Cruises' flag ship "the Fantome" was herding it's flock of vacationers thru the Bay Islands of Honduras. The Captain, Guyan Marsh, was the "golden boy" of Windjammer, beloved by both crew & passengers. Jim Carrier introduces us to Guyan & the crewmembers. We come to know them as individuals & care about them. We also get to experience Fantome's last 2 cruises day by day thru the eyes of her passengers.

"The Ship & the Storm" builds suspense inexorably, alternating between the Fantome & the hurricane watchers in Miami. When Mitch & Fantome do meet, the descriptive passages of what the experience of a Category 5 hurricane is like will terrify you.

The author is extremely fair, refusing to assign blame for the loss of the Fantome to anyone. The most valuable aspect of "The Ship & the Sea" tho, is as a memorial to the wonderful crew of Fantome. Guyan Marsh & his men sound like exceptional people, & the world is a lesser place for having lost them.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gift from Carrier to all who sailed the Fantome, November 27, 2000

By	Christopher T Fisher (Powell, OH United States) - See all my reviews

It's hard to be unbiased having honeymooned on the Fantome, but I think most readers will agree - this is a good book. For me, it brought some closure to the story that I have followed since first hearing that Fantome was missing. I had searched the internet, the wire services, Windjammer's chat room for news as the drama of Mitch unfolded. Like flotsam and jetsam of the wreckage, news of Fantome's demise came in incomplete pieces. This book assembles these pieces from several perspectives and does an admirable job of illuminating Fantome's storm shrouded fate. Jammers will certainly enjoy the book, but Carrier's book transcends the Windjammer audience. Carrier has crafted a compelling story illustrating the irony of judgement based on the advanced technology of hurricane forecasting to pilot an anachronistic tall ship into the eye of one of the century's most destructive storms.