At the Mercy of the Sea (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: singlehanded sailing, charter season, hurricane watch, Coast Guard, English Braids, Steve Rigby (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Kretschmer was a friend of Carl Wake, one of three sailors caught in Hurricane Lenny on November 14, 1999, in the Caribbean. The storm's winds reached 150 miles an hour. The sailors were from three countries, sailing three fundamentally different boats, heading in three different directions when the storm hit. Kretschmer had taught Wake how to sail, helped him choose his boat, and offered him advice on when to sail in the Caribbean. Kretschmer draws on interviews with family and friends, and transcripts of their radio calls, and then analyzes the storm, aided by the National Hurricane Center. Wake initially was able to rescue one of the other sailors, but ultimately all three boats sank. Much of the book is a tribute to Wake, recounting his personal life and his love of sailing. Kretschmer also offers a portrait of the two other sailors, Steven Rigby, from Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford-on-Avon, and Guillaume Llobregat, from Brazil, who lived in St. Martin. Kretschmer has created a fast-paced, moving story of a disaster at sea. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

A “normal” Caribbean hurricane travels from east to west, but Lenny was anything but normal. Spawned south of Cuba in November 1999, this late-season storm defied all predictions by moving steadily east toward the Leeward Islands. Eventually building almost to Category 5 strength, Lenny squatted for two days between the Virgin Islands and St. Martin, whipping the ocean with 155 mile-per-hour winds and 60-foot seas.

In its path in the Anegada Passage were three sailboats and their unfortunate crews: La Vie en Rose, a 41-foot sloop captained by ex-army lieutenant colonel Carl Wake; English Braids, a tiny 21-foot racer skippered by would-be elite competitive sailor Steve Rigby; and Frederic-Anne, a 65-foot schooner rigged for day-sail charters out of St. Martin and skippered by ambitious young Guillaume Llobregat.

None of the men knew each other, yet they converged by fate in a tiny circle of the sea in the midst of a hellish storm no boat could withstand. And even as he battled for survival, Carl Wake lived the crowning hours of his life.

John Kretschmer's At the Mercy of the Sea retraces the journeys of these three sailors through life and across oceans. It is a taut, suspenseful re-creation that seeks to make sense of the improbable intersection of three lives at the height of a storm, and a gripping reconstruction of Carl Wake's search for meaning and, ultimately, for his soul.

Praise for At the Mercy of the Sea:

“The tale of Carl Wake and the hurricane that was waiting for him goes straight to the heart of the greatest sea stories: they are not about man against the sea, but man against himself. John Kretschmer's book is as perfectly shaped and flawlessly written as such a story can be. In addition to being the best depiction I have ever read of what it is like to be inside a hurricane at sea, At the Mercy of the Sea is as moving a story of a man's failure and redemption as can be found anywhere in the literature of the sea. This book is surely destined to become a classic.”—Peter Nichols, author, Sea Change and A Voyage for Madmen

“John Kretschmer is a first-class seaman who is also a fine writer. Once begun, his vivid and powerful narrative is impossible to put down.”—Derek Lundy, author, Godforsaken Sea and The Way of a Ship

“At the Mercy of the Sea kept me plunging ahead to the tragic end and left me feeling humbled and lucky to be alive. I felt I knew Carl Wake, because John Kretschmer found in him an archetype—an aging sailor with an age-old dream.”—Jim Carrier, transatlantic sailor and author, The Ship and the Storm: Hurricane Mitch and the Loss of the Fantome

“Gathering his tools as a loyal friend, a master mariner, and a natural storyteller, John Kretschmer has crafted an unforgettable tale of high-seas adventure, salvation, and loss. A remarkable book, impossible to put down.”—Herb McCormick, sailing journalist

“John Kretschmer’s account of three fellow captains whose lives converge in one of history’s most erratic hurricanes builds like the storm itself. Detail after detail reveals the sailors’ personal histories, their foibles, their goals, and finally their tragic miscalculations. With expert analysis and taut writing, he draws readers into that mad storm. You can’t turn away. You keep reading until it breaks your heart.”—Fred Grimm, columnist, Miami Herald

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1 edition (October 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071475079
• ISBN-13: 978-0071475075
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #581,080 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Moving Book of the Sea, October 12, 2006

By	Alan D. Sugarman (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

John Kretschmer has hit a home run with his new book - this is a very moving tale of the sea and hurricanes - and, even more, a moving tale of the people who go to sea on small sailing boats. I did not put the book down until it was finished. If you liked the Perfect Storm, this is better, partly because Kretschmer has been there himself, facing hurricanes on a small boat. This is a book about a tragedy, but is uplifiting at the same time. Great book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story for sailors and non-sailors alike, October 27, 2006

By	Amy Stapleton - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Like the other reviewers, I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to mention that I believe this book will be a good read for both sailors and non-sailors. Kretschmer doesn't assume knowledge of sailing procedures and lingo. He does a good job of explaining sailing concepts so as not to lose readers with less exposure to the jargon of the sailing world. For experienced sailors, though, the description of what the various captains went through during their ordeals is gripping and informative.

Kretschmer does an especially good job of putting together the pieces of what likely transpired during the various stages of each of the captains' journeys. Based on limited facts, Kretschmer relies on his vast knowledge of sailing vessels, weather, Caribbean locations, and the human psyche to extrapolate not only what the captains did during their last fateful days, but also what they must have been thinking. Kretschmer shows where each of the captains made their mistake, and explains the probable reasons for their decisions. He neither glorifies, nor condemns, his subjects. He shows that they are human. In the case of his friend Carl, he recreates Carl's final great achievement and, by doing this, celebrates that greatness that lies in every person, but that so often remains dormant and unseen.

The fact that Kretschmer could bring all the individual pieces of these men's lives together into a cohesive, compelling story is, I think, the real achievement of this book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At The Mercy of the Sea, October 24, 2006

By	Steven M. Randall (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is not a sea story, but a story that takes place on the sea. It is a story of a man searching for meaning and relevance. It is about a man, who after spending his life chasing the American Dream, realizes that the American Dream only allows you to dream. So he sets off in search of something real. His reality proved to be a nightmare.

Before I finished the Prologue, I could tell that this was a story about me. In fact, it is a story about many men just like Carl, the lead character. Men of "quiet desperation" as Thoreau so aptly put it. And before I was halfway through the book, I knew that I was going to miss Carl, even though I had never met him.

The research was painstakingly detailed and accurate. The writing style was captivating. As I read, I felt the same exhaustion, frustration and fear as those that were in the hurricane. Like a movie watcher that knows danger lurks around the corner, I felt myself pleading with Carl to go east, just go east into the Atlantic and come back when its all over.

I got the book on a Wednesday and finished it on Thursday evening. I couldn't put it down. John Kretschmer has officially crossed over from story teller to serious writer. I look forward to what he will give us next.