Bone-Chilling Tale

I've always been captivated by stories of seafaring. Brave souls paddling a dugout by the stars, a clipper ship bouncing along, or more recent stories of sailors or merchants braving what that world has to offer--all seem terrifying and thrilling. There's no 911 out there, and things can get dicey. This narrative of the "perfect" storm of October, 1991 follows the crew and initial voyage of the Andrea Gail, sailing into this monster. Through comparisons with sister ships traveling just enough ahead or behind her, the author has pieced together what probably happened during this storm of deathly proportions. Beyond that, the unimaginable bravery of the Air National Guard is detailed in their multiple rescues during this same hellish soup. Truly nightmarish, I found myself stopping and looking up, outside, to estimate just how tall those waves were. Honestly, though, it's hard to comprehend. Riveting and brilliantly paced. I read the book years ago, when it was new, but it was just as captivating the second time around.