THE PROVING GROUND: The Inside Story of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Boat Race - Softcover

Knecht, Bruce

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007292082 ISBN 13: 9780007292080

Publisher: Fourth Estate, 2008

Synopsis

The story of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart boat race - the most dramatic in yacht racing history The waters between Sydney and Hobart are famously treacherous. No one is fooled by the clear skies. In the hours before the 1998 Sydney to Hobart race, skippers gathered for a weather briefing. An intense low pressure was predicted, but three different forecasts disagreed about the exact course of the stormy weather. No one was unduly alarmed and all decided to sail. But within hours the yachts were confronted with hurricane-force winds and waves the height of a five-storey building. Six sailors died; fifty-five were pulled from the water. Of the 115 boats that started, just 43 would finish. In Hobart a memorial service replaced the legendary parties that normally follow the race. By focussing on a handful of yachts and those who crewed them, Bruce Knecht brilliantly recreates those dramatic hours and the stomach wrenching fear of those caught in the eye of the storm, battling, some forlornly, for their lives.

About this title

About the Author:

Bruce Knecht was taught to sail by his grandfather when he was eight and has been sailing ever since. Based in Hong Kong he is Asia Correspondent for the Wall Street Journal.

About this edition

• Publisher: Fourth Estate
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0007292082
• ISBN 13: 9780007292080
• Binding: Print on Demand (Paperback)
• Number of pages: 320