The Sea Was in Their Blood: The Disappearance of the Miss Ally's Five-Man Crew - Softcover

Casey, Quentin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1771084790 ISBN 13: 9781771084796

Publisher: Nimbus Publishing, 2017

Synopsis

It was a frigid night in February 2013 when the five young fishermen vanished. The crew of the Miss Ally―a 12-metre Cape Islander from Woods Harbour, Nova Scotia―was fishing for halibut far off the Nova Scotia coast when their boat's spotlight malfunctioned. A vicious winter storm was approaching from her south, and all other boats at the fishing grounds were steaming for shore. Unable to locate his longlining gear, the Miss Ally's young captain decided to stay an extra day to retrieve the gear and, hopefully, a big catch.

Their retreat delayed, the Miss Ally crew ended up pounded by hurricane-force winds and waves well over 10 metres high. Late on February 17, the boat foundered. The five young men aboard―Katlin Nickerson, Billy Jack Hatfield, Joel Hopkins, Cole Nickerson, and Tyson Townsend―were never found.

The Sea Was in Their Blood explores two key questions: who were the men aboard the Miss Ally, and why were they battered and sunk by a storm forecasted days in advance? Through interviews with the crew's families and friends, rescue personnel, and members of the tight-knit fishing communities of Woods Harbour and Cape Sable Island, award-winning journalist Quentin Casey pieces together the tragic sinking―including important case details not previously reported―and weaves in the backstories of the Miss Ally's crew and the lingering effects of their disappearance.

A portion of the royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to various charitable causes associated with the Miss Ally.

About this title

About the Author:

Quentin Casey is a journalist who holds a master's degree in Maritime history from Dalhousie University. His writing appears regularly in the Financial Post, Progress magazine, Saltscapes, and the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal. An avid sailor, he has also authored Joshua Slocum: The Captain Who Sailed Around the World.

Review:

"This effectively written, dramatic examination of a tragedy that most observers would probably say didn't need to happen will be of most interest to Canadian readers, but it will also draw an audience from anyone drawn to sea disasters." ―Booklist (Chicago, IL)

"Casey, who allows the reader to get to know each and every one of the aforementioned five fishermen who tragically disappeared on February 17, 2013, provides new insight as to "why they were battered and sunk by a storm forecasted days in advance" through this thorough investigation of the matter at hand." ―Linkedin: The Weekly Review

About this edition

• Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1771084790
• ISBN 13: 9781771084796
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256