At the Mercy of the Sea
The True Story of Three Sailors in a Caribbean Hurricane
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4.5 • 26 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
“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 of Sea Change and A Voyage for Madmen
“John Kretschmer has transformed this story of three men on a collision course with a hurricane into a modern seafaring classic.”—Peter Nielsen, editor of SAIL magazine
“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 for the Miami Herald
“Once begun, his vivid and powerful narrative is impossible to put down.”—Derek Lundy, author of Godforsaken Sea and The Way of a Ship
“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 of The Ship and the Storm: Hurricane Mitch and the Loss of the Fantome
“A remarkable book, impossible to put down.”—Herb McCormick, sailing journalist
Customer Reviews
A nice book, if you love sailing - read it!
I'm not an avid reader -- take a look at my list and frequency. And yet when I first saw this book, I ordered a paperback version and was intrigued with the storyline.
I won't ruin the ending for anyone, but I just had to know what happened to Carl Wake?!? Was it a bad decision, lack of experience, the boat or equipment, or a combination of all -- or simply just sheer back luck with a storm that was going places no one had predicted?
John does a great job introducing us to four sailors on three boats and providing as much information he was able to obtain. I felt he pieced the events together well. I imagined the waves pounding on the sides of the boats.
I'm already searching for my next John K. book.
Deeper Than Just Blue Water
We care about people, and caring about the people in stories is the reason to read one. No matter how much you love sailing, you'd lose interest in the most well-written, detailed chronicle about boats and the ocean, but this one is far deeper, it's about people whom you'll come to sincerely care for.
John Krestschmer loves sailing more than I can imagine, and that deep love is the ocean on which this book moves. But his even deeper love of the people who sail is the wind that propels the story.
John is a master deep water sailor, but even more of a master of taking you into the depths of the souls of sailors.
Save this book for a quiet weekend, because you won't be able to do much else once you start reading it.
Ron Wagner
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