Fatal Storm by Rob Mundle

Fatal Storm by Rob Mundle

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

Just before 1pm Boxing Day 1998, many thousands of Australians gathered - on and around Sydney Harbour, or in front of their televisions - to watch the start of an annual summer sporting tradition: the 628 nautical mile Sydney to Hobart yacht race. It was the 54th staging of one of the world's three classic offshore races, and the harbour was laden with excitement and colour as the 115 competing yachts jostled their way towards the start line while the countdown was in its final seconds. The moment the cannon boomed its signal, the fleet began the short dash towards the heads, before turning south and onto the waters of the Tasman Sea. It was an adrenaline-charged time for all competitors, but little did they know an unpredicted major storm cell was developing offshore and lying directly in their path. The fleet and the storm were destined to intersect.

In little more than 24 hours, the majority of yachts were being hammered by hurricane-force winds and gigantic swells, some the height of 10 storey buildings. The Sydney to Hobart had become a race for survival. What ensued was the largest peacetime search and rescue mission Australia has ever known. Six sailors perished, five yachts sank, 55 sailors were winched to safety. Only 44 yachts reached the finish.

PRAISE FOR ROB MUNDLE

'Whatever else Rob Mundle may write, this is likely to be his master work' - Mike Power, The Mercury

'Rob Mundle is a master of the maritime narrative' - Sunday Age

ROB MUNDLE OAM is a bestselling author, writer, and broadcaster who grew up on Sydney's northside, first in Cremorne and subsequently on the northern beaches. As a four-year-old, he began sailing in a small sandpit sailboat with his younger brothers, Dennis and Bruce, and the household cat. Rob was granted an Order of Australia Medal in 2013 for his services to sailing and journalism. He is a veteran media analyst and competitive sailor who is widely regarded as Australia's voice of sailing. Rob is the author of 18 books, including the best-selling Bligh, Flinders, Cook, The First Fleet, Great South Land, and Under Full Sail, all about nautical history. Fatal Storm, his book on the terrible 54th Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, was an international success and was translated into six languages.

Rob has covered seven America's Cup matches (including live international television coverage of Australia's historic triumph in 1983), four Olympics, and a slew of other important events, including the Sydney-Hobart classic over the past 50 years. He has raced in the Sydney-Hobart three times and has won local, state, and national sailing championships, as well as competing in a number of important international offshore competitions. Rob is currently the media manager for the supermaxi Sydney-Hobart racer, Wild Oats XI, as well as a member of the organising committee of Hamilton Island Race Week, Australia's largest keelboat regatta, and a Director of the Australian National Maritime Museum's Mariculture Program. Rob was a founding member of the Hayman Island Large Boat Series and a past Commodore of the Gold Coast's Southport Yacht Club.

He is also the sole Australian on the Selection Committee for the America's Cup Hall of Fame. Rob lives at Main Beach, on the edge of the Gold Coast Broadwater, because he loves the sea and sailing.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780071361408
ISBN 10	0071361405
Title	Fatal Storm
Author	Rob Mundle
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	McGraw-Hill Education - Europe
Year published	2000-06-01
Number of pages	272
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.