Godforsaken Sea: Racing The World's Most Dangerous Waters

This is the story of the 1996-1997 Vendee Globe, a grueling four-month circumnavigation of the globe in the most dangerous of all waters, the southern oceans. Through the eyes and experiences of the fourteen men and two women who began the race, author Derek Lundy harnesses the hurricane-force winds, the six-story high waves, the icebergs, and the deafening noise in an effort to expose the spirit of the men and women who push themselves to the limits of human ability -- even if it means never returning home. You'll meet the gallant Brit who spends days beating beck against the worst seas to save a fellow racer; the Frenchman who bothers to salvage only a bottle of champagne from his broken and sinking boat; the veteran who calmly keeps smoking his cigarette as his boat capsizes; and the Canadian who, hours before he disappears forever, dispatches this message: If you drag things out too long here, you're sure to come to grief.With the literary touch of Conrad and Saint-Exupery, Derek Lundy elevates a compelling adventure story into an eloquent meditation on danger, and an appreciation of those danger seekers who embody the best and most eccentric aspects of the human condition.