Near Death on the High Seas: True Stories of Disaster and Survival (Vintage Departures Original)

“The wind was blowing at hurricane strength-sixty-five knots and over-and increasing in the gusts to eighty knots. His boat was surfing on waves as high as a sixty-foot, six-storey building. . .Each wave that struck choked and froze him, the icy water working its way down inside his survival suit.” —from Close to the Wind by Pete Goss In Near Death on the High Seas , Cecil Kuhne collects some of the most terrifying and astounding experiences of sailors confronting the awesome, raw power of the sea. These tales-filled with everyday heroes and survivors-comprise a riveting and often breathtaking collection of extraordinary stories that show the terrible ferocity of the untamable ocean. Also featuring: • Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki - the historic and celebrated journey of the Kon-Tiki as it journeys across the Pacific. • Steve Callahan's Adrift - a solo sailor loses his boat in the Atlantic must survive in a five-foot life raft for 76 days, fighting off sharks with a makeshift spear. • Francis Chischester's 'Gipsy Moth' Circles The World -the stirring story of a one man's solo sail around the globe at age 65. • John Rousmaniere's Fastnet, Force 10 -in one of the worst sailing tragedies in history, a massive rescue operation takes place amidst sixty-knot winds and forty-foot breaker waves. KLIATT True-life sea stories are always popular with the general public, and danger-at-sea tales appeal especially to YA readers as well as anyone else who is fond of vicarious adventure. This collection was edited by whitewater rafter Cecil Kuhne, who has published several other books of this nature. The book consists of 12 stories, most of them excerpted from previously published material such as Sir Frances Chichester's modern classic about his beloved Gypsy Moth . Kuhne's choices are especially appealing because they are mostly all-new material. Except for one of Thor Heyerdahl's adventures in Kon-Tiki, nearly all of the stories are from the present era; hence, no war stories, but plenty of yachting action. Solo adventure epics, sailing rescues, and round-the-world sailboat races offer plenty of scope for danger and peril, and quite a few modern sailors have managed to find it. Beyond the tales of suspense and derring-do, however, lies the sea itself, and each author brings his own descriptions of its majesty, its moments of splendor, and its terrifying capriciousness. Not to wax too Hemingway-ish, it can be said that this compilation truly invokes the very soul of the sea. Reviewer: Raymond Puffer, Ph.D.

“he Wrapped The Rope Around His Body, Got Ready To Rappel And Leaned Back. Standing About Five Feet From Him, I Heard A Sharp Scraping, Suddenly Ed Was Flying. I Could See Him Fall, Wordless, Fifty Feet Free, Then Strike The Steep Ice Below…he Was Sliding And Bouncing Down. He Passed Out Of Sight, But I Heard His Body Bouncing. There Wasn't A Chance Of His Stopping For 4,000 Feet.”
—from David Robert's the Mountain Of My Fear

in These Thrillingly True Tales Of Narrow Brushes With Death, Cecil Kuhne Has Amassed A Wide Range Of Stories That Show The Awesome Power Of The Mountains. Spanning Five Continents, From The Frosty Tip Of Mount Mckinley In The Dead Of The Winter, To The Unexplored Vastness Of The Himalayas And Beyond, This Is A Pulse-pounding Collection Of Disaster And Survival At The Top Of The World.

also Featuring:

• Joe Simpson's touching The Void—an Inspiring Story Of A Climber Who Topples Into A Icy Crevasse And, Though Crippled, Starving And Frostbitten, Still Manages To Crawl To Rescue.

• Jon Krakauer's eiger Dreams—reaching The Limits Of His Own Climbing Skills, The Author Makes A Crucial Decision Whether To Brave The Treacherous Higher Altitudes Or Return To Base.

• Nando Parrado's miracle In The Andes—the Stunning First-person Account Of A Peruvian Rugby Team's Airplane Crash In The Chilean Andes And Their Harrowing Journey Down The Mountain For Help.

kliatt

cecil Kuhne Is Back With Another Thrill-packed Anthology Of Adventure Stories, This Time In The Highest Mountains In The World. Just As In His near Death On The High Seas, This Book Consists Of Memories, Articles And Book Excerpts Describing True, First Person Experiences. No Two Climbing Expeditions Are Ever The Same, And These Stories Are Surprisingly Varied In Setting And Mood. One Selection Was Written By An Angst-ridden Frenchman Who Identified A Little Too Closely With An Alpine Mountain; Another Is About Four Harvard Students Who Really Had No Business Climbing A Mountain In Alaska. Perhaps The Most Entertaining Yarn Is By Three Ww Ii Italian Pows Held Captive By British Forces In Africa—mountaineers All, They Broke Out Of Their Prison Compound, Hiked To Mount Kenya And Climbed To The Top Where They Planted A Defiant Homemade Italian Flag At The Peak. Their Adventure Over, They Descended And Phlegmatically Marched Themselves Back To Captivity. One Naturally Tries To Avoid Using The Term Cliffhangers In A Review Of This Sort, But In This Case The Temptation Is Severe. Throughout The Book The Descriptions Of Impossible Chasms And Snow Fields, Vertical Granite Walls And Ice-covered Cliffs Can't Help But Grip Readers' Interest. Numerous Slips And Sudden Plunges, Unexpected Snowstorms And Loose Pitons Will Keep Them Turning The Pages: These Stories Contain Some Of The Best Mountain Writing Ever Published. Mountain Climbers Are Keen Students Of Geology, And Are Skilled Craftsmen When It Comes To Rope And Harness Techniques. Sometimes The Writing Becomes Highly Technical, But It All Underscores The Intricate Training Required For Successful Rock Climbing. In Truth, Theseserious Climbers Are Anything But Daredevils. Readers Of All Ages Will Enjoy This Book. Reviewer: Raymond Puffer, Ph.d.

Jon Krakauer Jon Krakauer -- Felice Benuzzi Jon Krakauer -- Felice Benuzzi -- Walter Bonatti Jon Krakauer -- Felice Benuzzi -- Walter Bonatti -- Art Davidson Jon Krakauer -- Felice Benuzzi -- Walter Bonatti -- Art Davidson -- Heinrich Harrer Jon Krakauer -- Felice Benuzzi -- Walter Bonatti -- Art Davidson -- Heinrich Harrer -- Maurice Herzog Jon Krakauer -- Felice Benuzzi -- Walter Bonatti -- Art Davidson -- Heinrich Harrer -- Maurice Herzog -- Thomas F. Hornbein Jon Krakauer -- Felice Benuzzi -- Walter Bonatti -- Art Davidson -- Heinrich Harrer -- Maurice Herzog -- Thomas F. Hornbein -- Nando Parrado Jon Krakauer -- Felice Benuzzi -- Walter Bonatti -- Art Davidson -- Heinrich Harrer -- Maurice Herzog -- Thomas F. Hornbein -- Nando Parrado -- Peter Potterfield Jon Krakauer -- Felice Benuzzi -- Walter Bonatti -- Art Davidson -- Heinrich Harrer -- Maurice Herzog -- Thomas F. Hornbein -- Nando Parrado -- Peter Potterfield -- David Roberts Jon Krakauer -- Felice Benuzzi -- Walter Bonatti -- Art Davidson -- Heinrich Harrer -- Maurice Herzog -- Thomas F. Hornbein -- Nando Parrado -- Peter Potterfield -- David Roberts -- John Roskelley Jon Krakauer -- Felice Benuzzi -- Walter Bonatti -- Art Davidson -- Heinrich Harrer -- Maurice Herzog -- Thomas F. Hornbein -- Nando Parrado -- Peter Potterfield -- David Roberts -- John Roskelley -- Joe Simpson Jon Krakauer-- Felice Benuzzi-- Walter Bonatti-- Art Davidson-- Heinrich Harrer-- Maurice Herzog-- Thomas F. Hornbein-- Nando Parrado-- Peter Potterfield-- David Roberts-- John Roskelley-- Joe Simpson-- Joe Tasker. “He wrapped the rope around his body, got ready to rappel and leaned back. Standing about five feet from him, I heard a sharp scraping, Suddenly Ed was flying. I could see him fall, wordless, fifty feet free, then strike the steep ice below...he was sliding and bouncing down. He passed out of sight, but I heard his body bouncing. There wasn't a chance of his stopping for 4,000 feet.”—From David Robert's The Mountain of My Fear In these thrillingly true tales of narrow brushes with death, Cecil Kuhne has amassed a wide range of stories that show the awesome power of the mountains. Spanning five continents, from the frosty tip of Mount McKinley in the dead of the winter, to the unexplored vastness of the Himalayas and beyond, this is a pulse-pounding collection of disaster and survival at the top of the world.Also featuring:• Joe Simpson's Touching the Void—An inspiring story of a climber who topples into a icy crevasse and, though crippled, starving and frostbitten, still manages to crawl to rescue.• Jon Krakauer's Eiger Dreams—Reaching the limits of his own climbing skills, the author makes a crucial decision whether to brave the treacherous higher altitudes or return to base.• Nando Parrado's Miracle in the Andes—The stunning first-person account of a Peruvian rugby team's airplane crash in the Chilean Andes and their harrowing journey down the mountain for help. He wrapped the rope around his body, got ready to rappel and leaned back. Standing about five feet from him, I heard a sharp scraping, Suddenly Ed was flying. I could see him fall, wordless, fifty feet free, then strike the steep ice belowhe was sliding and bouncing down. He passed out of sight, but I heard his body bouncing. There wasn't a chance of his stopping for 4,000 feet. From David Robert's The Mountain of My Fear In these thrillingly true tales of narrow brushes with death, Cecil Kuhne has amassed a wide range of stories that show the awesome power of the mountains. Spanning five continents, from the frosty tip of Mount McKinley in the dead of the winter, to the unexplored vastness of the Himalayas and beyond, this is a pulse-pounding collection of disaster and survival at the top of the world. Also Joe Simpson's Touching the Void An inspiring story of a climber who topples into a icy crevasse and, though crippled, starving and frostbitten, still manages to crawl to rescue. Jon Krakauer's Eiger Dreams Reaching the limits of his own climbing skills, the author makes a crucial decision whether to brave the treacherous higher altitudes or return to base. Nando Parrado's Miracle in the Andes The stunning first-person account of a Peruvian rugby team's airplane crash in the Chilean Andes and their harrowing journey down the mountain for help. "The wind was blowing at hurricane strength-sixty-five knots and over-and increasing in the gusts to eighty knots. His boat was surfing on waves as high as a sixty-foot, six-storey building. . .Each wave that struck choked and froze him, the icy water working its way down inside his survival suit." 'from Close to the Wind by Pete Goss In Near Death on the High Seas, Cecil Kuhne collects some of the most terrifying and astounding experiences of sailors confronting the awesome, raw power of the sea. These tales-filled with everyday heroes and survivors-comprise a riveting and often breathtaking collection of extraordinary stories that show the terrible ferocity of the untamable ocean. Also featuring: - Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki- the historic and celebrated journey of the Kon-Tiki as it journeys across the Pacific. - Steve Callahan's Adrift- a solo sailor loses his boat in the Atlantic must survive in a five-foot life raft for 76 days, fighting off sharks with a makeshift spear. - Francis Chischester's 'Gipsy Moth' Circles The World-the stirring story of a one man's solo sail around the globe at age 65. - John Rousmaniere's Fastnet, Force 10-in one of the worst sailing tragedies in history, a massive rescue operation takes place amidst sixty-knot winds and forty-foot breaker waves. From the Trade Paperback edition “The wind was blowing at hurricane strength-sixty-five knots and over-and increasing in the gusts to eighty knots. His boat was surfing on waves as high as a sixty-foot, six-storey building. . .Each wave that struck choked and froze him, the icy water working its way down inside his survival suit.” —from Close to the Wind by Pete Goss In Near Death on the High Seas , Cecil Kuhne collects some of the most terrifying and astounding experiences of sailors confronting the awesome, raw power of the sea. These tales-filled with everyday heroes and survivors-comprise a riveting and often breathtaking collection of extraordinary stories that show the terrible ferocity of the untamable ocean. Also featuring: • Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki - the historic and celebrated journey of the Kon-Tiki as it journeys across the Pacific. • Steve Callahan's Adrift - a solo sailor loses his boat in the Atlantic must survive in a five-foot life raft for 76 days, fighting off sharks with a makeshift spear. • Francis Chischester's 'Gipsy Moth' Circles The World -the stirring story of a one man's solo sail around the globe at age 65. • John Rousmaniere's Fastnet, Force 10 -in one of the worst sailing tragedies in history, a massive rescue operation takes place amidst sixty-knot winds and forty-foot breaker waves. "In Near Death on the High Seas, Cecil Kuhne collects some of the most terrifying and astounding experiences of sailors confronting the awesome, raw power of the sea. These tales - filled with everyday heroes and survivors - comprise a riveting and often breathtaking collection of extraordinary stories that show the terrible ferocity of the untamable ocean."--BOOK JACKET.