The Proving Ground

This was a fascinating story about a subject with which I was completely unfamiliar. I had never heard of the Hobart and knew nothing whatsoever about sailing or yacht racing. I found that this book was an excellent introduction. The story of the disaster itself is a gripping tale - the author focuses on a few specific boats and specific crewmen, alternating between different boats and rescue professionals. I found it relatively easy to recall most of the backgrounds for each of the crewmen that were featured prominently, though some of the crewmen who were mentioned less frequently became jumbled to me.Although this is a disaster story, and many of the men found themselves in terrible predicaments, I did find that several of the sailors were unlikeable due to their arrogance and unchecked ambition. Larry Ellison - the founder of Oracle - has always had a reputation for his aggressively arrogant nature, and this book didn't do a whole lot to cast him in a different light. Several other sailors had opportunities for growth and change during their harrowing experience and instead went on to be as self-aggrandizing as they were prior to the start of the race. It was hard to drum up sympathy for some of those individuals. However, there were several sailors who showed great strength of character before, during, and after the storm. Although he is not central to the story, Rupert Murdoch's son, Lachlan Murdoch, was aboard Larry Ellison's boat and came across as extremely hard-working and self-reflective.If you are unfamiliar with yachts, some of the technical details (such as how boats broke apart during the storm) will be lost on you. Since my understanding of yachts is virtually non-existent and comes largely from seeing pictures of recreational yachts, I found it a little difficult to envision the bunks, life rafts, and the decks on a racing yacht, and I wish the book had more pictures. I used Google Images to supplement where the book fell short.One note: I bought the Kindle edition, and I recommend bookmarking the pictures section and returning to it at the end of the book. Some of the pictures will end up being spoilers if you see them before you finish the book.

I know nothing about sailing, but, I found this book to be very entertaining. There were some parts that were pretty technical regarding lines, boat design, and sailing tactics that went over my head, but I expected that when I got the book. The part I found most interesting, and was the primary focus of the book, was the story of the racers themselves. Egos, "win at any cost", luck, wrong decisions, right decisions, bravery, stupidity, and raw guts all came into play in the true story of this disastrous sailing race. This more of a survival story than a sailing race and I thought it was pretty darn good.

For openers, I like anything about adventure and boats. The author in the beginning introduced and explained the characters so well that you felt part of the events as they unfolded. The story unfolded with no lag in the adventure and happenings with each boat and crew. I wasn’t familiar with this sailboat race in Australia but used to follow the America’s Cup Race. Highly recommend this book.

I'm not a sailing aficionado but the descriptions, the narrative hook me up from the first page, it's really a page turner even if you don't know thing about racing boats, you will want to go page after page, the narrative covers the weather, the live on the boats, the efforts to keep them in the race and the frustration and heroic acts when the parts, the sails, the masts broke down.

This was a very interesting book..The world of ocean yacht racing is a world far removed from most people. It is incredible what yachting enthusiasts will go through for their sport. The book mentions several prominent people that were involved in the Hobart race. The author spares no one in his description of the participants activities. Worth reading.

See headline above. There was also great descriptions of the sufferings and rescues of some of the major sailors in the race. A mesmerizing and chilling read.

The insight in the sad tragedy that was suffered by many of the boats is a hard read, but insightful. The ending conclusions on what happened is controversial, but based on investigative work by the author. Read it and see why this form of racing is so difficult and challenging.

If you enjoy books about folks who may be more adventurous than you may be (surely than I am).... then you'll enjoy this book.I always find it interesting to understand what drives those who are compelled to do what can be considered extreme adventure (although in this case, it was somewhat unpredictable). This is an inside look at a treacherous race, the decisions made as it progressed, and personalities on land and how they changed at sea as they participated at different times in the crisis. Some are newsmakers, adding another layer to the story.Another reminder, that us mere mortals can't "outrun" nature, and that regardless of the money spent on materials, design, etc.... nature still wins!It's a well written book, and a quick read. Unfortunately, lives were lost. My respects to those who perished and their families.

A look at the ill fated Sydney Hobart race of 1998, written from the point of view of three of the competing boats, including the winner, Sayonara. Lots of fascinating detail gleaned from interviews with the crew members and others associated with the race. Gripping stuff and totally unputdownable if you are a sailor.

A fascinating read, a frightening vivid collection of recollections.I read this in two evenings, basically couldn’t put it down.

this was a great read... inspired me to look at the documentary about this disaster.It is mainly concentrated on three of the competing boats but gives a very strong impression of the awful weather conditions that all the competitors were dealing with.

Amazing story of the tragic Sidney Hobart 1998 race men risking their own life to save others.proof you should never go to sea in conditions you can't handle. Only professional sailors should sail these type of races

Great fun read.