Pride of the Sea: Courage, Disaster, and a Fight for Survival Hardcover - 2004

From the publisher

The breathtaking adventure tale in the tradition of The Perfect Storm and In The Heart of the Sea that recounts the harrowing story of the survivors of The Pride of Baltimore. Just before noon on a warm morning in May 1986, an unexpected storm rumbled across the Atlantic and thrashed a small patch of the Bermuda triangle. Its 70-knot winds overwhelmed the only vessel in its reach--The Pride of Baltimore, an historically accurate clipper ship heading home from Europe. Soon, the ship, which only months before had received a royal welcome sailing under Tower Bridge in London, lay helplessly on its side in 17,000 feet of water. The schooner barrel-rolled and sank...and disappeared. In a few moments, four of the twelve crew members were dead, including the captain, Armin Elsaesser, and eight dazed survivors clung to life in a raft measuring 5 feet by 5 feet, 250 miles from land. The six men and two women drifted helplessly for four days, covering 150 miles, surviving on a bite of biscuit and a couple of sips of water a day before they were finally rescued by a Norwegian tanker. Written by veteran journalist Tom Waldron, The Pride of the Sea recounts the remarkable story of an elegant and historically authentic schooner that has a compelling history all its own--and the men and women who survived the terror of the shipwreck. Included are the fascinating stories of Sugar Flanagan and Leslie McNish, the couple who promised to get married after almost drowning and are still together and sailing today; as well as James Chesney, the ship's cook who barely escaped the sinking ship by swimming free from the cabin and managed to inflate one of the rafts with his own breath despite having severalcracked ribs. Complete with more than 65 interviews, including extensive talks with the survivors of The Pride of Baltimore, including the ship's architect, The Pride of the Sea is an incredible, magnificently told, story of heroism and survival that will thrill fans of classic adventure stories like Into Thin Air and The Perfect Storm.