Rating: 
Summary: Good - but not the best version I have read
Review: This is a tough review to write for several reasons.I love the sea, I love stories about the sea. I also competed in the 98' Hobart race on a 34 foot yacht. All of the books about this event do their best to describe the extent of what happened. If you read any of the books about this race and find yourself thinking that 'no way could it have been that bad - they must have been halucinating'... then I promise you that you are wrong. It was that bad. It was the most horrendous thing I have ever gone though in my entire life. All of the three books about the race which I have bought have photos of some of the waves - and the damage done to some of the yachts. Bear in mind that these photos were almost entirely taken the day AFTER the night of the 27th. The worst part of the storm came over our yacht from about 8 pm until 3 am the next morning. I promise you it was a very very long 7 hours. By the time the photos were taken, I reckon the seas would have died down by at least 35 - 40%. I can remember holding on to the side-rails at one point during the peak of the storm, looking up and seeing waves above the top of the mast... on both sides of the yacht. Our wind guage read to 80 knots. The needle was off the end of the gauge for a hell of a long time. Having said that, it took almost a full year before I would race offshore again. I am going back for this year's race. There is some unfinished business that I have with the Bass Strait - and I want to get to Hobart for the infamous "Quiet little drink". Hobart races are hard, that's quite frankly is the whole point. Without the challenge, nobody would go.This literary version of the race is good - don't get me wrong, but I firmly believe that Rob Mundle's "Fatal Storm" will in years to come be regarded as the definative text of the tragedy which played out in front of us. Knecht's book is good, however the Mundle book sent shivers down my spine as the memories it generated replayed themselves.
Rating: 
Summary: WALTER CRONKITE IS RIGHT!
Review: This is the best book on sailing ever written. But it's so much more. The story is so griping that I read it in one evening. What the author does best is geve you a great sense of why in the world anyone would do something as insane as enter this race. Its as much a human interest story as a sailing epic- Incredible
Rating:
Summary: Stays afloat through tall tales of adventure!
Review: This was a great story of how some people can handle great amounts of pressure and stress, and how others, in the same situation, fold like a wet napkin. Knecht's interviews and research of the different crews in the race allowed for me to feel as though I knew the crews, and was a part of each in their dire circumstances. Knech also portrays an interesting parallel: the roles on a racing yacht are very similar to the roles that are encountered in the business world. Success in either stems from the following rule: you delegate responsibility to those that have the experience and know-how to accomplish specialized tasks. Knecht shows how a less experienced skipper, by breaking this rule, can cause a ship to get into trouble. Overly involved in decisions that were not his realm of expertise, a skipper, "Kooky", guides his ship into trouble and insurmountable dangers. But the most important reason why I liked this book was that it was entertaining, light, and a quick read. Quite the compliment to my recent vacation of sitting on the beach with a good book!
Rating:
Summary: What? A Sydney to Hobart race attention getting? Ah,Yes.
Review: Yes indeed. A superb book. Page one grabs your attention. The yachts sail from Sydney Harbor toward Hobart under a beautiful blue sky. The well researched story lurches rapidly into high drama. Mr Knecht shoved me into the action by his vivid descriptions and lucid explanations of many aspects of the voyage. I shared the doubts and apprehensions of the crews through thrill, horror, tragedy and success. Nor did I put the book down until the last page of the epilogue had been read. A wonderful book, exciting, and riveting to the end. Sailor or not. High marks to the author!
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