At the Mercy of the Sea, John Kretschmer
At the Mercy of the Sea, John Kretschmer
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

At the Mercy of the Sea
The True Story of Three Sailors in a Caribbean Hurricane

Author: John Kretschmer

Narrator: Jonathan Yen

Unabridged: 7 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/19/2023


Synopsis

A "normal" Caribbean hurricane travels from east to west, but Lenny was anything but normal. Spawned south of Cuba in 1999, this late-season storm defied all predictions by moving steadily east toward the Leeward Islands. Eventually building almost to Category 5 strength, Lenny squatted for two days between the Virgin Islands and St. Martin, whipping the ocean with 155 mile-per-hour winds and sixty-foot seas.

In its path in the Anegada Passage were three sailboats and their unfortunate crews: La Vie en Rose, a forty-one-foot sloop captained by ex-army lieutenant colonel Carl Wake; English Braids, a tiny twenty-one-foot racer skippered by would-be elite competitive sailor Steve Rigby; and Frederic-Anne, a sixty-five-foot schooner skippered by ambitious Guillaume Llobregat. None of the men knew each other, yet they converged by fate in a tiny circle of the sea in the midst of a storm no boat could withstand. And even as he battled for survival, Carl Wake lived the crowning hours of his life.

John Kretschmer's At the Mercy of the Sea retraces the journeys of these three sailors through life and across oceans. It is a taut, suspenseful re-creation that seeks to make sense of the improbable intersection of three lives at the height of a storm, and a gripping reconstruction of Carl Wake's search for meaning and, ultimately, for his soul.

About John Kretschmer

John Kretschmer is a writer, sailor, philosopher, lecturer, and businessman whose successful sail-training business takes a uniquely philosophical but hands-on approach to offshore sailing. He is the author of several works of nonfiction, including Cape Horn to Starboard and At the Mercy of the Sea, as well as hundreds of articles for the sailing press, Life, and the Los Angeles Times.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Sean on January 14, 2018

John Kretschmer is well known in the sailing community as a well-seasoned and experience bluewater skipper. In "At the Mercy of the Sea", he tells the story of three sailors who perished in Hurricane Lenny, which came through the Caribbean in 1999. One of the sailors who perished was John's own frie......more

Goodreads review by Mark on March 16, 2022

I'm not an avid reader -- take a look at my list and frequency. And yet when I first saw this book, I ordered a paperback version and was intrigued with the storyline. I won't ruin the ending for anyone, but I just had to know what happened to Carl Wake?!? Was it a bad decision, lack of experience, t......more

Goodreads review by Premal on May 14, 2019

In 1999, a "rogue" hurricane moved from the west to east through the Caribbean Sea inflicting a good bit of damage on several islands. It was unusual in that it moved eastwards and it was the second strongest hurricane on record in November in the Atlantic hurricane season. This is the story of three......more

Goodreads review by B.M. on July 12, 2023

The writing was good, but the story was better. If you are a sailor, or if you dreamed of being a sailor, or if you simply enjoy reading sailing stories then this is a must read. It's the true story of three different sailboat that were caught in an unexpected hurricane. The book dragged in a couple......more

Goodreads review by Nancy on March 07, 2021

John Kretschmer is a powerful writer who can make settings and situations come fully alive so that you feel you're there. Yes, another book about sailboats and sailing and sailors - can't seem to get enough - and yet telling a tale that I'm immensely glad I've not experienced. Both autobiographical......more