Ten Hours until Dawn, Michael J. Tougias
Ten Hours until Dawn, Michael J. Tougias
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Ten Hours until Dawn
The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy aboard the Can Do

Author: Michael J. Tougias

Narrator: Joe Barrett

Unabridged: 10 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/01/2007

Synopsis

During the height of the blizzard of 1978, a tanker foundered on the shoals off the Massachusetts coast. The Coast Guard dispatched a patrol boat that was soon in trouble, too. A pilot-boat captain, Frank Quirk, heard of the Coast Guard’s plight on his radio. He gathered his crew of four, readied his forty-nine-foot steel boat, the Can Do, and entered the maelstrom of the blizzard soon to be known as the Storm of the Century.Encountering one of the most monstrous seas ever recorded, Quirk struggled through the night to keep his boat from sinking, maintaining contact through his hand-held battery-powered radio. The Can Do stayed afloat past three a.m. Then there was silence.Through dozens of interviews as well as recordings of the radio communications exchanged between Quirk and the Coast Guard—actual recordings included here in this audiobook—Michael J. Tougias provides us a devastating, true account of bravery and death at sea.

About Michael J. Tougias

Michael J. Tougias is a New York Times bestselling author and coauthor of thirty books for adults, including There’s a Porcupine in My Outhouse (Winner of the Independent Publishers “Best Nature Book of the Year”) and The Finest Hours (now a Disney movie). Among his other bestsellers are Fatal Forecast, Overboard, Ten Hours until Dawn, and A Storm Too Soon. Tougias has also written four books for children (ages eight to thirteen) as part of his True Rescue series. He has received many writing awards and speaks at venues large and small.

About Joe Barrett

Joe Barrett began his acting career at the age of five in the basement of his family's home in upstate New York. He has gone on to play many stage roles, both on and off-Broadway, and in regional theaters from Los Angeles, Houston, and St. Louis to Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Portland, Maine. He has appeared in films and television, both prime time and late night, and in hundreds of television and radio commercials. Joe has narrated over two hundred audiobooks. He has been an Audie Award finalist eight times, and his narration of Gun Church by Reed Farrel Coleman won the 2013 Audie Award for Original Work. AudioFile magazine has granted Joe fourteen Earphones Awards, including for James Salter's All That Is and Donald Katz's Home Fires. Regarding Joe's narration of John Irving's A Prayer For Owen Meany, AudioFile said, "This moving book comes across like a concerto . . . with a soloist-Owen's voice-rising from the background of an orchestral narration." Joe is married to actor Andrea Wright, and together they have four very grown children.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Danm on April 14, 2017

A true story, which makes it interesting, and my interest was piqued for a while. However, the author would veer off course too often, which would take me away from the excitement and dull my interest level. I put the book down twice and picked it back up, thinking I was tired. After the third time......more

Goodreads review by Chaz on May 25, 2018

If you are thinking you have found a prequel to "The Perfect Storm" just dismiss the thought right now. This is an interesting and tragic story, but Sebastian Junger's writing is skillful and compelling. Tougias is merely competent and "Ten Hours Until Dawn" reads like an essay assignment written by......more

Goodreads review by Catherine on March 14, 2024

A fascinating micro history featuring the brave and selfless men of the North shore. While slow paced, every detail and emotion is carefully and creatively written. While the outcome is heartbreaking, their story leaves a lasting impression and I think of them everyone I look across the waters of th......more

Goodreads review by Doug on December 17, 2014

I was school-age when the Blizzard of '78 unleashed its fury on New England. It was an historically powerful storm, bringing hurricane force winds and three feet of snow. The blizzard raged for a day and half when it stalled off the coast. For most kids this was a wonderful time. Our street was unplo......more

Goodreads review by Ethel on April 11, 2016

This is an absolutely gripping factual account of the impact of the Blizzard of the century that pounded the New England coast in 1978. It includes actual recorded civilian conversations and Coast Guard radio communications from ship to shore during the horrific night. It was especially of interest......more

Quotes

“Joe Barrett’s crisp reading propels the story, and his voiced reenactments of radio transmissions aid clarity. The author reads a long note at the end, explaining his methods and motivations. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.” AudioFile 

“Narrator Barrett makes each character come to life. He handles the New Englandaccents with ease and his tone conveys the seriousness, stark realism, and ultimate tragedy.” Kliatt (audio review)

“Ten Hours until Dawn is every bit as gripping as the best adventure fiction.”  Midwest Book Review

“Arguably the best story of peril at sea since Sebastian Junger’s Perfect Storm…[The] balancing of human and technical detail is nearly perfect, and he has made the book accessible even to relative newcomers to maritime literature.” Booklist (starred review)

“A well-researched, vividly written tale of brave men overwhelmed by the awesome forces of nature.” Publishers Weekly

Awards

  • AudioFile Best Audiobook of the Year
  • AudioFile Earphones Award
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