The Perfect Storm, by Sebastian Junger (1997)
The Perfect Storm describes a terrible storm that took place in the north Atlantic Ocean in October 1991. The convergence of several weather patterns formed a massive storm. A large portion of the book focuses on the final voyage of the Andrea Gail, a fishing boat that left out of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The boat and its crew of six disappeared. Only later a few on deck debris, including fuel drums, were found either drifting in the ocean or ashore.
The book delves into the life of fishermen. Fishing is a very hard industry. The crew are out at sea for weeks at a time. They are paid based upon their catch, which can be significant. When ashore, however, the crew often go on benders and can go through their money very quickly. The author introduces us to the crew of the Andrea Gail. Two fisherman had planned to join the crew, but had a bad feeling and opted out at the last minute. The captain found substitutes. The author describes the technical mechanics of fishing and fishing boats, but in language that the lay person can understand.
The Andrea Gail went out near the end of the swordfishing season. It was one of several boats in a fleet to venture out. When out on the seas, fishing crews from various boats keep in contact with each other and often meet up to provide gear assistance. The last communication from the Andrea Gail was at 6:00 p.m., on October 28. The captain had promised to communication with another fishing boat at 11:00 that night. The communication never occurred. Due to several other miscommunications, it was days before people realized that the Andrea Gail was gone.
There were several other boats out in the Atlantic during this storm as well. The author introduces the reader to these crews and their rescues. This was a true adventure story as the reader learns of all the details that must go into an ocean rescue. The reader meets those brave people who train for years to prepare for such rescues.
The Andrea Gail portion of the book was made into the movie also entitled to The Perfect Storm.
I loved this book. It was a real page-turner.
Read: May 22, 2021
5 Stars
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