The Gathering Wind: Hurricane Sandy, the Sailing Ship Bounty, and a Courageous Rescue at Sea

by Gregory A. Freeman Narrated by David Drummond

Overview

In October 2012, a replica of the famous HMS Bounty, an eighteenth-century tall sailing ship, was on a collision course with a storm that would become the largest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic-a clash that would prove dramatic, tragic, perplexing, and ultimately one of the most unforgettable stories of Superstorm Sandy.



Crewed by an eclectic team of seafarers, the Bounty was led by Robin Walbridge, their highly respected captain with decades at the helm, whose actions-sometimes questionable-decided the fate of his ship and crew.



Departing from Connecticut as the storm raced northward from the Caribbean, Walbridge attempted to outmaneuver Sandy, heading the Bounty southeast. As violent gusts tossed the wooden ship, the crew fought to save their beloved Bounty-and finally to save themselves. When waves, wind, and encroaching water finally overtook the ship in an area known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, the crew was suddenly tossed into the churning sea. The Bounty was gone, but their fate was still to be determined.



The men and women of a Coast Guard station in North Carolina summoned the courage to fly into hundred-mile-per-hour winds while the residents of the Eastern Seaboard were fleeing or bracing for the hurricane's impact. Through hours of white-knuckle flying, with crew members thrown about their aircraft and rescue swimmers jumping into thirty-foot seas, the Coast Guard accomplished one of its most memorable rescues ever.



Based on interviews with Bounty survivors and unfettered access to Coast Guard rescue team members, The Gathering Wind offers not only the first but the most complete account of this heartbreaking, thrilling, and inspirational story.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

PRAISE FOR THE FORGOTTEN 500

“Told in riveting detail for the first time, The Forgotten 500 is a tale of unsung heroes who went above and beyond.”—James Bradley, New York Times Bestselling Author of Flags of Our Fathers

“Reads like a fast-paced novel.”—Malcolm McConnell, New York Times #1 Bestselling Coauthor of American Soldier

“A literary and journalistic achievement of the highest order, a book that illuminates, thrills, and reminds us that heroes sometimes do live among us. It will take your breath away.”—Gregg Olsen, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Deep Dark

“Evoking the rescuees’ successive desperation, wild hope, and joy, and their gratitude to the Serbians who risked their lives to help, Freeman produces a breathtaking popular account.”—Booklist

“An exciting, powerful story of escape and rescue. It has been buried for too long.”—Tony Koltz, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Battle for Peace

JANUARY 2014 - AudioFile

Freeman tells the dramatic tale of the 2012 sinking of the tall ship BOUNTY (a replica of HMS BOUNTY) off North Carolina and the extraordinary Coast Guard rescue effort to save her crew. This is not a general story of Sandy but one of the most dramatic stories that resulted from the superstorm. David Drummond’s clear, hard-edged voice is perfect for this harrowing account of catastrophe and survival. His pace is good, and his pronunciation is always clear. Neither the waves of technical terms used to describe the tall ship nor the spray of jargon associated with the airborne search and rescue phase him. Freeman structures his story well, and Drummond keeps one engaged with learning the fate of BOUNTY's crew. F.C. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2013-10-03
An intense account of the last days and moments aboard the sailing ship Bounty. Due to its use in the film Mutiny on the Bounty and in two of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, the tall, wooden-hull Bounty was one of the best-known ships in the tall-ship community. She drew large crowds to her decks while in port but only sailed with her crew due to her inability to pass Coast Guard regulations for "safety and seaworthiness." Using exhaustive research and first-person interviews, Freeman (The Last Mission of the Wham Bam Boys: Courage, Tragedy and Justice in World War II, 2011, etc.) places readers aboard the Bounty during her last voyage--straight into the center of Hurricane Sandy. Although the ship was old and full of wood rot, and despite the warnings he received regarding the superstorm, her captain, Robin Walbridge, chose to set sail from Connecticut for Florida, determined that he could outrun the storm and reach their destination safely. Freeman narrates a harrowing account of the next several days aboard the Bounty as the crew wrestled with the bilge pumps, which could not compete against the massive amounts of water entering the hold through cracks in the hull and from the deck due to the storm swells. When the abandon-ship call finally went out, the Coast Guard was quickly on hand, although the airplane and helicopter crews had their own nightmarish rides through turbulence to reach the survivors of the shipwreck. Written almost minute by minute in places, Freeman's rendering of this horrific storm and the courage of the men and women aboard the Bounty and in the Coast Guard will place readers on edge until the last plane lands safely back at base. On a quieter note, the author includes testimony and reports on the ongoing Coast Guard investigation into the last voyage of the Bounty. An incredible story of courage, endurance and luck.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171038748
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	10/29/2013
Edition description:	Unabridged

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