Overview

Hurricane Mitch was a category five storm, the fourth-fiercest Atlantic storm in history and the worst hurricane in 200 years. The devastation it visited upon Central America dominated the evening news and set back the Honduran economy by 20 years. Roads, fields and entire villages were buried or simply disappeared. What would it have been like to face this storm at sea? This is exactly what happened to the ""Fantome"" - a 282-foot steel-hulled, four-masted schooner that carried paying passengers for Windjammer Barefoot Cruises of Miami. After cancelling a cruise and discharging her 97 passengers, she put to sea to dodge the hurricane - a highly questionable decision in itself. Over the next 40 hours, the path of the storm changed, thus negating the ship's every tactic. Her British captain and 30 crew - mostly West Indians - were never found. This work explores every facet of this tragic story. There are questions about the ""Fantome's"" seaworthiness, her captain's experience, and the wisdom of the tactics adopted by the president of Windjammer, who was in radio contact with the ship until the hurricane took a final turn to the north.

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9780071355261

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A wonderful reporting and writing job. The Log 20010112 It's a wonderful story, a triumph, really of human determination to do what seems undoable and to never yield in the face of my adversity. The Log 20010112 Carrier excels at vivid weather descriptions. Philadelphia Inquirer 20010107 gripping and compelling. Carrier excels at vivid weather descriptions. Philadelphia Inquirer 20010107 The heart-wrenching testimony of the crew's families, horror stories of survivors on land, and scientific background from the meteorologists provide a thoroughly detailed context in which to view one of the worst hurricanes in recorded history. Booklist 20001115 This well-written, absorbing, saga easily stands on its own. Library Journal 20001115 the writing is as good and the tale of the doomed ship is better documented by witness accounts than the loss of the boat and the crew in The Perfect Storm...Carrier sends the reader into the eye of the hurricane and it's a terrifying ride. Warning: Once you get on board, there's no turning back. The Denver Post 20001113 Whatever business you're in, The Ship has some lessons: Pay attention to those giving you bad news because they might be right. Sometimes, the worst case scenario isn't farfetched or the person in your organization vocalizing it less than a team player. Business Journal 20001024 Jim Carrier has written a book tracking the life and death of the Fantome and the storm that killed her, captain Guyan March and his courageous crew. What killed these guys was a combination of errors, Carrier said last week from his office in Montgomery, Ala. Errors in forecasting by the Hurricane Center in Miami and by the captain and his bosses in Miami. Fort Worth Star-Telegram 20001024 Carrier does a first-rate job of giving individuated life to the star-crossed crew of the Fantome, rendering this dark drama of duty and courage amidst nature's fury gripping but never exploitative. Kirkus Reviews 20001015

A wonderful reporting and writing job. The Log 20010112 It's a wonderful story, a triumph, really of human determination to do what seems undoable and to never yield in the face of my adversity. The Log 20010112 Carrier excels at vivid weather descriptions. Philadelphia Inquirer 20010107 gripping and compelling. Carrier excels at vivid weather descriptions. Philadelphia Inquirer 20010107 The heart-wrenching testimony of the crew's families, horror stories of survivors on land, and scientific background from the meteorologists provide a thoroughly detailed context in which to view one of the worst hurricanes in recorded history. Booklist 20001115 This well-written, absorbing, saga easily stands on its own. Library Journal 20001115 the writing is as good and the tale of the doomed ship is better documented by witness accounts than the loss of the boat and the crew in The Perfect Storm...Carrier sends the reader into the eye of the hurricane and it's a terrifying ride. Warning: Once you get on board, there's no turning back. The Denver Post 20001113 Whatever business you're in, The Ship has some lessons: Pay attention to those giving you bad news because they might be right. Sometimes, the worst case scenario isn't farfetched or the person in your organization vocalizing it less than a team player. Business Journal 20001024 Jim Carrier has written a book tracking the life and death of the Fantome and the storm that killed her, captain Guyan March and his courageous crew. What killed these guys was a combination of errors, Carrier said last week from his office in Montgomery, Ala. Errors in forecasting by the Hurricane Center in Miami and by the captain and his bosses in Miami. Fort Worth Star-Telegram 20001024 Carrier does a first-rate job of giving individuated life to the star-crossed crew of the Fantome, rendering this dark drama of duty and courage amidst nature's fury gripping but never exploitative. Kirkus Reviews 20001015

Author Information

Jim Carrier is an award-winning journalist and author of seven books. He has written for National Geographic, SAIL, and the New York Times. After 20 years as a radio newscaster, Associated Press correspondent and newspaper editor, and 13 years as the Denver Post's ""Rocky Mountain Ranger,"" he bought a 35-foot sailboat and moved aboard. A survivor of six hurricanes, including Luis, Marilyn, Georges, and Mitch, he has docked his yawl temporarily in Montgomery, Alabama.

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