Knockdown

In the extreme sport of blue water, or open ocean, yacht racing, the Sydney to Hobbart challenge is considered one of the most treacherous races in the world; 1998 proved why. Slammed by a sudden freak storm that unleashed ninety-mile-per-hour winds and enormous waves, twenty-four boats were abandoned at sea as sixty-three sailors fought for their lives. Amazingly, fifty-seven were rescued, but six died, including two who were never found. Premier adventure writer Martin Duggard takes us down 725 miles of Australia's eastern coast, and across the Bass Strait (known among sailors as 'Hell on High Water', as he re-creates the nightmare voyages of several ill-fated crews. Through interviews with racers, survivors, and devastated family members, he chronicles the emotional saga of the windswept sailors whose skill and daring were futile against the massive waves and unrelenting winds. He also probes the motivations of those unique individuals, including CEOs and Billionaires, who risk all to challenge nature's indiscriminate fury.