Overboard: a True Bluewater Odyssey of Disaster and Survival

Overboard: a True Bluewater Odyssey of Disaster and Survival by Michael Tougias recounts the 2005 Coast Guard rescue of two sailboat crews trapped in a raging Atlantic storm. If you liked Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm, you will enjoy Overboard as well. Tougias has written several books on maritime disasters and he is good at it. In Overboard he recounts a complicated rescue effort without sacrificing suspense. The most engaging part of the book is the account of two sailors who spend a day and night in the Gulf steam with only life vests to help them survive in waves over 30 feet high. One survives the ordeal; one does not. By the time the surviving sailor was rescued, I felt exhausted myself. -Paul Read-alikes: The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger Into thin Air by John Krakauer  Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer Touching the Void by Joe Simpson You may also wish to read these other books by Tougias.