Fatal Forecast

Book excerpt: As harrowing as The Perfect Storm—but with a miraculous ending—Fatal Forecast is one of the greatest survival stories ever told—now available as a young readers edition. ★ "Plunges into the action with pulse-pounding panache…. Readers will be rooting for all these courageous men in this thrilling, edge-of-your-seat survival tale." —Booklist, starred review On the morning of November 21, 1980, two small boats set out from Cape Cod for Georges Bank, a prosperous fishing ground one hundred miles out to sea. The National Weather Service had forecast typical fall weather, and the young crew aboard the Sea Fever and the Fair Wind had no reason to expect that this trip would be any different from the dozens they’d made earlier in the season. What they didn’t know was that the only weather buoy in the area was malfunctioning as the National Weather Service had failed to reveal this critical data. As the two boats headed out, a colossal storm was brewing, a furious maelstrom that would batter the boats with sixty-foot waves and hurricane-force winds. This true story of catastrophe and survival at sea is a vivid moment-by-moment account of seventy-two hours in the lives of eight men. Most amazing is the story of Ernie Hazard, who spent more than fifty terrifying hours in—and out of—a tiny life raft, careening in the monstrous waves. Gripping and heart-pounding, this page-turning young readers edition is an unforgettable story about the collision of two spectacular forces: the brutality of nature and the human will to survive. An adaptation for young readers of Fatal Forecast: An Incredible True Tale of Disaster and Survival at Sea. "Middle and early high school readers who love a gripping adventure or survival story will tear through this one. Highly recommended." —School Library Journal