THE PROVING GROUND

The day after Christmas 1997, 115 yacht racers set off from Sydney Harbor in Australia for a 630-mile race to Hobart, Tasmania. The racers quickly found themselves battling a near-hurricane that no one had forecast. Winds and 80-foot waves sank boats and several men drowned. G. Bruce Knecht chronicles the race and profiles the best racers. The author interviewed many survivors, so the story includes what was said and thought at many crucial moments. Stanley Tucci does a first-rate job reading. He gives drama to the words without forgetting that it's the story, not the reader, that makes the tale compelling. The producers have carefully added bits of music and sound effects, which add to the atmosphere. This is a first-class production. R.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 02]