Ten Hours Until Dawn

The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the Can Do

By: Michael J. Tougias

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

During the height of the blizzard of 1978, the tanker Global Hope floundered on the shoals off the Massachusetts coast. The Coast Guard dispatched a patrol boat, but was soon in as much trouble as the tanker. Then pilot boat captain Frank Quirk, hearing of the Coast Guard's troubles on his radio, decided to act. He gathered his crew of four, readied his 49-foot steel boat, the Can Do, and entered the maelstrom of the blizzard that was to become known as the "Storm of the Century".

Encountering one of the most monstrous seas ever recorded, Quirk struggled through the night to keep his boat from being driven to the depths of the sea, maintaining contact with a local ham-radio operator through his hand-held battery-powered radio. We know that the Can Do stayed afloat past three a.m. Then there was silence.

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner

©2005 Michael J. Tougias (P)2006 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

• AudioFile Earphones Award Winner

"Tougias balances human and technical detail to create the best book of its kind since Sebastian Jungier's The Perfect Storm." (Booklist)
"Tougias delivers a well researched, vividly written tale of brave men overwhelmed by the awesome forces of nature. An absorbing account." (Publishers Weekly)

Incredible

I too read the Boston Globe article while I was a cadet at Mass Maritime Academey
Moving
Great Job
Thank You

Fantastic Listen

This was a fantastic book and a very gripping story. The only complaint I have is the mispronunciation of many of the cities and towns mentioned in this book.

Ten Hours Until Dawn

I enjoyed it very much. A very great read. It was very hard to put down.

Highly Recomended

Excellent book. The final section with the actual radio transmissions of the Can-do and shore bases put one INTO the tragedy where other sea stories, such as "Perfect Storm" are unable to compare. There is little need for poetic license here.
Though there are sections whee the narrator didn't interpret the writing all that well, the writing is strong, informative, anad since I was IN this book, I can attest that it is painfully accurate.
Boatdog

WOW!

Even though I knew what the out come was going to be I found myself hoping and wishing things would end differently, A well written, enjoyable listen.

absolutely worthwhile and attention-getting

absolutely worthwhile, interesting story and characters. I find it a little bit distracting when readers or narrators adopt accents and voices other than their own when reading quotations or speaking Parts, but in the case of this particular book, it did not take away too much from the overall peace. Generally speaking, better-than-average story and presentation.

Good Book Reminds Us of What is Important

I read the reviews about this book and some were not very nice. But I listened to it anyway and enjoyed it very much. If accents are not exact and places are not pronounced correctly, it doesn't really matter. What matters is learning about the lives of all these people and what they endured. And not forgetting this story. This story reminds me to tell people in my life everyday that I love them. That is what is important. At the end of this recording the author tells how he came to write this story, very moving.

For those in Peril

If you enjoy a good yarn about the Sea, and sadly there are not enough on Audible, this will hold you spellbound. The story is simple but it is woven into a tapestry of side tales that add to the plot. The subtext is understanding the strength of those that risk their lives daily for other mariners; a breed of people that are rare and incredibly brave when Mother Nature gets very cross indeed.

I never drive without an audio book and if you want to reduce driving stress, save money on speeding fines and use the time to listen to what the writers of our world have to say, never leave home without one.

Very complex

Would you listen to Ten Hours Until Dawn again? Why?

Yes I would listen to this again, but there are too many side stories in this book to make it really flow.

This was a gripping and heartbreaking story, especially since I work on commercial fishing boats.

I was extremely happy with everything, the story, the performance, all great. However, the author's epilogue was horrendous! He constantly smacks and makes other horrid noises with his mouth, I have misophpnia and I would rather listen to nails on a chalkboard or eat boiled beets than listen to that. Be warned if gross mouth noises bother you, skip the epilogue.