Soul of the Hurricane

The Perfect Storm and an Accidental Sailor

By: Nelson Simon

Narrated by: Nelson Simon

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

The harrowing true story of an inexperienced crew member on a ship that sailed into the perfect storm.

Nelson Simon didn’t want to sign up as a last-minute crew member to transport a Norwegian schooner from Brooklyn to Bermuda. But one thing led to another, and there he was. He told himself that it would be a sort of pleasure cruise: a week in the Gulf Stream with a gourmet chef on board, some down time on a tropical island, then a quick flight home.

What did it matter that he had practically no sailing experience? The eight other crew members had plenty - they just needed an extra pair of hands. What could possibly go wrong?

It was October 1991, and the ship was Anne Kristine, the oldest continuously sailing vessel in the world. What awaited them was Hurricane Grace, the southern end of what came to be known as the “Perfect Storm”.

Soul of the Hurricane tells an unlikely tale that begins with an unexpected invitation and ends in the dead of night somewhere far from home, with a Coast Guard helicopter above and a dark, angry sea below.

©2021 by Nelson Simon (P)2021 by Blackstone Publishing

Good story

It was a good book. For a landlubber, though, some more explanation of nautical terms would have helped me to get a clearer picture of what was going on.

Fascinating story of much more than a hurricane

Pleasant voice of the author reads the book. It covers a lot diverse stories- it’s the story of a wooden schooner, the adventurers who rebuilt and restored it, and the various lives that converged aboard and sailed her into a hurricane.
I’m a recreational ocean sailor and I found it very interesting.

Oh wow

Mere words fall short of describing a true fighting spirit,a never say die spirit, & heartbreak,, but I found myself tearing up & I am not a very sensitive person, but this book deals with very human emotions that we prefer to look away from. I am so glad I gave it a chance ,,well done Nelson, well done & thank you.

Not as advertised

The description does not describe this book.
It was half way through where we got to the described story, and then two chapters of it and then into more back story.
Not to diminish the author’s experience, but I found it lacking details of the actual story marketed.
Also, the owner of the boat sounds like a total jerk. No concern about the crew. Only concerned about the ship. It’s a hero story without a hero.