Knockdown
The Harrowing True Account of a Yacht Race Turned Deadly
Chapter One
Blue Christmas
We're the ones who wear the notion, the notion deep inside, that it ain't no sin to
be glad you're alive.
-- Bruce Springsteen, "Badlands"
Blue-water sailors are adventurers. Their opponent and lover is a fluid,
ever-changing, conniving, aggressive sea, but they would rather be pushing themselves
and their boats in wet and miserable situations on the high seas than be anywhere
else. Veteran blue-water sailors will tell you in all humility that what they do is
not dangerous, but they know in their heart of hearts that things can go terribly
wrong in a matter of seconds — decks buckling and ropes cutting off fingers and men
tossed overboard with a single wave's crash. Stepping on dry land again is
intoxicating, however, and a passage's pains are quickly forgotten. And soon the
blue-water sailor is sitting in his office again, staring out the window toward a
squall line on an otherwise perfect day, dangerous notions percolating.
Ed Psaltis is such a man. Christ ... read full excerpt from Knockdown : The Harrowing True Account of a Yacht Race Turned Deadly ebook
