The Proving Ground : The Inside Story of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race

Having competed in 7 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Races including the similar 1993 race and, knowing many of the central characters in the book, this was an exciting and telling account of what faced the competitors in the 1998 race. Bruce's story is fantastic; it not only gives the reader a feel for the conditions but also for the characters of the people who were central to the story.The most interesting aspect for me was seeing... Read Full Review

This book should appeal mostly to people who like rollicking good sea stories and also to yacht racers who want and need to get a better understanding of the terrible tragedy that was the '98 Sidney Hobart Race.For the sea story lovers, this book is much better than "The Perfect Storm" by Sebastian Junger because a sea story (or any story for that matter) should have a begining, a middle and an ending. "The Perfect Storm"... Read Full Review

I read The Proving Ground in one night ... I just couldn't put it down. And I didn't mind that I was exhausted from lack of sleep the next day because I so enjoyed the read. Bruce Knecht not only has written a detailed account of the horrific experiences of the yachtsmen on three boats in the Sydney-Hobart race, but he has captured what it was like for the sailors to endure the ordeal ... the fear, the heroic sacrifices,... Read Full Review

This is the best book on sailing ever written. But it's so much more. The story is so griping that I read it in one evening. What the author does best is geve you a great sense of why in the world anyone would do something as insane as enter this race. Its as much a human interest story as a sailing epic- Incredible

As an experienced offshore sailor, I found Knecht's book absolutely riveting. He sets out to examine why it is that already highly-successful people (who don't necessarily have anything to prove) are tempted to put their lives at stake competing in a yacht race. He then goes on to describe and examine what went wrong, and why. He deals with the meteorology, the nature of the yachts, the personalities of the crews, and their... Read Full Review