Life and Death at Cape Disappointment: Becoming a Surfman on the Columbia River Bar

by Christopher J. D'Amelio, Reid Maruyama (Primary Contributor)

The ocean is one of the few untamed places on earth—unpredictable and unsympathetic to the lives lost there. For this reason, people remain fascinated by its tides, currents, and mysteries. Life and Death at Cape Disappointment is Christopher J. D'Amelio's first-hand account of life as a surfman at one of the Coast Guard’s most dangerous stations. Cape Disappointment is one of the most notorious Coast Guard units on the Pacific Coast. Its area of responsibility is referred to as the “Graveyard of the Pacific.” This book focuses on five of the most significant search and rescue cases during D'Amelio's tour and how such work affected him and his colleagues mentally and physically. It’s armchair entertainment for those enthralled by the ocean.

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2021

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The location of D'Amelio's Coast Guard career is "local" to me. We live along the Columbia River, and its hard-pushing current meets the Pacific Ocean at the Bar with wild water. We've visited Cape Disappointment and Astoria several times. My husband has fished at Buoy 10 and nearly lost it at the Bar while out with his good friend, a former Coast Guardsman and charter boat pilot well experienced with his own boat. But I had no idea how often the Coast Guard is called to tow to safe harbor broken-down fishing boats and recreational boaters who've been challenged by sudden shifts in weather. The author started sailing on the Sherman at the time my own nephew served on it, but D'Amelio didn't enjoy the law enforcement aspects and his career headed to search and rescue where he ended up a highly rated "surfman," one who drives rescue boats through the worst kinds of conditions to rescue people and other boats. While he isn't a polished writer-- his stories tend to jump around in time-- they are well told. I felt like he was speaking with friends at a local pub. And they are harrowing. Some of what he had to deal with is gut wrenching and nauseating. He knows the physical and emotional toll his work takes. He doesn't want to be considered a hero. He's retired now, and the ending was sad and shocking. I wish him well in his new, calmer life.

[Mike Nettleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know how, as a kid, when the action movie star quits kicking butt and leans in for a kiss from the damsel in distress you'd yell boooo! and root for the action to resume? That's kinda the way this book felt to me. The ocean rescue scenes were harrowing and adrenaline pumping. The inner journey stuff felt a little cloying. A good read, not a great read.

[Carolyn Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

The rescue sequences were fascinating and suspenseful, but I skimmed and skipped most of the mundane personal details because, for me, they didn't capture my interest.