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Left for Dead: Surviving the Deadliest Storm in Modern Sailing History
In August of 1979, Nick Ward began the 600-mile course of the UK's Fastnet Race with perfect weather. Within 48 hours, the deadliest storm in the history of modern sailing had blasted through the Irish Sea. By the time it had passed, it had thrown one of the world's most prestigious races into bedlam and taken the lives of fifteen sailors. Ward's boat, Grimalkin, was capsized again and again, and the skipper lost overboard; after hours of struggle, three of the crew fled the boat for the liferaft. Nick and his crewmate Gerry, both injured, unconscious, and presumed dead, were abandoned on the beleaguered yacht. Gerry died a few hours later, and Nick was left alone to face down a storm that has become legendary among sailors and racing fans alike. "Left for Dead" is Nick Ward's harrowing and inspirational memoir of how he survived that dreadful night. After his dramatic rescue, Ward was overwhelmed by media and decided in 1980 not to speak of the incident again. It wasn't until this book's coauthor, Sinead O'Brien, approached him about the story that he began the personal writings that became this book. Here at last is the untold true story of an accident that has intrigued lovers of the sea for almost thirty years.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
February 7, 2017
Five star book of the 1979 Fastnet race in which 15 sailors and 3 of the 4,000 rescuers died and which all sailors know about. When I read they were sailing downwind on bare poles dragging the warps I shivered. I've been in a bad storm too, four days, trying to get to Fernando de Noronha but we couldn't set a course and by the time we could we were so exhausted from fighting the storm, the four of us decided to sail directly to Fortaleza in Brazil.
That storm was like a gentle breeze compared to the force 10/11 storm that capsized 75 boats and sank 5 boats.
Proper review to come.
That storm was like a gentle breeze compared to the force 10/11 storm that capsized 75 boats and sank 5 boats.
Proper review to come.
March 3, 2013
I am reluctant to award 5 stars here on Goodreads. I was uncertain whether to do so here, but the fact is, this book was, to me at least, a page turner that I couldn't put down. I have seen some critiques of the writing style here, and I guess you can tell that Ward is not a writer by trade. However this is totally rendered moot in my view.
This is a realtively short book, but one that I read in a couple of sittings. There is a limited preamble where we learn about NW and the development of his love for sailing in general, and fascination with the Fastnet in particular. This is perfect in its brevity and in what it tells us about the author and his early health struggles. NW perfectly judges the fact that his readers want to know who he is, but are primarily interested in the account of the storm.
That account is compelling, told in a matter of fact way that really brings it alive. He provides the details we need - the smells, the sounds, the fear, the panic the uncertainty, the hope and the despair. What I particularly liked about the account was the the two themes of the story that are set in the context of the storm. The first of these, that runs through the whole narrative, was the fact that his crew mates abandoned the yacht, thinking that Ward and another crew mate were dead, when in fact they were only unconscious.
This has obviously left the author bitter and angry (understandably so) although he does seem to have come to terms with it, even if he doesn't seem to speak to those who left to this day. The second, poignant theme is the fact that he spent the last day of his ordeal in the boat with a dead colleague with whom he had a one way conversation through all those mose difficult hours. Ward credits this man with his survival, even though he was dead for much of the time.
It's a great story, compelling, well told and vivid. Highly recommended even for those, like me, who don't sail. I do remember this race from my childhood, and it is good to look back at it from the perspective of one who battled through it, lost friends and ultimately survived his ordeal.
This is a realtively short book, but one that I read in a couple of sittings. There is a limited preamble where we learn about NW and the development of his love for sailing in general, and fascination with the Fastnet in particular. This is perfect in its brevity and in what it tells us about the author and his early health struggles. NW perfectly judges the fact that his readers want to know who he is, but are primarily interested in the account of the storm.
That account is compelling, told in a matter of fact way that really brings it alive. He provides the details we need - the smells, the sounds, the fear, the panic the uncertainty, the hope and the despair. What I particularly liked about the account was the the two themes of the story that are set in the context of the storm. The first of these, that runs through the whole narrative, was the fact that his crew mates abandoned the yacht, thinking that Ward and another crew mate were dead, when in fact they were only unconscious.
This has obviously left the author bitter and angry (understandably so) although he does seem to have come to terms with it, even if he doesn't seem to speak to those who left to this day. The second, poignant theme is the fact that he spent the last day of his ordeal in the boat with a dead colleague with whom he had a one way conversation through all those mose difficult hours. Ward credits this man with his survival, even though he was dead for much of the time.
It's a great story, compelling, well told and vivid. Highly recommended even for those, like me, who don't sail. I do remember this race from my childhood, and it is good to look back at it from the perspective of one who battled through it, lost friends and ultimately survived his ordeal.
May 19, 2021
Anschaulich berichtet Nick Ward seine Erlebnisse vom Fastnet Race im August 1979, bei der durch einen Sturm der Windstärke 10 zahlreiche Hochseeyachten ausscheiden mussten, kenterten und 15 Segler ihr Leben verloren.
Ward durchlebte die stürmischen Stunden zunächst noch in Begleitung fünf anderer Mitsegler auf der Grimalkin. Nachdem das Boot abermals kenterte, so dass es kieloben mit abgerissenen Hauptmast trieb, verlor die Mannschaft ihren Skipper. Ward und ein weiterer Gefährte wurden schließlich totgeglaubt auf der Grimalkin zurückgelassen, während die drei übrigen Mitsegler auf der Rettungsinsel Zuflucht suchten und kurz darauf von einem Rettungshubschrauber geborgen werden konnten. Von alldem erfährt der Autor erst nach seiner eigenen Rettung. Bis es zu dieser aber kommt, muss er 12 Stunden alleingelassen mit seinem sterbenden Gefährten auf der angeschlagenen Grimalkin gegen die noch immer tobende See ums Überleben kämpfen.
Mir gefiel zum einen die bildhafte Schilderung Wards in Verbindung mit der für Landeier verständlichen Erklärung von seemännischem Vokabular und Handlungsweisen. Zum anderen, dass er dieses Buch nicht zu einer persönlichen Abrechnung mit den Mitseglern, die ihn an Bord zurückgelassen hatten, missbrauchte. Vielmehr versuchte er ihre Entscheidungen zu verstehen, um endlich selbst mit den einschneidenden Erlebnissen abschließen zu können. - Für maritime LiebhaberInnen lohnt sich dieser Bericht also allemal.
Ward durchlebte die stürmischen Stunden zunächst noch in Begleitung fünf anderer Mitsegler auf der Grimalkin. Nachdem das Boot abermals kenterte, so dass es kieloben mit abgerissenen Hauptmast trieb, verlor die Mannschaft ihren Skipper. Ward und ein weiterer Gefährte wurden schließlich totgeglaubt auf der Grimalkin zurückgelassen, während die drei übrigen Mitsegler auf der Rettungsinsel Zuflucht suchten und kurz darauf von einem Rettungshubschrauber geborgen werden konnten. Von alldem erfährt der Autor erst nach seiner eigenen Rettung. Bis es zu dieser aber kommt, muss er 12 Stunden alleingelassen mit seinem sterbenden Gefährten auf der angeschlagenen Grimalkin gegen die noch immer tobende See ums Überleben kämpfen.
Mir gefiel zum einen die bildhafte Schilderung Wards in Verbindung mit der für Landeier verständlichen Erklärung von seemännischem Vokabular und Handlungsweisen. Zum anderen, dass er dieses Buch nicht zu einer persönlichen Abrechnung mit den Mitseglern, die ihn an Bord zurückgelassen hatten, missbrauchte. Vielmehr versuchte er ihre Entscheidungen zu verstehen, um endlich selbst mit den einschneidenden Erlebnissen abschließen zu können. - Für maritime LiebhaberInnen lohnt sich dieser Bericht also allemal.
July 14, 2012
There are only two ways I know of to actually feel what it’s like to be in a force 10+ storm with 30-foot + seas: experience it for yourself like I have, or read Nick Ward’s most incredible account in Left for Dead. I know his account is accurate because I’ve experienced it. Nick’s descriptions of the waves, winds, and noises are brilliantly recalled and put into words in a way that places you right there on his boat in the middle of one of the most violent storms ever to be encountered on a small sailboat.
And his recounting of the emotions and senses he felt during the storm were enough to bring me to tears. He describes the smells, tastes, touch…the cold numbness that creeps into your fingers with such accuracy that I shivered while reading.
His incredible survival story is one that needed to be told and couldn’t have been done any better. The story is so well written I couldn’t put it down. Nick survived a harrowing tale and this book is an amazing telling of his personal story of willing himself to live. Unhesitatingly 5-stars, more than highly recommended.
Larry Jacobson
Circumnavigator and Author of the award-winning, The Boy Behind the Gate, How his dream of sailing around the world became a six-year odyssey of adventure, fear, discovery, and love
The Boy Behind the GateLarry Jacobson
And his recounting of the emotions and senses he felt during the storm were enough to bring me to tears. He describes the smells, tastes, touch…the cold numbness that creeps into your fingers with such accuracy that I shivered while reading.
His incredible survival story is one that needed to be told and couldn’t have been done any better. The story is so well written I couldn’t put it down. Nick survived a harrowing tale and this book is an amazing telling of his personal story of willing himself to live. Unhesitatingly 5-stars, more than highly recommended.
Larry Jacobson
Circumnavigator and Author of the award-winning, The Boy Behind the Gate, How his dream of sailing around the world became a six-year odyssey of adventure, fear, discovery, and love
The Boy Behind the GateLarry Jacobson
October 4, 2017
Interesting book about an interesting event. One of the great seafaring disasters of the 20th century, the 1979 Fastnet race. Written by Nick Ward who was a survivor (with assistance from a journalist) and on a yacht where 2 crew members died. At times this is a very powerful read relating to this disaster. It is deeply personal, it covers the whole of the race and the impact it had on him. He was left for dead by fellow crew members and very nearly died himself.
Part of the narrative when he was on the boat effectively on his own was both powerful and a little strange. The other aspect of this book that I have a slight reservation about is the fact that this revised edition was written 30 years after the events. While I sincerely believe that this is a true narrative in the author's eyes there must be some issues with memory. Indeed the latter part of the book indicates that as he gets other people's versions of the events. Good read for anyone with an interest in the ocean and survival stories.
Part of the narrative when he was on the boat effectively on his own was both powerful and a little strange. The other aspect of this book that I have a slight reservation about is the fact that this revised edition was written 30 years after the events. While I sincerely believe that this is a true narrative in the author's eyes there must be some issues with memory. Indeed the latter part of the book indicates that as he gets other people's versions of the events. Good read for anyone with an interest in the ocean and survival stories.
November 2, 2022
This book is the personal experiences of Nick Ward (Grimalkin) during the 1979 Fastnet race. The Fastnet race is a 605 mile course that is raced by yachts every two years. This particular race began on August 11, 1979, and the weather forecast determined nothing out of the ordinary. Things began to change rapidly by the third day of the race, and the weather forecast reported Force 8 winds. That was later amended to Force 10, but plenty of crew from various yachts swear it was a solid Force 11. 303 yachts were participating in the race, and it came out that 24 were abandoned, another 5 were lost (likely sank), and 75 capsized. The Grimalkin, with Nick aboard, faced a treacherous time in the storm that I cannot imagine. His personal struggles and the mental and emotional scars it left on him are horrible to think about. I don't want to spoil the book by talking about what he went through, but I am not sure that I would have made it at all. I am really shocked that there wasn't more loss of life out of 303 yacht crews than there were, however there is a memorial to those that did die in this storm/race on Cape Clear Island, Cork, Ireland.
I got this book during the most recent Audible sale they had at Halloween. There were several disaster books, and, as we all know, I enjoy a good disaster book. For some reason, I have been getting a lot of sea disasters lately, and I am unsure if I am in a phase or that just happens to be what is available to me when I am purchasing books. (Also, I need to stop purchasing books because I am meant to be reading my unread stuff to downsize for moving....yet here I am.) I know virtually nothing about sailing or yacht races, so this was an interesting experience for me to read about. I love the ocean, but after reading books like this, I have such an appreciation for the dangers that seafaring people face. While this book was about personal experiences, he did include information about the sailing of yachts that made it where people like me that know nothing could have a general idea of what he was talking about. If you are interested in disasters or boat racing, this might be a good one for you to check into.
I got this book during the most recent Audible sale they had at Halloween. There were several disaster books, and, as we all know, I enjoy a good disaster book. For some reason, I have been getting a lot of sea disasters lately, and I am unsure if I am in a phase or that just happens to be what is available to me when I am purchasing books. (Also, I need to stop purchasing books because I am meant to be reading my unread stuff to downsize for moving....yet here I am.) I know virtually nothing about sailing or yacht races, so this was an interesting experience for me to read about. I love the ocean, but after reading books like this, I have such an appreciation for the dangers that seafaring people face. While this book was about personal experiences, he did include information about the sailing of yachts that made it where people like me that know nothing could have a general idea of what he was talking about. If you are interested in disasters or boat racing, this might be a good one for you to check into.
June 22, 2025
Stunning and humbling read.. anyone thinking of undertaking a significant sailing trip ( ARC etc) should read at destination. How technology has fortunately advanced us since 1979 🙏
August 31, 2018
Never sailing. Ever. I love disaster story books. I love how the perspectives get warped and changed and everyone remembers differently — loved this story - incredible survival.
March 25, 2021
Read this book in 2 days on the beach in FL, happily watching boats from a dry distance! It's not the best written book but the author deserves 5 stars for both surviving this harrowing disaster and finding the fortitude to finally get it all down on paper so we can read it. I didn't understand all of the sailing stuff and I could only imagine what those seas were like. Terrifying. I found the author to be quite generous with his literary treatment of those who left him for dead. And it was lovely that he credited his dead crewmate for giving him a purpose and the will to keep living, himself. Fair winds and following seas to you, Nick!
June 6, 2018
Harrowing. I read this because it tells the story of a very famous sailing race disaster on a sailboat very similar to the one we own and are currently sailing. Made by the same designer, Ron Holland, and 4.5’ shorter in overall length, the pictures were hauntingly familiar to our own boat. My husband asked WHY I would be reading about sailing disasters while we’re at sea, but I couldn’t stop. This is a tale too incredible not to finish. The detail the author (and crew member) provides is just incredible. Part of what comforted me in the reading is that Grimalkin did not sink. A truly incredible tale. How Nick survived is truly inspirational and the acceptance he shows toward crew members who abandoned him is humbling.
Read
September 11, 2007Just read the first couple of chapters. Ward was a lifelong sailor, from age 7 or so he was racing dinghies and keelboats. The sea and her traditions were are like blood and breathing to him.
The most telling parts of the book are when he brushes up against his dismay and amazement that his crewmates left him, never visited him in the hospital, never spoke with him after his recovery.
It's not great writing. You can see that his co-author's heavy editing is necessary to keep him on track and in readable prose.
Reading this book has me headed to the marine supply store today to get a couple of new lifejackets and an emergency boarding ladder.
The most telling parts of the book are when he brushes up against his dismay and amazement that his crewmates left him, never visited him in the hospital, never spoke with him after his recovery.
It's not great writing. You can see that his co-author's heavy editing is necessary to keep him on track and in readable prose.
Reading this book has me headed to the marine supply store today to get a couple of new lifejackets and an emergency boarding ladder.
April 4, 2014
Nick Ward's story of being abandoned by his crewmates during the infamous 1979 Fastnet Race is so well told in Left for Dead that I felt as if I was onboard Grimalkin with Nick as he battled both physically and emotionally to survive 14 gruelling hours in the most terrifying conditions possible at sea.
It’s not only a gripping account of remarkable endurance, but also an extremely personal and honest attempt to understand what happened and to forgive his crewmates for their decision.
If you like sailing or true stories of survival, Left for Dead won’t disappoint you.
It’s not only a gripping account of remarkable endurance, but also an extremely personal and honest attempt to understand what happened and to forgive his crewmates for their decision.
If you like sailing or true stories of survival, Left for Dead won’t disappoint you.
February 4, 2017
This is the book that spurred me to finish my own book RESCUE PILOT. Having taken off at 0500 on that fateful day I had flown way beyond limits and was back on the ground by the time Nick was finally picked out of the water at 2100 that night. Reading the story from his freezing and watery perspective gave me much food for thought and sent shivers down my spine. It was a special day when we met for the first time in order to appear together on the BBC Radio's series "The Reunion" which is online here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05q5ynq and I'm now proud to call him friend. Thanks for the impetus Nick!
January 31, 2017
Left for Dead tells the tale of the six-hundred-mile course of the UK's Fastnet Race. In 1979, with perfect weather, the deadliest storm in the history of modern sailing took place just a mere 48 hours after the race began blasting through the Irish Sea, throwing one of the world's most prestigious races into bedlam and taking the lives of fifteen sailors.
The book is so well written that it is easy to visualize the events and feel the torment of 24 year old Nick Ward.
A mesmerizing book about a sailor's worse nightmare.
The book is so well written that it is easy to visualize the events and feel the torment of 24 year old Nick Ward.
A mesmerizing book about a sailor's worse nightmare.
April 7, 2020
I thought this was both a fascinating & distressing read! I found it hard to put down (as we all know the outcome), but I was filled with anxiety and the thought of those 70 foot waves coming at the boat from all directions filled me with terror. I think Nick has written about his ordeal very well and I’m full of admiration for him and his rescuers.
June 2, 2015
I read this book in one day. I couldnt put it down.....I do not sail, but have read many books about sea adventures......This was a terrifying story that left me haunted by his experience. I found it captivating. A quick read. It reminded in part of the movie, "The Perfect Storm"
September 11, 2016
Absolutely terrible writing, impressive story.
January 2, 2017
Gripping, harrowing, moving. I have skippered the Fastnet race twice - Nick's experiences are never far from my mind.
October 2, 2023
Dymocks Summer 2023 Challenge - Water on the Cover
This tells the story of the Fastnet Sailing Race in 1979, by the last survivor pulled from the race. Nick Ward takes us thru the the events leading up too, during and after the race.
A lot of sailing terminology is used in this book, making it a little bit hard to follow not being from a sailing background. This story also makes me not want to sail!
A lot of mistakes and misinformation lead to the tragic race outcomes, including weather information and strong personalities.
We will never really know the decisions that left Nick and Gerry being left behind, perhaps it’s best this way, no particular blame can’t be placed onto one person, but a whole group decisions in itself.
It’s great to see the Fastnet Race still continues to this day.
3 Stars given to this biography.
This tells the story of the Fastnet Sailing Race in 1979, by the last survivor pulled from the race. Nick Ward takes us thru the the events leading up too, during and after the race.
A lot of sailing terminology is used in this book, making it a little bit hard to follow not being from a sailing background. This story also makes me not want to sail!
A lot of mistakes and misinformation lead to the tragic race outcomes, including weather information and strong personalities.
We will never really know the decisions that left Nick and Gerry being left behind, perhaps it’s best this way, no particular blame can’t be placed onto one person, but a whole group decisions in itself.
It’s great to see the Fastnet Race still continues to this day.
3 Stars given to this biography.
March 28, 2025
Wasn’t sure what to expect from this read when I was gifted it a couple of Christmas’s ago. It was actually incredibly gripping, extremely moving and quite an emotional read. The hell that the author endured for 24hrs on a floundering boat, in a biblical storm that no-one saw coming, with only a dead crew mate for company, is just unimaginable. The PTSD and survivors guilt is evident throughout the book, along with the confusing emotions surrounding the decision by his crew mates to abandon ship believing the author and his injured crew mate were both dead.
I had to gloss over all the sailing terminology and names of things as it’s not something I’m familiar with, but this in no way detracted from the story.
I had to gloss over all the sailing terminology and names of things as it’s not something I’m familiar with, but this in no way detracted from the story.
October 2, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed the story of the tragic 1979 Fastnet sailing race. Told in the first person this book got you so involved with the practice of ocean sailing, which I have never done or been interested in that you felt you were in the boat with him. The crew were well described and the personality of each was well brought out. Told in the first person you knew he obviously survived, but did anyone else.
November 13, 2021
A clichéd 'unputdownable' tale of hardship, abandonment, and survival. Whilst not offering anything particularly out of the ordinary for the genre, Left for Dead harrowingly chronicles the POV of one man who endured the greatest sporting tragedy ever to hit Irish shores. Could have been longer! Both the reader, and to his credit the author, are left with burning questions - albeit still satisfied.
December 9, 2019
I found this book to be difficult to get into in the beginning. But following the enthusiasm from both my parents, who have both read this story, I pushed on. And I am glad that I did! Once you get into it the story becomes an incredibly gripping, harrowing experience and you can read through several chapters when you intended to read one. A highly emotional, and heart stopping read.
August 15, 2021
Excellent first hand account of the Grimalkin during the Fastnet disaster of 1979
Nick takes you on the journey of a lifetime. You understand his eternal love of the sea and sailing but at the same time how all the experience in the world isn’t enough when Mother Nature’s power is on full display. A touching, personal story of love, loss and closure.
Nick takes you on the journey of a lifetime. You understand his eternal love of the sea and sailing but at the same time how all the experience in the world isn’t enough when Mother Nature’s power is on full display. A touching, personal story of love, loss and closure.
November 23, 2021
An absolutely incredible book - could not put it down and felt completely emotionally compelled and gripped in the story. It gave me shivers and was a fantastic read, will probably re-read at some point!
November 9, 2023
The inside story of the 1979 Fastnet
An incredible, harrowing story of how not to give up. I found myself willing Nick Ward on (even thoughts I knew he survived). Gripping read. Glad that the book was written.
An incredible, harrowing story of how not to give up. I found myself willing Nick Ward on (even thoughts I knew he survived). Gripping read. Glad that the book was written.
May 1, 2024
Gripping, enthralling, compelling and fascinating, especially the survivors' reactions to the events and to each other. As far as I was concerned, I did find the geography of the boat not well described and so not easy to imagine; it would also have been helpful to have had a glossary - for words like pitch-poling, for example
March 7, 2025
I loved this book, I’ve listened to a few books on the Fastnet disaster and this is an excellent albeit heartbreaking recount.
Brutal test of human fortitude, I was awestruck by the tenacity of the author.
Brutal test of human fortitude, I was awestruck by the tenacity of the author.
February 3, 2018
amazing what he went through
June 7, 2019
Really fascinating read, made me look up the race details. Well written and evokes amazing imagery and empathy for the writer. Read it in a day!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews