In Bligh, Rob goes back to sea – this time it’s the eighteenth century, the era when brave mariners took their ships beyond the horizon in search of an unknown world.
Those chosen to lead these expeditions were exceptional navigators, men who had shown brilliance as they ascended the ranks in the Royal Navy. They were also bloody good sailors.
The Sydney to Hobart yacht race is one of the world’s major sporting events. In 1998, it became one of the world’s major sporting disasters. Six sailors tragically perished, countless others suffered injuries and numerous yachts sank or were badly damaged.
The subsequent search and rescue operation was one of the most phenomenally accomplished peacetime efforts the world has ever seen.
Already confirmed as a ‘gripping read’, Hell on High Seas chronicles some of the most remarkable stories of survival and daring the world’s oceans have ever hosted. Amazing feats of courage: some verging on madness, others where death is eluded through sheer bravery, determination and innovation.
The stories include four New Zealanders who survived 119 days in a capsized trimaran; one of the greatest adventures of all time, a couple who survived a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic in a dilapidated amphibious jeep. This was the start of what would be a 10-year round-the-world odyssey; three Mexican fishermen who drifted aimlessly in an open boat in the Pacific for nine months before being rescued; the many near-death experiences with crocodiles, sharks and cyclones for ‘Damo Dundee’, an amazing fisherman based in Australia’s tropical north; famous World War II Anzac aviator, Keith Thiele, who survived an incredible 50 bombing raids across Europe before experiencing some miraculous escapes while sailing the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand.
‘Amazing true stories …’ Kay Cottee, AO. First woman to sail solo and non-stop around the world.
In Alan Bond’s long-awaited autobiography, Bond – written with bestselling author Rob Mundle – the famous Australian answers his critics and reflects on his mistakes as well as the outside influences that were working to bring him down. He deals with family tragedies – including the death of his daughter, Susanne – and gives his own engaging account of how he went from working-class signwriter to national hero to jail inmate.
There are the first tentative forays into property development in the Perth suburbs while his family lived in a garage … the America’s Cup win that stopped the nation … his part in the creation of the Australian icon, the Boxing Kangaroo …his bankruptcy, trials, his imprisonment for over three-and-a-half years, as well as the subsequent rebuilding of his life. Along the way Alan Bond provides a telling snapshot of how business was done in the 1980s; of how the normal caution of banks and corporate leaders was tossed aside at the first smell of success and profits.
Bond tackles the myths and rumours that have developed around this former Australian of the Year. Alan Bond concedes he has made mistakes personally and professionally. Here he talks about where he went wrong and why he fell so far.
Others have given their versions of Alan Bond’s rollercoaster life. Now, at last, the man himself tells his side of the story.
In this book of the life of one of Australia’s greats, we meet the man who has done so much for his country in many different ways. He brings his story up to date – as the adventurous life of Sir James Hardy continues.
As helmsman of the yacht Impetuous in the tragic 1979 Fastnet Race out of England, Jim Hardy, sportsman, winemaker, businessman and family man reached a crossroad in his life.
His happy childhood, marred by his father’s early death in a plane crash, led to a passion for sailing and a career in the family wine company. Triumphs like his contribution to Australia II’s victory in the 1983 America’s Cup and his knighthood have been offset by personal tragedies. Jim Hardy, who has always been recognised as a survivor, has his entire life dealt with frankly and sensitively in this biography.
‘If having a knighthood and a coat of arms is supposed to change your attitude towards life then I failed. I always was and always will be the same Jim Hardy.’
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In Ocean Warriors Mundle has turned his sights on perhaps yachting’s greatest test: the Volvo Ocean Race, an around-the-world event in which competitors must cover more than 32,000 miles in nine months. The yachts and their crews must cope with the punishing demands of non-stop racing and the unpredictable fury of the open sea.
Ocean Warriors: The Thrilling Story of the 2001/2002 Volvo Ocean Race Round the World chronicles the daily pressures of this incredible sporting odyssey on competitors, and documents the struggles and triumphs of the members of one particular team, Team NewsCorp, as they battle to become the world’s best ocean warriors.
To succeed they must overcome the physical elements, from the oppressive heat of the tropics to the ferocious swells of the Southern Ocean, as well as the mental demands of the round-the-clock sailing.
A leg-by-leg, blow-by-blow, white-knuckle adventure story, Ocean Warriors is vintage Rob Mundle, interspersed with the words of the competitors themselves. Like the race, it is nail-biting stuff.
- All books are signed and dedicated by the author.
- Prices are quoted in Australian dollars and include postage and handling.
