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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday May 25, 2007 - 33 Artscene Oakville Beaver · FRIDAY, May 25, 2007 33 Author examines Admiral's Cup sailing disaster By Andrew Fruch SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Occasionally, a story comes along that stands as an example of what ordinary people are capable of accomplishing under the most adverse circumstances. One such story took place in 1979, during the Fastnet Race, the final event in a series of sailing races that made up the Admiral's Cup. During one of the worst sailing disasters in history, crews of 303 boats, sailing in open water were tested to the limit against hurricane-strength winds. This race is the topic of a new book by author and Oakville resident Adam Mayers. The book, called Beyond Endurance, documents this fascinating and tragic chapter in sailing history, which saw five boats sink, 24 more abandoned, 15 people die and another 135 rescued by the largest British air-sea operation since the Second World War. "One element of this is the disaster," said Mayers. "But the second part of the story, and what makes it just as compelling, if the race is something that went terribly wrong, these men survived, here is something that went terribly right. And they were ordinary men, caught in an extraordinary circumstance in which you could not prepare in all your life of sailing, you could not prepare or train for a disaster like that." Taking part in the race were 28 Canadians spread over three RON KUZYK / OAKVILLE BEAVER BOOK LAUNCH: Adam Mayers with his book, Beyond Endurance, which examines a 1979 sailing disaster which saw 15 people die on the last leg of the Admiral's Cup race. Canadian ships. For his book, "I wanted to share with as Mayers set out to discover the story many people as possible, a of these men and share it with the great Canadian story, a story world. about Canadian heroes, "I wanted to share with as many people as possible, a great Canadian about Canadians participatstory, a story about Canadian ing in a great event." heroes, about Canadians participating in a great event," said Mayers. Adam Mayers, The book follows the tale of the author Beyond Endurance Evergreen, a boat that was based out of Hamilton, the Toronto boat lent two days at sea, as well as paintMagistri and the Vancouver-based ing a larger picture of how the racPachena, throughout their turbu- ing disaster unfolded. One of the reasons for the book being written was the author's proximity to the events. At the time of the race, Mayers was working for the Western Morning News, a paper based out of Plymouth, on the south coast of England and the finishing point for the Admiral's Cup. He can recall the days in question, as he was supposed to meet with a friend for lunch, which would never happen on account of the storm. "The Hamilton Spectator had actually sent a reporter to cover the Admiral's Cup racing, and we agreed to have lunch, because I worked there as a student. And of course this terrible storm happened and this disastrous race and we never had lunch. And the story kind of stuck with me for years and years and years. And then I decided to revisit it a couple years ago." Mayers spent two years working on the book, a year was dedicated to conducting the necessary interviews, and the second year writing and editing his manuscript. The whole time, continuing with his job as senior editor of the Toronto Star website. Although this placed considerable demand on Mayers, he believes the experience was more than worth it. "You have to manage your time pretty carefully," said Mayers. "You can do more than you think you can do, that's one of the lessons of the book. You don't get to do a lot of the leisurely things that other people may be doing, but I consider this a pleasure to be doing. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and meeting and talking to these sailors was an enjoyable experience for me." The interviews required long telephone conversations, as well as a trip out to the West Coast of Canada. The survivors of the race were eager to share their stories, however, for some it was emotional to revisit. "They all wanted to tell the story," said Mayers. "They were all eager because it was such an incredible experience. Incredibly frighten See Author page 34 RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AWNINGS, CANOPIES, PORTABLE SHADE STRUCTURES $500 The Jack of all Tricks Skateboard Series Ontario's only modular mini ramp. Open all weekend at the Festival. Saturday June 22nd 10 `til 4 Watch as competitors vie for a $500 cash prize. To enter visit Hustler Board Shop Thurs. 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