I was caught up in every moment of this book. It is an enthralling story of survival in a very tough situation. I hope that I am never lost in the South Georgian sea. ( )

A compelling read.

The best part of this book are the details about life aboard a tramp fishing boat in the Antarctic ocean ca. late 1990s. Most of the book is a memoir of a young man who shipped aboard to act as an observer of wildlife by-catch, he is outsider on the inside. Since you already know a disaster of some sort is going to happen, everything feels a bit sinister. The ship is poorly maintained, the people responsible behave with no care for anyone but themselves. You can feel it coming. When the disaster happens it reaches a pitch of horror when Lewis feels something biting his toe under the water. This is a first class disaster survival memoir but also fascinating look at the sketchy toothfish industry (never buy Chilean sea-bass) and hard lessons on leadership and empathy. ( )

This book started out slowly, setting up the background details of what looked to be a fairly typical commercial fishing voyage as seen through the eyes of the outsider, the obligatory marine biologist/observer. Once the scene is set the author does a good job of bringing the reader along on his journey through the sinking of the South African fishing vessel Sudur Havid. Not everyone makes it, and not everyone (including the author) behaves admirably, but the author's story comes across as honestly told. The uncertainty of real life, without storybook endings, kept me engrossed in this book once the author realized that the ship was going down and they were abandoning ship wanting to see what happened to the crew. I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First reads giveaways.
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Matt Lewis is a newly graduated marine biologist looking for his first job when he takes a position as an Observer on a commercial fishing vessel in Antarctic waters. He's a little disturbed when he first sees his new home and workplace, the Sudar Havid, an aging and much-modified fishing boat of Dutch ownership and South African crew. In the coming weeks, though, he gets to know the crew, the boat, and the life, and is fully a part of the crew by the time they run into real trouble.

They're a good half full of fish, and newly refueled off the Falklands, when they run into stormy weather and rough seas. Being so heavily laden gives them less maneuverability, and the captain and the fishing master are reluctant to stop fishing and reorient the boat. As the boat takes on water, Matt and others struggle to get the pumps started, without success. When the captain gives the order to abandon ship, it's late, and a desperate scramble. That's when the real struggle to survive begins.

Lewis lets us get fully acquainted with the boat, its officers, and its crew before we face the terror and hardship of abandoning ship and trying to survive in poorly equipped life rafts in heavy seas. We also see the rush of competitor commercial fishers--competitors under normal circumstances--to provide rescue in a part of the world where all the authorities are too far away to help. In disasters, the fishermen only have each other.

Matt Lewis tries to be as honest as possible about both his crewmates and himself, in their strengths, weaknesses, and faults in the crisis. This is both an exciting adventure, and a thoroughly human story, that held my interest all the way through.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via Penguin's First to Read program. ( )