The North Atlantic has always been a place of danger, mystery, and fear. From the era of the early explorers to modern-day seamen, the brooding ocean finds a way to exact its wages from those daring enough to sail out into its vastness. Deemed the stormiest ocean on earth, it is still the most traversed. Newfoundland and Labrador juts out into the middle of this maelstrom. From fire, shipwrecks, submarine attacks, rocks, fog, and thrilling rescue operations, these twenty-three stories of ocean misadventure and chance delve into the depths of that great element of nature lapping our doorstep. Sail the Wild Seas presents tales of the sea that are sure to thrill all who love this province of ours and those who are drawn to the incredible lure of the North Atlantic. Marine misadventures range from Hedley Lake’s story of how he survived the torpedoing of the SS Caribou during World War II; to the deadly derelicts, “ghosts of the ocean,” waiting for their next prey; and a survivor’s tale of hardship and endurance near Cape St. Mary’s. Then there are the oddities, the mysteries of the North Atlantic: the near-death experience of two Newfoundlanders on Ram Island in 1897; the strange disappearance of the Orion in 1907; lightning strikes at sea; the tragic footnote of the wreck of the Monterey when its load of livestock was thrown overboard and how men perished seeking work to round up the wandering cattle. The account of how two Newfoundland sailors survived fifty-five hours on an ice pan off St. John’s may only be surpassed by Solomon French’s epic struggle on the Labrador ice as one of the survivors of the Huntsman wreck in 1872. These and many more are yarns you will want to read again and again.

Robert C. Parsons has been called one of the most popular and prolific writers on the subject of Atlantic Canada’s ships and ship disasters. He is the author of more than twenty-five non-fiction books. His work has also appeared in a number of newspapers and magazines such as Downhome, the Telegram, the Newfoundland Quarterly, and Newfoundland Lifestyles.In May 2009, Robert’s nonfiction prose was judged an award winner in the annual Arts and Letters Competition.In December that same year, he was presented with the Polaris Award from the Canadian Coast Guard Alumni Association, Newfoundland and Labrador division, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the preservation and public awareness of the marine heritage and history in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. This award was only given out two previous times in the years of the Alumni Association’s existence.Robert’s book Courting Disaster: True Crime and Mischief on Land and Sea was a Globe and Mail bestseller.A former fish plant worker and educator and a present-day researcher and devotee of all items marine-related, Robert lives in Grand Bank, Newfoundland.

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