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Ten Hours until Dawn: The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy aboard the Can Do Audiobook
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(3.10) - 136 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
During the height of the blizzard of 1978, a tanker foundered on the shoals off the Massachusetts coast. The Coast Guard dispatched a patrol boat that was soon in trouble, too.
A pilot-boat captain, Frank Quirk, heard of the Coast Guard’s plight on his radio. He gathered his crew of four, readied his forty-nine-foot steel boat, the Can Do, and entered the maelstrom of the blizzard soon to be known as the Storm of the Century.
Encountering one of the most monstrous seas ever recorded, Quirk struggled through the night to keep his boat from sinking, maintaining contact through his hand-held battery-powered radio. The Can Do stayed afloat past three a.m. Then there was silence.
Through dozens of interviews as well as recordings of the radio communications exchanged between Quirk and the Coast Guard—actual recordings included here in this audiobook—Michael J. Tougias provides us a devastating, true account of bravery and death at sea.
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"A page turning account of heroic men risking their lives to aid others in the white-out conditions of The Blizzard of '78. Tougias' thorough research of the men, meterology and marinership will keep you from putting the book down."
— Cape (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Joe Barrett’s crisp reading propels the story, and his voiced reenactments of radio transmissions aid clarity. The author reads a long note at the end, explaining his methods and motivations. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
“Narrator Barrett makes each character come to life. He handles the New Englandaccents with ease and his tone conveys the seriousness, stark realism, and ultimate tragedy.”
— Kliatt (audio review) -
“Ten Hours until Dawn is every bit as gripping as the best adventure fiction.”
— Midwest Book Review -
“Arguably the best story of peril at sea since Sebastian Junger’s Perfect Storm…[The] balancing of human and technical detail is nearly perfect, and he has made the book accessible even to relative newcomers to maritime literature.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“A well-researched, vividly written tale of brave men overwhelmed by the awesome forces of nature.”
— Publishers Weekly
Awards
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An AudioFile Best Audiobook of the Year
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
Ten Hours until Dawn Listener Reviews
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Willard Sprang, 2/8/2022
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" Amazing book about what Mother Nature can throw at you while at sea. "
— Steven, 8/8/2013 -
" This is a riviting audio book. Highly recommended. "
— MJ, 11/7/2012 -
" Great book about rescues at sea by coast guard boats and about the Blizzard of 78. Very detailed about how the Coast Guard works and what happens during rescues and storms. Very interesting. "
— Linda, 5/22/2011 -
" Heroic depiction of a man and his crew truly dedicated to helping others in need. The book was a good read but I got a little lost at times with the sailing terminology, however, it was due to my own ignorance of such things. "
— Eric, 4/28/2011 -
" True account of coast guard rescue boat "Can Do" during the blizzard of 78'. Fascinating and hard to put down. Will be a movie soon I believe. "
— Leigh, 10/25/2010 -
" Heroic depiction of a man and his crew truly dedicated to helping others in need. The book was a good read but I got a little lost at times with the sailing terminology, however, it was due to my own ignorance of such things. "
— Eric, 8/30/2010 -
" True account of coast guard rescue boat "Can Do" during the blizzard of 78'. Fascinating and hard to put down. Will be a movie soon I believe. "
— Leigh, 5/28/2009 -
" Great book about rescues at sea by coast guard boats and about the Blizzard of 78. Very detailed about how the Coast Guard works and what happens during rescues and storms. Very interesting. "
— Linda, 9/11/2007
About Michael J. Tougias
Michael J. Tougias is a bestselling author and coauthor of numerous books for adults, including There’s a Porcupine in My Outhouse, which won the Independent Publishers Award for Best Nature Book of the Year, and The Finest Hours, the basis for a Disney movie. He has also written several books for children as part of his True Rescue series.
About Joe Barrett
Joe Barrett, an actor and Audie Award and Earphones Award–winning narrator, has appeared both on and off Broadway as well as in hundreds of radio and television commercials.