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The Gathering Wind: Hurricane Sandy, the Sailing Ship Bounty, and a Courageous Rescue at Sea
In October 2012, a replica of the famous HMS Bounty , an eighteenth-century tall sailing ship, was on a collision course with a storm that would become the largest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic—a clash that would prove dramatic, tragic, perplexing, and ultimately one of the most unforgettable stories of Superstorm Sandy.
Crewed by an eclectic team of seafarers, the Bounty was led by Robin Walbridge, their highly respected captain with decades at the helm, whose decisions—sometimes questionable—decided the fate of his ship and crew.
Departing from Connecticut as the storm raced north from the Caribbean, Walbridge attempted to outmaneuver Sandy, heading the Bounty southeast. As violent gusts tossed the wooden ship, the crew fought to save their beloved Bounty —and finally to save themselves. When waves, wind, and encroaching water finally overtook the ship in an area known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, the crew was suddenly tossed into the churning sea. The Bounty was gone, but their fate was still to be determined.
The men and women of a Coast Guard station in North Carolina summoned the courage to fly into hundred-mile-per-hour winds while the residents of the Eastern Seaboard were fleeing or bracing for the hurricane’s impact. Through hours of white-knuckle flying, with crew members thrown about their aircraft and rescue swimmers jumping into thirty-foot seas, the Coast Guard accomplished one of its most memorable rescues ever.
Based on interviews with Bounty survivors and unfettered access to Coast Guard rescue team members, The Gathering Wind offers not only the first but the most complete account of this heartbreaking, thrilling, and inspirational story.
INCLUDES PHOTOS
Crewed by an eclectic team of seafarers, the Bounty was led by Robin Walbridge, their highly respected captain with decades at the helm, whose decisions—sometimes questionable—decided the fate of his ship and crew.
Departing from Connecticut as the storm raced north from the Caribbean, Walbridge attempted to outmaneuver Sandy, heading the Bounty southeast. As violent gusts tossed the wooden ship, the crew fought to save their beloved Bounty —and finally to save themselves. When waves, wind, and encroaching water finally overtook the ship in an area known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, the crew was suddenly tossed into the churning sea. The Bounty was gone, but their fate was still to be determined.
The men and women of a Coast Guard station in North Carolina summoned the courage to fly into hundred-mile-per-hour winds while the residents of the Eastern Seaboard were fleeing or bracing for the hurricane’s impact. Through hours of white-knuckle flying, with crew members thrown about their aircraft and rescue swimmers jumping into thirty-foot seas, the Coast Guard accomplished one of its most memorable rescues ever.
Based on interviews with Bounty survivors and unfettered access to Coast Guard rescue team members, The Gathering Wind offers not only the first but the most complete account of this heartbreaking, thrilling, and inspirational story.
INCLUDES PHOTOS
304 pages, Hardcover
Published October 29, 2013
18 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
September 19, 2014
The captain had a fatal case of GetThereItis. This condition usually affects private pilots. Also, if you are going to sail or fly, you have to keep the equipment in good condition. Faulty generator that ran dewatering pump, faulty dewatering pump that failed to keep prime (probably an air leak somewhere), debris from wood working plugging pump intake rotten wood in the ship's hull causing large leaks, and no manual backup pump. Also, a sailing ship becomes unstable when enough water leaks into ship, and the capsize with mast and rigging flailing about was a threat. Capsizing is not as much of a problem on modern sailboats because weight is place much lower in the hull. Should have abandoned ship sooner. Also, the procedures for the Coastguard rescue were well presented. This book gave me a real appreciation for the mission of the Coastguard and what these men and women go through to accomplish a rescue.
May 12, 2023
What does one have when one combines bravery, stupidity, adventure, heroism, a hurricane and a replica pirate ship? First, one gets "The Gathering Wind: Hurricane Sandy, the Sailing Ship Bounty, and a Courageous Rescue at Sea" by Gregory R. Freeman. Second, one gets an unforgettable, true story of adventure and terror on the high seas.
This book grabs you by the lapels from the very first page, and does not let you go until the very last page. Everything in between is hauntingly spectacular. This is why I read, so I can experience books like this. Read it. Happy reading!
This book grabs you by the lapels from the very first page, and does not let you go until the very last page. Everything in between is hauntingly spectacular. This is why I read, so I can experience books like this. Read it. Happy reading!
February 4, 2014
I really wanted this book to be The Perfect Storm - which I enjoyed because it packed so much history of the Gloucester area and Cape Ann fishing alongside the personal stories of the people involved and the story of what "might have" happened once contact was lost with the Andrea Gale. This book was extremely factual and summarized a lot of points and relationships that could have gone into much greater depth and complexity. I understand this makes it a quicker read which is more enjoyable for some people - and no judgments passed if you prefer something snappy and engaging. This was just too "snappy" for me, and because of that I wasn't fully engaged until half way through, when I wanted to know how the crew would survive (or not) once the ship started sinking. I'd say the reading level, because of the "snappiness" is great for readers without much time to read, or for middle schoolers/junior high kids interested in diving into their first "adult" narrative nonfiction books.
April 26, 2015
I found this book very readable. It moves right along building in suspense until hurricane and tall ship collide. At the time I could not understand why the ship was in the hurricane. The reason is still not clear but the growing sense of doom is well built. I am thankful for the survivors and mourn those that did not survive. It's a clear and well written book.
September 18, 2019
Well, I'm never going on a boat again! This was a real nail biter. Couldn't put it down.
December 16, 2022
Fans of marine disasters will find this book captivating. Similar to other stories of ships and rescues in hurricanes this book has a couple of significant differences; the ship in question wasn’t some pleasure craft or big commercial vessel but was a tall wooden sailing ship, those romantic vessels of yesteryear, and not just any tall ship but none other than the BOUNTY, a replica of that infamous vessel the HMS BOUNTY, built for the 1960 film ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ starring Marlon Brando and more recently seen as Capt Jack Sparrow’s pirate ship in Disney’s original ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film. And the storm in question wasn’t just any hurricane but the largest on record and the second most damaging cost-wise, Superstorm Sandy, which pounded the eastern seaboard in late October of 2012 killing at least 285 people in seven countries.
In addition to the “characters” of the Bounty and Sandy the book focuses on the incredible rescue efforts of the US Coast Guard’s SAR teams that flew planes and helicopters directly into Sandy in an effort to first reassure the crew of the floundering ship and ultimately in rescuing them. This portion is unequivocally the most edge-of-your-seat exciting part of the book. The courage and dedicated professionalism of these teams cannot be under stated.
The third part is of course the aftermath; the inquiry into “why the BOUNTY went down and, more importantly why two people lost their lives.”
The crew of the BOUNTY was like no other. Even those who had been with the ship only a short time were steadfast in their devotion to one another, to their experienced Captain, and to their ship, the black sheep so-to-speak of the Tall Ship community. When all was said and done each one would have followed their Captain under the same conditions... had he not disappeared with his ship in the tempest that was Sandy.
A bit slow during the first half, this book really picks up and is a must for lovers of this kind of Man vs Mother Nature at her worst kinds of non-fiction.
In addition to the “characters” of the Bounty and Sandy the book focuses on the incredible rescue efforts of the US Coast Guard’s SAR teams that flew planes and helicopters directly into Sandy in an effort to first reassure the crew of the floundering ship and ultimately in rescuing them. This portion is unequivocally the most edge-of-your-seat exciting part of the book. The courage and dedicated professionalism of these teams cannot be under stated.
The third part is of course the aftermath; the inquiry into “why the BOUNTY went down and, more importantly why two people lost their lives.”
The crew of the BOUNTY was like no other. Even those who had been with the ship only a short time were steadfast in their devotion to one another, to their experienced Captain, and to their ship, the black sheep so-to-speak of the Tall Ship community. When all was said and done each one would have followed their Captain under the same conditions... had he not disappeared with his ship in the tempest that was Sandy.
A bit slow during the first half, this book really picks up and is a must for lovers of this kind of Man vs Mother Nature at her worst kinds of non-fiction.
March 3, 2021
I'm not even sure why I opted to dive back into the story of the tall ship Bounty and Superstorm Sandy. I engaged in a brief conversation on Facebook about the sinking a couple months back and this book was suggested. I'd read Rescue of the Bounty a few years ago, when the wound was still raw. Tougias and Campbell did a commendable job telling the story, and I could probably have been satisfied leaving it at that. Nonetheless, I went back to October of 2012 again. I really can't say if I found Freeman's book stronger because it's been years since I read Tougias', or if it is just better. Freeman takes more pages to tell the story, including spending considerable time on the Coast Guard inquiry that followed the sinking. Tougias might be a better writer, his prose is more graceful. Freeman the better journalist maybe, he covers a lot of ground comprehensively and concisely. I have a thing for tales of daring Coast Guard rescues. This one is among the most compelling, and both authors do justice for the brave men and women who stood the challenge of a rescue in the middle of a hurricane so daunting it got dubbed a "superstorm". In the end, I would say, if you've read Tougias' book, read this one. If you've read this book, give Tougias a chance. If you haven't read either, do me a favor, read them both and tell me what you think!
March 15, 2016
As a former Tall Ships sailor with a brief stint (1 week) on the HMS Bounty in the Ted Turner era, I found this book very difficult to read. I did not know any of the people involved with the ship, but I knew the ship. Reading the story of her last days was difficult. It was obvious that the author was not familiar with Tall Ships sailing, but that probably made for a more evenhanded telling, despite the few errors in the book. Once the story moved on to the actual sinking, rescue and aftermath I found it paradoxically easier to read. Having had some 'Safety at Sea' training this makes a good case study for how things actually occurred in this case as the ship sank. I would recommend this book to anyone crewing on board a Tall Ship.
October 29, 2017
A moving and cautionary tale. As another reader criticized, it s very facts-dates-and-numbers, but I appreciated hearing the story from an objective view. Some authors would have tried to get into the mind of Capt. Walbridge and what his reasons were for deciding to take the Bounty to sea with Hurricane Sandy bearing down. I'm glad he didn't do that. He stuck to what is known and admitted what isn't known about the events leading up to the dramatic rescue at sea.
A good read for anyone interested in tall ships, sailing, or reading of a harrowing and tragic adventure.
A good read for anyone interested in tall ships, sailing, or reading of a harrowing and tragic adventure.
November 26, 2017
This book describes multiple view points of the crew of the HMS Bounty who had to be rescued by the Coast Guard. It was a well researched book that was gripping from the start. I learned a lot about Tall Ships and the Coast Guard and what the sea is like during a hurricane. A easy read that captures your attention from the start.
April 2, 2016
I was surprised how much I liked this book. It was very engaging and I felt myself very caught up in the telling of the story. I hadn't known about this search and rescue during Sandy, and it was a very intense and well told recounting of the experience.
August 5, 2025
A fast-paced, page-turning account of the sinking of the Bounty. "The Gathering Wind" tells the story of a replica tall ship lost at sea during Hurricane Sandy. Interestingly, probably about half the book focuses in on the rescue effort (as opposed to, say, extended character development of the victims, like you find in many such tragedy books). I think this leads to a much faster paced and much more gripping account, as we stay at the climax of the story for a longer period.
The crux of the story, though, comes from the decision to sail into the storm. Much like some other fatality events (e.g., Yarnell Hill wildfire hotshot loss), the key question is "why did the victims-to-be leave somewhere safe to go somewhere dangerous?", in this case, straight into a hurricane in a malfunctioning, dodgy, wooden sailing ship. The simple answer here is that the captain decided they would. Because he died, though, and because the owner of the ship refused to testify during the inquiry, we never learn where precisely this pressure came from (e.g., was it from the captain themself, or was it from the owner to the captain, etc). In some ways, this is everything; in other ways, it means nothing at all, because cooler heads should have prevailed and no matter where it came from, sailing into a hurricane was just obviously a bad and unnecessary risk.
Perhaps the more vexing puzzle, however, is the worship by the crew post-sinking of the captain. For someone who decided to (or at least acquiesced to) a choice to sail straight into a hurricane, during the investigation the crew remain remarkably loyal to the captain. Is this a circling of the wagons, a protection of his honour, or a genuine belief that he did the right thing? We'll never really know, but it's a fascinating phenomenon of loyalty to the man who sailed them straight into a fatal tragedy.
Overall, a quick, easy, and engaging read. I got through it in a day and found it to be engaging and well-paced.
The crux of the story, though, comes from the decision to sail into the storm. Much like some other fatality events (e.g., Yarnell Hill wildfire hotshot loss), the key question is "why did the victims-to-be leave somewhere safe to go somewhere dangerous?", in this case, straight into a hurricane in a malfunctioning, dodgy, wooden sailing ship. The simple answer here is that the captain decided they would. Because he died, though, and because the owner of the ship refused to testify during the inquiry, we never learn where precisely this pressure came from (e.g., was it from the captain themself, or was it from the owner to the captain, etc). In some ways, this is everything; in other ways, it means nothing at all, because cooler heads should have prevailed and no matter where it came from, sailing into a hurricane was just obviously a bad and unnecessary risk.
Perhaps the more vexing puzzle, however, is the worship by the crew post-sinking of the captain. For someone who decided to (or at least acquiesced to) a choice to sail straight into a hurricane, during the investigation the crew remain remarkably loyal to the captain. Is this a circling of the wagons, a protection of his honour, or a genuine belief that he did the right thing? We'll never really know, but it's a fascinating phenomenon of loyalty to the man who sailed them straight into a fatal tragedy.
Overall, a quick, easy, and engaging read. I got through it in a day and found it to be engaging and well-paced.
August 4, 2025
The book recounts the tragic sinking of the tall wooden fan ship Bounty during Hurricane Sandy and the subsequent heroic rescue efforts by the U.S. Coast Guard in 2012. The book details the events leading up to the disaster, the harrowing sinking, and the dramatic rescue, painting a vivid picture of the storm's impact and the courage displayed by both the crew and the rescuers. That said, the book describes in detail how the famous ship met its end, and how the crew was rescued. The real stars of the book are the Coast Guard rescuers, who were called upon to perform a rescue that never should have been necessary. The captain thought he knew better than the weather experts. That, and other problems, doomed the ship. The book set the stage for the unfolding drama with a good deal of background information. More than I thought I wanted at the outset in fact. However, as the ship set sail I was drawn further and further into the unfolding events and found it was useful to draw on what I had read. Once the ultimate decision was made and the events began to ensnare them, I could not put the book down. If you're interested, I recommend tracking down the official Coast Guard report on the Bounty’s sinking and crew rescue (it’s available on the Coast Guard’s web site). It contains additional diagrams and photos of the Bounty that help clarify how the ship was laid out. Awesome read for anyone interested in maritime history, adventure stories, or accounts of human courage and resilience.
December 30, 2023
This book discusses the replica of the HMS Bounty that was caught in Hurricane Sandy in October of 2012. The crew attempted to avoid Hurricane Sandy as it charged up the Atlantic coast, but they were unable to. The ship was caught up in rough seas and terrible conditions, ironically in the area that is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. (Morbid...) The description of the conditions that the crew and the rescuers faced were harrowing and anxiety inducing to read.
When I bought this book, I thought this was about a very old ship and a completely different hurricane of the same name. I got this out of the disaster section of my favorite local used bookstore for a dollar, and I didn't really pay attention. I was quite shocked to learn this was a modern ship and modern hurricane. At any rate, the story was certainly dramatic. The author did a great job writing about the event in a way that was educational and also very entertaining. I always feel a little strange saying that I enjoy books with morbid content, but I really did enjoy this one.
When I bought this book, I thought this was about a very old ship and a completely different hurricane of the same name. I got this out of the disaster section of my favorite local used bookstore for a dollar, and I didn't really pay attention. I was quite shocked to learn this was a modern ship and modern hurricane. At any rate, the story was certainly dramatic. The author did a great job writing about the event in a way that was educational and also very entertaining. I always feel a little strange saying that I enjoy books with morbid content, but I really did enjoy this one.
November 11, 2020
I give this one five stars because of the in-depth research the author did into trying to tell the story without bias. He interviewd the surviving members of the crew, the members of the coast gaurd rescue team, covered exact details of the trail that followed and included a lot of expert research into modern day tall ships. Any reader taking time with this one will not be disappointed. There are a lot of maritime lessons to be learned from this story of true events, as well as it being a good lesson on the real world impact on decisions of leadership and the loyalty of those who follow them.
May 15, 2018
This is the story of replica tall ship HMS bounty versus hurricane Sandy in 2012 The well researched and factual account leads up to the sinking of the bounty and the aftermath including legal proceedings. There were particularly vivid descriptions of the Coast Guard rescue efforts. The author offered enough information on characters to make them feel real to the reader, and leaves us with questions concerning the decisions made by a much respected and loved captain who misjudged the situation with tragic results.
August 14, 2022
I was not sure what to expect, however I was pleasantly surprised and found that I had a hard time turning this audiobook off. While it is an anthology of testimonies, statements and facts put into a telling of the tall Sailing Ship Bounty and its fate; it was done well and one of those stories where you find yourself not believing the series of unfortunate events and questionable decisions of this incredible voyage. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure and an interesting recount of factual events - even if you are not a nautical person.
March 21, 2022
One of my quickest reads in a long time. I just could not let it go. Unbelievable, how small pieces of puzzle (and a couple of big ones) can build a tragedy. + I love books with real pictures and maps of the events in them.
December 1, 2019
Captivating.
February 3, 2020
I could not put it down
I could not put the book down. It was fascinating. It was very interesting to understand what the crew was thinking and going through.
I could not put the book down. It was fascinating. It was very interesting to understand what the crew was thinking and going through.
October 24, 2022
Wow! Another great book by Gregory Freeman!! And another story that needed to be told!!
July 29, 2023
Amazing book. Very well written & engaging!
March 6, 2025
This guy is one great story teller!
April 17, 2025
An unforgetable tale of the sea, survival, courage... and some serious concerns about exactly what did happen and why.
July 11, 2025
Couldn’t put it down!
October 10, 2025
Great telling of the sinking of the reproduction Bounty in Hurricane Sandy. Well written and enjoyable.
May 6, 2016
I chose this book because it is a story about a courageous rescue at sea and Hurricane Sandy. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of sailors and ship or anyone interested in stories at sea. There are very many points in the book that made me even more interested and wanting to read more. This book was also a pretty decent read for me considering it was around 270 pages long which, for me take, tends to take a while. I really liked how much the author goes into detail about the ships back then and the way that the specific boat the characters are riding got to where it is now. This book had a lot of real life facts and summarized the history of many different boats than just the main one. The author does a very good job at describing what caused the disaster and the rescue efforts involved. I also liked the vivid descriptions about the crew of the boat named the bounty and their personal lives. One of things i didn’t like were that the author never explained why this boat was taken into a hurricane in the first place. The setting was also well described and much information about the setting was provided. I like how he described the captain, “ A Vermont native, he favored polo shirts, khakis, and golf caps, and he wore his wire-framed glasses with a neck chain that, along with his hearing aids, gave him the appearance of a kindly sailor more likely to take his grandkids out for a trip on the family boat than the leader of a tall sailing ship famous for its role in pirate movies”(Freeman, 29). I’m really into history and I like reading books like these because it makes me feel like I’m in the book with them. I also really like that it has true events in the book because when this disaster was happening I was watching it on the news and now that I’m done reading this book I can also see it from the perspectives of the actual crew members. I like the way the author writes because it really makes you feel like you’re in the book. I also liked the methods the crew used before entering approaching the hurricane, they tie everything that could get in the way down so that it was not rolling around on the ship as they tried to fix or maneuver it. There wasn’t too much dialogue but there wasn’t too little either so it seemed pretty understandable and dramatic. My favorite character is the captain because he has a lot of courage, dignity, and dedication, therefore I really look up to his ways. The captain does not listen to rules very well though. He understands them but he just doesn't obey them which eventually leads him, his ship, and his crew into trying to outrun a hurricane. He also is very generous because in the story he takes a girl with down-syndrome aboard the ship and allows her to travel with his crew for a while.
What I mainly liked about the Author’s writing style is how he fully explains each thing and makes it easier to understand how everything got how it was and almost the full story behind it.
One of the things I noticed and liked in this book was how the crew on the ship would sometimes get seasick and puke, yet they still stick with their job. Another part I liked in this book was when the coast guard came to rescue the crew at sea. The Coast Guard rescue was one of the most heroic and tense parts of the story. The book kind of starts off with describing the characters and the events that lead up to the wreckage which I liked a lot.
I think that one of the saddest parts of the story was when Claudene Christian, one of the characters, calls her mother to say, “We’re heading out and I just wanted to tell you and Dad I love you in case anything goes wrong”(Freeman, 71). I definitely liked the setting because it was more of a challenge for the characters in the story and was, like most of everything, explained very well and understandable.
Overall, I believe that this book was pretty action packed and highly educational about the history of ships and I will probably continue reading books from this author for a while.
What I mainly liked about the Author’s writing style is how he fully explains each thing and makes it easier to understand how everything got how it was and almost the full story behind it.
One of the things I noticed and liked in this book was how the crew on the ship would sometimes get seasick and puke, yet they still stick with their job. Another part I liked in this book was when the coast guard came to rescue the crew at sea. The Coast Guard rescue was one of the most heroic and tense parts of the story. The book kind of starts off with describing the characters and the events that lead up to the wreckage which I liked a lot.
I think that one of the saddest parts of the story was when Claudene Christian, one of the characters, calls her mother to say, “We’re heading out and I just wanted to tell you and Dad I love you in case anything goes wrong”(Freeman, 71). I definitely liked the setting because it was more of a challenge for the characters in the story and was, like most of everything, explained very well and understandable.
Overall, I believe that this book was pretty action packed and highly educational about the history of ships and I will probably continue reading books from this author for a while.
April 28, 2016
I was initially drawn to this book due to the fact that I saw this ship in Port Jefferson harbor on the north shore of Long Island a few months before it was lost in hurricane Sandy. Now I half wish I had gone on board. Oh well. Getting to the book. The author does a fine job of describing the circumstances that led up to the disaster and the rescue efforts involved. The excessive number of chapter breaks makes me think this was designed to be a quick read, and it is. There are some clinkers, and a lack of follow up or clarification on some points. For instance, Ms Christian is described as a descendant of Fletcher Christian in the photo section, but in the text it is stated her family "believed" they were related, no proof is ever presented and the matter is dropped. This is sloppy work on the authors part and the editor. Overall I did enjoy the telling of this tragic loss of lives and ship due to one man's misguided arrogance.
January 12, 2014
fascinating topic. book fails my "chapter test" (33 chapters and approx. 270 pages, come on, organize better and less ADD) but read it since i remember the tragedy when it happened.
the captain may have been charismatic, but ultimately he was an arrogant fool to:
1. take the Bounty to sea rather than remain in port, and;
2. not trust the NOAA forecast, cutting across Sandy's path.
fault also must lie with Hansen, the Bounty's owner. he took the 5th during the hearings, so he must have plenty to hide. did he refuse funding to get proper repairs done? did he play Walbridge to convince him to set sail?
and the crew--poor deluded buggers. i find it sad that they defend Walbridge still. hey, the guy's arrogance killed not only himself, but Claudene Christian too.
i curse the captain & owner, pity the crew, and feel bad for the loss of an innocent crew member.
the captain may have been charismatic, but ultimately he was an arrogant fool to:
1. take the Bounty to sea rather than remain in port, and;
2. not trust the NOAA forecast, cutting across Sandy's path.
fault also must lie with Hansen, the Bounty's owner. he took the 5th during the hearings, so he must have plenty to hide. did he refuse funding to get proper repairs done? did he play Walbridge to convince him to set sail?
and the crew--poor deluded buggers. i find it sad that they defend Walbridge still. hey, the guy's arrogance killed not only himself, but Claudene Christian too.
i curse the captain & owner, pity the crew, and feel bad for the loss of an innocent crew member.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews