The Perfect Storm

by

Sebastian Junger

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The Perfect Storm: The World of the Living Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Albert Johnston gets hit by the storm a few hours after the Andrea Gail did, but the center of the Sable Island storm skirts back toward the coast of Newfoundland, probably sparing his life. He keeps fighting northward so as to avoid the Gulf Stream. Having closely monitored the weather, Johnston isn’t surprised when Hurricane Grace slams into the Sable Island storm on the evening of October 29th. By October 30th, the Sable Island storm is stuck between the hurricane and the Canadian high pressure system. The two outer systems are spinning in opposite directions “like huge gears that catch the storm between their teeth.” The effect is called a retrograde, and it’s only seen about once a century. Watching all this come together back in Boston, Bob Case thinks, “this is the perfect storm.”
Junger implies that Johnston’s careful monitoring of the weather—perhaps greater than average for a captain—played a role in sparing his life. Most captains were likely too busy fighting to survive to be aware of the extreme forces coming together in the North Atlantic, and probably no one understood what a rarity was taking place besides meteorologists like Bob Case. By “perfect” storm, Case means that forces like this seldom align so neatly in nature.
Themes
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Quotes
Most of the swordfishing fleet escapes the worst of the storm because they’re farther out, while those closer to shore are hit badly. One of them is the Satori. In spite of Ray Leonard’s insistence, the storm only worsens. Karen Stimpson clips herself into a safety line and fights to control the boat. Sue Bylander begins putting together a survival bag in case they have to abandon ship, but soon she looks outside and discovers that the life raft has been blown away. At her lowest point, Stimpson writes down some goodbyes and stows them in a Ziploc bag. She believes they’re not going to make it.
Because the retrograde storm is moving toward the coast (in contrast to most storms, which are swept eastward by the jet stream), those closer in are getting hit harder. On the Satori, another near-death experience unfolds. Stimpson and Bylander realize that they likely have no escape, and unlike most, Stimpson has time to contemplate her goodbyes—a “luxury” that the Andrea Gail crew might not have had.
Themes
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Quotes
At 11:15 p.m. on October 29th, Stimpson, with Leonard’s sullen permission, calls in a mayday. The information is relayed to the Boston-based Coast Guard, and a cutter called the Tamaroa, along with a Falcon jet, head out into the storm. The Satori crew have no idea if they’ve been heard until, half an hour later, the jet appears through the clouds and begins talking with Bylander over the radio. Stimpson feels as if she’s “rejoined the world of the living.” The Tamaroa won’t be there for 12 hours, so the Falcon pilot coaches the women through the night as they fight to keep the boat afloat. Leonard stays slumped in his bunk, privately deciding he’s going to go down with his ship.
After resigning themselves to the likelihood of death—and feeling isolated in the midst of the storm-- the sudden appearance of the Falcon jet was a shock for the women. Satori owner Leonard, meanwhile, has a different response to the catastrophe than his crew does. He identifies himself so much with his ship that he can’t even face the idea of possible survival.
Themes
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Eventually, the next morning, two life rafts are dropped from an H-3 helicopter, but the rafts explode when they hit the water. The Satori crew now has to wait for the Tamaroa’s arrival. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard grants a “manifestly unsafe” designation for the Satori so that Leonard can be forced off the sinking vessel. The Tamaroa finally arrives in the afternoon, and it’s crucial that a rescue take place before dark falls in a few hours. When the Tamaroa sends a motorized life raft with survival suits for the Satori crew, the Satori punctures the raft—meaning that now the rescuers need rescuing.
Rescue is not a straightforward operation—and not just because some, like Leonard, aren’t even sure they desire saving. The ocean conditions are dicey for the rescuers themselves, and the sinking boat poses a threat as well. At this point, it’s not yet certain that the Satori crew will make it.
Themes
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Next, the H-3 helicopter tries dispatching a rescue swimmer named Dave Moore, who’s never undertaken a major rescue job before. Moore jumps 10 feet down from the helicopter, landing in the lukewarm waters of the Gulf Stream, and swims up and down the massive waves before deciding there’s no way he can catch the Satori in these conditions—he’s hauled back up to the helicopter in a lift basket. The Coast Guard tries a different approach—having the Satori crew put on their survival suits and jump into the sea. Then Moore will swim over to them and help each crew member into a lift basket. This is their last shot.
The situation of the Satori crew is as dire as it gets—they will have to abandon their ship in order to have a realistic hope of rescue. Even though the inclusion of this story makes it clear that the Satori crew likely survived, it helps illustrate the extremity of the storm, as well as how unlikely a rescue of the Andrea Gail would likely have been. Not unlike fishing, rescue efforts involve on-the-spot decision-making and responsiveness to conditions.
Themes
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When the Satori crew prepares to abandon ship, Leonard is so distraught he punches himself in the head. But gradually all three crew members work up their nerve to leap into the ocean. Stimpson recalls that when Dave reached them, he said, “‘Hi, I’m Dave Moore, your rescue swimmer, how are you’ […] It was very cordial.” Once each person is loaded into the basket, they’re aboard the helicopter within a matter of seconds. Leonard takes the longest because he’s so upset he practically has to be lifted into the basket. No sooner has this been achieved than Moore has to venture back out to save the Coast Guard rescuers.
The rescue brings a range of emotions—Leonard still can’t cope with the reality of what’s happening, while Dave Moore’s calmness and courtesy stand out against the dire situation they’re in.
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Stimpson remembers the intense, sincere concern of the Coast Guard rescue team, but she also recalls that by the time she collapsed into a seat on the helicopter, she was almost delirious from lack of sleep. She hallucinates off and on during the journey back to Boston. After they arrive at the Cape Cod Air Station and change into dry clothes, Stimpson wanders around talking to reporters, too wired from everything that’s happened to fall asleep. She tells a reporter that Leonard didn’t want to leave the Satori because it was his home, his whole life. Not much later, the Coast Guardsmen are abruptly summoned—another water rescue is needed.
Stimpson tries to come to terms with her survival—her rescue has been a physically overwhelming experience, and it seems her emotions haven’t yet caught up. Yet she is compassionate toward Leonard, whose grief overwhelms his gratitude at having been rescued. Meanwhile, the storm continues to wreak havoc.
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Quotes