A gripping sailing thriller of ocean survival, Caribbean intrigue, environmental crime and one seaman's fight against forces far more dangerous than the sea.
When experienced sailor Ian Hordle arrives singlehanded at a remote Caribbean island, his boat holed during an Atlantic crossing and the pumps barely keeping him afloat, his first priority is simple: repair the damage and get back to sea.
But the island has other ideas.
A dubious job aboard a luxury yacht draws Ian into a murky world of underworld greed, corruption and environmental destruction. What begins as an unwelcome complication soon becomes a moral dilemma. A small island community and its way of life are under threat, and Ian must decide whether to walk away while he still can-or become involved in a fight that is none of his business.
Drawn to a feisty young lawyer with deep ties to the island, Ian finds himself alongside an unlikely band of allies, including a calypso singer and a local schooner-man. Their chances against the powerful interests ranged against them are slim. The sensible choice is obvious: fix his damaged boat, put to sea and leave the Caribbean trouble behind.
But Ian Hordle is a straightforward, resourceful seaman, and some choices are harder to sail away from than others.
What follows carries him from tropical island intrigue and yacht-borne danger into an unavoidable voyage where violence, betrayal and the raw power of the ocean converge. When the elements deal their final brutal card, experience and courage may no longer be enough. Only exceptional seamanship offers any hope of survival.
Hurricane Force is a maritime adventure thriller steeped in the realities of offshore sailing, yachts, schooners, Atlantic passages and Caribbean island life. Combining nautical authenticity with crime, suspense, environmental conflict and a powerful moral dilemma, it explores what happens when an ordinary, capable man is forced to choose between self-preservation and standing up for a threatened community.
Written by renowned sailor and nautical author Tom Cunliffe, Hurricane Force will appeal to readers of sailing fiction, sea adventures, nautical thrillers, ocean survival stories and action-adventure novels set in the Caribbean-as well as sailors who appreciate authentic seamanship and the unforgiving realities of life at sea.