The Last Run: A true story of rescue and redemption on the Alaska seas

By Todd Lewan

Book Overview

It was the catch of a lifetime. In late January 1998, after a miserable stretch of fishing that hadn't paid for even their groceries, the five-man crew of a seventy-nine-year-old Alaska schooner called the La Conte risked one last run to the Fairweather Grounds, despite the approach of bad weather. The young skipper, a father-to-be, was convinced fish could be found on the shoals, and his instincts were right: they hit the mother lode. For eighteen hours their lines had a fish on every hook: yellow eye, lingcod, calico, halibut, even the occasional sand shark; it was an incredible haul, one that would bring huge profits -- and respect -- back in port.

But they stayed out too long, and a hurricane-force Arctic storm caught them. Though in need of repair herself, the La Conte had weathered bad seas before -- and might have again. But in the cruelest of ironies, the additional burden of its magnificent catch sank the ship, and set the five men -- Bob Doyle, Mike DeCapua, Gig Mork, David Hanlon, and Mark Morley -- afloat in frigid seventy-foot seas. Their radio beacon was sending distress signals to the Coast Guard, but the chances of rescue under such conditions seemed remote.

Eight months later, on a deserted island nearly 800 miles away, two boys found a mutilated corpse that had washed ashore and been mauled by brown bears. A forensics investigator, haunted by the thought that this man's family might never know what had become of him, and with only a single partial fingerprint and scraps of a survival suit for clues, set out to identify the body.

Author Todd Lewan's painstaking investigation into these events began here, too, with the discovery that the man found dead on Shuyak Island had been one of the fishermen aboard the La Conte. Lewan became obsessed with learning what had become of the other crewmen; with understanding how five "end of the roaders" from different parts of the United States had come together in Alaska to fish one of the world's most treacherous patches of ocean in the dead of winter; and with conveying the way in which that "dream catch" represented an opportunity for each of the men to significantly alter his life. In the process he learned of the truly heroic efforts undertaken by no fewer than three different teams of Coast Guard helicopter rescue units to save these desperate men.

Lewan's re-creation of the events themselves -- the discovery of a lost fisherman's remains; the bonding of troubled men on the high seas; the horrifying hours spent fighting to keep from freezing to death in thirty-eight-degree water; the impossibly courageous efforts of the helicopter rescue crews; and the moving account of how one of the survivors, in particular, found during this tempest an unexpected inner strength that allowed him to turn his life around -- makes for an unforgettable tale, a page-turning narrative drama of the first order. It also provides a timeless, affecting portrait of hard-living seekers drawn to Alaska: of adventurers in search of roots, home, and the chance to remake themselves in the spirit of America's last frontier.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060196483
• ISBN13: 9780060196486
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.2" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

True to the real life events - I relived the tragedy

You won't be able to put this book down. As the lead Coast Guard investigator charged with delving into the sinking of the fishing vessel LaConte, I heard first hand the stories of the survivors and the heroic actions of the rescuers. Todd Lewan does a masterful job of protraying the crew's will to survive and the impossible rescue efforts of the Coast Guard pilots. It will leave you with a great appreciation for the men and women of the Coast Guard who dedicate their lives to protect people from the sea and who are Always Ready, Always There. D. C. Stalfort U.S. Coast Guard

Simply an amazing story and great book

The story starts in the latter part of 1998 when 2 teenage boys on are on a hunting adventure and on the trail of a big bear when the stumble upon a neoprene glove that contains parts of human fingers. David Hanlon a forensics investigator pretty knew to the position has strong desire to find out who this person is to provide closure for the family. Because of his determination he ends up with a match of a man who was lost on a fishing boat that capsized but he cannot believe that they body could end up on a island 800 miles away so the story really begins The story centers around the fishing boat the La Conte a 78 year old fishing schooner which had been bought and sold and retro fitted many times til it is bought by a goat and pig farmer from the georgia who made it big an decided to try commericial fishing in alaska after learning from the japanese just how much money there is to earn. One of the problems was the owner just wants to put the bare minimum moneywise into the boat which proves tragic when the boat is in hurricane forces in the alaskan sea. The crew including the captain who proves to make the wrong choices are a broken down cast of characters who all seem to be dealing with alcohol problems broken families and broken marriages are just trying to get through and get a big enough haul to make some money that just might turn there luck around. As you probably know from the story description that there is of course there is a disaster and the coast gaurd mission that comes about is non stop action and a roller coaster of emotion when you read this book and really get into it you can really feel the highs and lows with the successes and failures This is a really good book i would say just as good as "Perfect Storm". If you like these kind of stories i would also recommend some books by Spike Walker. READ THIS BOOK

High seas adventure, terror, wreck?Wow!

Carrying on in the tradition of The Perfect Storm and Shadow Divers, author Todd Lewan recreates the true story of five fisherman who are at the end of a catch of a lifetime, the kind of catch that will set them up for a good while, when they realize their greed has contributed to their waiting too long to head for home. They are caught in a particularly nasty storm off the coast of Alaska - they bail, and their boat sinks, along with the fish they've caught. Those fish were part of the reason for their dilemma: the boat was too heavy, rode too low in the water, and wasn't as maneuverable as it would otherwise have been.There's a dramatic Coast Guard mission of rescue (those guys are either truly crazy or lifetime adrenaline freaks), there's lots of past history involving women (Well, duh! What's a good yarn without a little sexual conflict?), alcohol, trouble with the law, some time in jail, and there's denouement and resolution, despair, growth, drama, tragedy...and change.But best of all is the writing. I'm a writer myself, and when I read, I look for energetic dialogue that moves the story forward, fast pacing, evidence of good editing, the ability to tell a story without losing one's audience, and, in a book such as The Last Run, the earmarks of true creative nonfiction: telling a nonfiction story using the techniques of fiction to enhance the reading experience. Todd Lewan does it all. Kudos.

Wow, what a story and what a story teller--terrific

Living in Florida, I was unaware of this story. It must have made the inside headline, but surely disappeared quickly from Florida newspapers. Too bad. This is an amazing story of rescue and survival. It is an illustration of how unlikely heroes come to the fore in time of crises. Lewan paints an excellent portrait of events and people leading up to the disaster, then the book fairly runs, or should I say, falls to its conclusion with the finality of asteroid hurtling into earth's atmosphere. Once the fishermen are in the water, you cannot put the book down.A masterfully told story. And you come away with a new appreciation of the Coast Guard, who too often get into the news making a gigantic drug seizure or picking up Cuban rafters. This is a story about heroism and survival in an immensely hostile environment. In retrospect, you might think a top-notch fiction writer had to dream it up, but, no, it is not fiction.

Don?t go fishing in a storm . . . . .

The Last Run is a story of dedication, greed, tenacity and heroism. Dedication of investigators to match miniscule remains to a missing person. Greed of fishermen to catch just a few more before heading back to port and safety from the storm. Tenacity of fishermen cast adrift in bone chilling water fighting towering waves and hurricane force wind until help arrived. Heroism of Coast Guard search and rescue. A true story of human struggle and redemption.Author Todd Lewan commences his drama with a CSI-like investigation and segues ways into painting portraits of the five fishermen who later find themselves together on a sinking fishing ship in the middle of an Alaskan hurricane. The portraits he paints have the blemishes of real men who came to Alaska hoping to be allowed a second or third chance or perhaps, just the opportunity to survive.The last half of the book is a fast paced drama of the men fishing, fighting the storm, running from the storm and then not escaping. As the fishermen are repeatedly (every 10-15 seconds) entombed in towering waves, the reader anxiously waits for the Coast Guard to arrive on scene and commence the rescue. The tension builds and builds and though the ultimate ending is told in the first few pages of the book - the reader needs to know what really happened and finds no comfort in the foreshadowing.The story is masterfully told. It starts fast, slogs along for a bit while the characters are developed and then roars along chapter after chapter.Author Lewan deserves kudos for including a map of the Alaskan region early in the book and later, pictures of the main characters. The map is helpful in tracking the story and the pictures put a face on the words. What I would do to improve the book? I would change very little. Perhaps, include more information about the Coast Guard helicopters. An appendix with a detailed drawing of a helicopter described in the book would be interesting. Maybe a picture of a guardsman in rescue gear or an aerial photograph of the Coast Guard base would add to the story.