Way too much ego about Capt Paquette! Don't buy!
Okay, I really wanted to learn about the Fitz going down, but instead this book is almost entirely about the life and ego of Captain Paquette, who was in charge of another ship that same night. The book goes on and on about how fabulous this one Captain was, how he was the world's best at everything. It is so over the top that I could hardly finish reading it. There are letters commending Paquette on just about everything, and his ego and arrogance make this book very hard to read.
As for understanding the Fitz and what happened, there is some helpful information here, but I certainly would have liked to know a lot more. Like the stories of those crew members, etc.
In addition to the fact that this book does not stick to the title whatsoever, I actually think it is poorly written too. There are a lot of long run-on sentences, and a lot of quick shifts in topic. Plus, much of the text is just a copy of the author's interview with Captain Paquette, and doesn't have much in the way of style to it.
I would not recommend this book at all.
Here's the real reason
To all the folks who talked about the ego effect of Paquette I have to say this. He was out there that night and made all the right decisions. He loaded along side of the Fitz, watched her clear the harbour, listened to her radio broadcasts and knew they were going to get into trouble. In my estimation he also has the real reason she sank. I have read and reread this book at least 6 times and belive it is the best read ever on the subject. If you want to know why the Fitz sank, get this book. As for Captain Paquette, my hat is off to him. On this night in particular, it wasn't him who had the ego problem. He brought the Sykes into safe harbour.
A Captain with a ego so large no lake boat could carry!!!
I have read this book and found it very informative. The book is mostly about a ego driven Captain who has never made a mistake. Once you get to page 80 or so, the book is very well written and actually talks about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Up until this part of the book the Captain tell endless storys about how great he was as a Captain. He does have great evidence on what happened to the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Not what everyone would like to hear
Sure to create controversy, Paquette gives us a new insight into the tragedy. With all due respect for the victims of the tragedy,from his candid assessment of the actions taken by McSorley in his choice of routes on the final voyage to his assertion that McSorley should have demanded investigation of the "wiggling thing" are interesting,at the least. Possibly the authors place more confidence in Burgner than may be warranted, but at any rate it is a real departure from the usual depictions which portray the event as 100% freak accident. I hope he is wrong in his insinuations, but again, a much different perspective for good or for ill.
The night the Fitz went down
Overall, the book was not too bad. I do nearly agree with the theory presented regarding the reason the ship sank, as it is certainley more believable than the Coast Guard's reasoning. The one thing I did not care for is the "arrogance" I felt was displayed by Capt. Parquette. Although I did not mind reading about his experiences, he talked (wrote?) like he was all knowing, and could never do wrong. I sailed on the Great Lakes for a bit as an engineer, and I still get up there once a year to do work in March, so I have met some Captains here and there, and most seem pretty reasonable. However, I do not think much of this guy. Nonetheless, a good book regarding the ship itself, and it does present some interesting facts. So, in closing, I would recommend it if you are into the history of this ship, and would like to know as I why it went down.
(9 reviews)
