Synopsis
In the frigid waters off the coast of southeast Alaska, Coast Guard Petty Officer, Josh Stewart volunteers to attempt a daring underwater rescue of a passenger from a downed seaplane. This incident becomes the catalyst that launches his Coast Guard career as a Rescue Swimmer. After many other life-threatening rescues, Josh finds himself and the crew of a Coast Guard 44-footer facing their ultimate test of courage and strength in a powerful storm off the Pacific Coast while enroute to save the victims of a shipwreck. As he attempts to rescue a stranded mother and her son, one final challenge forces him into a perilous life and death situation. It will take all his courage, ingenuity and physical stamina to survive this struggle to stay alive in the sea he loves.
About the Author
Mike Hazard grew up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where he and his Dad built five different boats together before he graduated from high school. They spent countless hours sailing on Puget Sound and Capital Lake. Growing up in the Northwest, he became familiar with the search and rescue mission of the Coast Guard while watching the rescue boats depart and return at Grays Harbor and Cape Disappointment, Washington. He enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1970 and spent the next six years living a childhood dream by responding to dozens of SAR calls from boaters on the Straits of Juan de Fuca and points south of Tatoosh Island. His first duty assignment took him to Biorka Loran on Biorka Island, fifteen miles west of Sitka, Alaska, for twelve months. Next, he was attached to the Coast Guard Life Boat Station at Neah Bay, Washington, where he served as a Motor Lifeboat Engineer for nearly two years on CG40501 and CG44364. He rendezvoused with a large Russian fish canning ship outside the 20-mile limit to remove an injured sailor and briefly encountered the USS George Washington Navy sub in the middle of the Straits to pick up a civilian contractor. He responded to a huge ship collision involving a container ship and a log carrier, plus dozens of search and rescue calls from recreational boaters on the Straits of Juan de Fuca to points as far east as Clallam Bay and as far south as Cape Alava between Cape Flattery and La Push, Washington. For his final assignment, he was attached to Boating Safety Detachment 13 (BOSDET 13) at Sandpoint Naval Air Station, Seattle, Washington. Part of his training took place at Motor Lifeboat Engineer School at Cape Disappointment and at the National Boating Safety School in Yorktown, Virginia. He holds an AS degree in Construction Management and a BS degree in Business from UNLV. He currently works and lives with his family in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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