The worst disaster in recent ocean racing history began the day after Christmas 1998 on a postcard-perfect summer day in Sydney Harbor. One hundred fifteen yachts gathered for the start of a 630-mile race that would take them across one of the world's most treacherous bodies of water and on to Hobart, on Tasmania's rugged east coast. The December sky was a brilliant blue, and spectators crowded along the shore to cheer as the boats set off. Less than 24 hours later, the fleet would be shredded by hurricane-force winds and battered by 80-foot waves. When it was all over, men would be dead, boats would be lost, and those who survived would be forever changed.The Proving Ground is more than one of the most exciting adventure stories written in years. It is also on incisive look at the forces that continue to draw men who have triumphed on land to risk everything at sea.