When Skip Strong, the thirty-two-year-old Captain of the 688-foot oil tanker Cherry Valley received the call, all he knew was that an ocean going tug with five men aboard was in distress off Florida's east coast. Caught in an unusually powerful storm, the tug's engines failed, and as the winds gusted to more than sixty miles per hour and the sea whipped into a frenzy, the tug--and the barge it was towing-- were in danger of being swept ashore. Captain Strong also knew that he would follow the age-old tradition of sea rescue. Coming to the aid of the crew, the tug, and its cargo, he would have to maneuver his ship--laden with 10 million gallons of oil-- in extremely hazardous conditions. One mistake and Strong would be responsible for an ecological disaster on Florida's beaches equal to that of the Exxon Valdez. What Captain Strong didn't know was that the tug was carrying a 150-foot aluminum fuel cell worth upwards of $50 million. And that in the instant he decided to rescue the tug and its crew, he was opening the door on a dramatic and tense legal struggle that would pit him against the United States Government for salvage rights.

"Strong and Braden's tale of an imperfect storm, three ships, and a daring rescue comes to vivid life in this gem of a book." -Publishers Weekly
"A marvelous yarn about an incredible rescue." -The Bangor (ME) Daily News
When Skip Strong, a thirty-two-year-old captain of the 688-foot oil tanker Cherry Valley received the call, all he knew was that an oceangoing tug with five men aboard was in distress off Florida's east coast. Caught in an unusually powerful storm, the tug's engines failed, and as the winds gusted to more than sixty miles per hour and the sea whipped into a frenzy, the tug and the barge it was pulling were in danger of being swept ashore.
Captain Strong also knew without a doubt that he would follow the thousandsyear- old tradition of the sea and come to the aid of the crew, the tug, and its cargo, despite the fact that he would have to maneuver his ship, laden with ten million gallons of oil, in extremely hazardous conditions. One mistake and Strong would be responsible for an ecological disaster on Florida's beaches equal to that of the Exxon Valdez.
What Captain Strong didn't know was that the tug was carrying a 150-foot aluminum fuel cell worth upwards of $50 million. And that in the instant he decided to rescue the tug and its crew he was opening the door on a dramatic and tense legal struggle that would pit him against the U.S. government for salvage rights.
IN PERIL is a taut, well-paced, and riveting drama wrapped around a seagoing world few people have the opportunity to glimpse.