“This is a book to bring shivers to a sailor’s spine, a riveting series of accounts of how ordinary people doing ordinary things on ordinary boats lose their lives. …Fatal accidents occur when people are least expecting trouble. Water kills. Cold water kills quicker. But not all is doom and gloom. Lochhaas details some extraordinary rescues and, importantly, offers sound advice on how best to save your own life if the worst happens.”

— John Vigor, author of Small Boat to Freedom

SUDDENLY OVERBOARD: True Stories of Sailors in Fatal Trouble tells stories about sailors who experienced catastrophes when least expecting them and who were rescued, or who died, or who lived to tell the tale simply by good luck. Readers are encouraged to think “if these are the ways most sailors actually die, then what if I were in that situation?” In reality, every sailor is in one of these deadly situations every time he or she is on the water. The final chapters of the book, continuing the narratives, focus therefore on developing a new way of thinking about seamanship: always being prepared for "what-if" situations.

· True-life, recent stories told in compelling, short narratives that will appeal to sailors, all boaters, and arm-chair sailors, too;

· An important topic--staying safe and alive while sailing, both big boats and small--presented in a readable manner;

· Narratives provide an insider’s analysis of other matters that contributed to the accidents--matters that are often left unsaid or unexamined, including important topics such as decision making under stress and the role of emotions in accident survival;