An exploration of loss and survival by one of America"s finest nautical writers After the Storm is John Rousmaniere"s most ambitious work ever, the unique expression of a master storyteller and authority on seamanship who has survived storms at sea. Each of the book"s stories of seafaring disaster­­many little known, all exciting and of deep human interest­­presents a broad human drama. Rousmaniere tells of the hopes and choices that put these sailors in harm"s way. He takes readers into the gales themselves with authoritative knowledge of horrific weather and the split-second decisions that seamen must make. Finally, he explores the consequences of these disasters for survivors, rescuers, families, communities, and in some cases nations. The pursuit of these elusive strands leads the reader deep into our ambivalent relationship with the sea as both "destroyer and preserver."