Let me just tell you that this book is simply a must read, no question. Knecht, a foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, has done a masterful job setting up and conveying the fierce battle that was waged by the sailors-turned warriors as they battled the immense storm that developed on their way to Hobart. Knecht, through meticulous research that took him to Australia ten times, takes us not aboard one of the boats in the race, but three. And these are not just a random three.

Winston Chuchill, Sword of Orion and Sayonara were, for various reasons, some brilliant and some tragic, the true stories of the race. Winston Churchill, the 1942 wooden classic, suffered the greatest with a complete sinking and resultant horrific encounter with death with their retreat to liferafts.

Sword of Orion a very quick R/P 44, had a much different set of circumstances with, and again tragically, much the same result as Winston Churchill. Though there was no sinking or taking to liferafts, there was a loss of life. Olympic sailor Glyn Charles was knocked overboard and drifted away, never to be seen again to the horror of those watching onboard. Knecht's description of this incident is not only riveting, it told the tale in a much different way that I understood that it had happened. It is absolutely stunning

And while Sayonara suffered none of the above, she and her crew led most notably by sailing master Chris Dickson and Oracle founder Larry Ellison did indeed suffer. Here again Knecht does some his finest work by taking us not only onboard Sayonara and her battles with hull de-lamination, ripped sails, crew injuries and seasickness, but most fascinating is the way he takes us into the mind of Ellison. Ellison himself is one of the most compelling business figures in the world. Oracle Corporation is the world's second largest software company and Ellison is the fourth richest man in the world, with an estimated net worth of $26 billion dollars. To read his thoughts and comments during battle is brilliant stuff.

In The Proving Ground, Knecht has done his homework by recreating these stories with crew interviews, tons of research and told in a way that is both gripping and highly informative.

While it might be cliched to call this a page-turner, it well and truly is. No matter what your level of sailing is, this will glue you to your Lazy Boy.