.
A shriek pierced the dissonance of shore-side activity.
Hogue jerked his head around to search for the source while guiding his tugboat along the narrow channel between rusty freighters hugging the concrete quays of both shores of the Miami River.
Only minutes before he’d let go all lines from the freighter he towed to a nearby berth, after which he noted completion of the task in his log on the page dated August 5, 1992. That scream incited him to scan the dust billowing above the quayside activity, punctuated by the high-pitch of machinery conveying cargo from ships to dock and from dock to ships.
There! Close off his starboard side he spotted the man dangling from the upper deck of a small tramp freighter–clutching the bottom rung of the railing. Crewmen and stevedores scrambled to gather below and gape at the screeching man. They shuffled around, unsure what to do.
The man plummeted, scattering them. The body hit with a splat amid the litter of cables, nets, and other cargo-handling paraphernalia. Hogue snatched the transmitter of his radiotelephone and punched in the emergency numbers.
Tropic Squall Description:
Tropic Squall chronicles the passage of one of the small tramp freighters trading in the Caribbean during August of 1992–perilously steaming in the path of Hurricane Andrew–one of history’s most violent and destructive storms.
Few recent books deal with the world of tramp ships and the people who own and man them, a unique society that rows to the tune of a different drummer. Popular nautical stories of the past include The Perfect Storm, The Hungry Ocean and In the Heart of the Sea.
Readers relate to this book since it deals with dreams and aspirations, as well as tribulations. Struggle for survival and striving for betterment are universal. Love is the strongest emotion we experience and this book sweeps readers through the highs and lows of desire, fear, determination, and raging storms.
