Into The Storm

Since we are just off Hurricane Sandy (and the damage is still everywhere), I am more attuned to the power of weather and mother nature.

Into the Storm is a book by Dennis Perkins and Jillian Murphy  (authors of Leading at the Edge).  This book is one that you cannot put down.  Although it is a business book (Part 2 is anyways), it is the captivating story of of a sailing regatta - Sydney to Hobart Ocean Race in 1998.

In the 1998 regatta, 6 people died.  The weather was horrific.  The book tells of ships losing their masts, sinking, rescues.   It also tells of crews that survived.

One of the ships in the race is Larry Ellison's from Oracle.  I heard him speak live about his experience at a 1999 YPO event in San Francisco.  I remember much of what he said then.  Recalling that made the book that much more interesting.

I am not a sailor but still loved the book.

The gripping and chilling story of the storm is followed by a series of lessons learned.  Sailing is a lot about teamwork so much of the lessons are about teamwork.  It covered stuff like "prepare, prepare, prepare" , "deal with things that slow you down" and "relentless learning".

What I know is people learn best and remember best from stories.  And I certainly do.  I really liked the format - captivating adventure followed by lessons.

This book is a page turner just like Driven to Succeed and their previous book about Shakleton.  I am inspired to consider reading more adventure books instead of just the business books I usually read.  Of course this one is the best of both worlds - adventure and business.

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I am always trying to be healthier.  So I have been experimenting baking with Stevia - a super sweet plant extract that substitutes for some of the sugar in a recipe.

Works perfect so far (in banana bread and muffins)

I have also been making soup for the whole crew at the office.  It all started with the storm and many people did not have power so I thought it was the right thing to do.  And people liked it so I kept doing it many days.