By Barbara Walsh, a Maine writer. The book chronicles her rocky bloodline back to Newfoundland, the history of her Irish decendants that moved there to fish, and centers around her wayward philandering grandfather, and a storm that killed 40 fishermen from a small village on Newfoundlands coast in the 30's. Many of her relatives died at sea in that storm. It's quite a good read to get an idea of Newfoundland then and now and the coastal lives lived in that remote area.

One of the more startling things to me was how vulnerable sailors/fishermen were in those days. We argue the merits of new gear like chartplotters vs piloting the "old fashioned way" when this account makes you realize, we live in an age of safety provided by simple weather forecasting and communication. Imagine setting out for just a few days, and running into a hurricane?

Unheard of today, but that's the way it was in this era. Weather forecasting was your barometer onboard. People died left and right in storms on the coast in those days, not that long ago.

http://www.amazon.com/August-Gale-Father-Daughters-Journey/dp/0762761466#reader_0762761466