Challengers of the Sea brings you face to face with men and women who take on the best and the worst of what the Northwest Atlantic Ocean offers. Read gripping accounts of losing sons, husbands, fathers, brothers, and best friends to the ravages of unforgiving seas. Meet others whose lives have been touched by the sea in a variety of ways. Learn about a woman who pilots a Beechcraft airplane, looking for everything from icebergs and whales to those who contravene Canadian laws affecting waters off the east coast of Canada. And meet an artist who uses her craft to send a message of the need to conserve ocean life. You will also meet two men who work hard in different ways to make the fishing industry in Atlantic Canada safer. And learn about coping. When the bodies of loved ones lost at sea are never recovered, there is no closure for those left to grieve in silence after the rest of the world moves on. Theirs is a special kind of heartbreak. Praise for Jim Wellman "Wellman does a wonderful job of describing the rough but rewarding life of those who rely on the ocean to make a living, and the fickle and unpredictable nature of the Atlantic Ocean." - Northern Mariner

In The Call of the Ocean, Jim Wellman profiles some of the most fascinating men and women ever to answer the call of the North Atlantic. These modern-day heroes of the sea include: Richard Gillett from Twillingate, captain of the Midnight Shadow and star of Discovery Channel's hit television show Cold Water Cowboys Marilyn Clark from Magdalene Islands, a rising star in the Atlantic Canadian fishing industry Dave Quinton, long-time host of CBC Television's Land and Sea and a household name in Newfoundland and Labrador Norma Richardson from Harrigan Cove, a tireless advocate for Nova Scotian fishermen and fisherwomen Tommy O'Brien of Cape Broyle, the youngest-ever appointed captain with the Canadian Coast Guard Ches Barbour of Newtown, founder of the world-renowned franchise Ches's Famous Fish and Chips Boat builders Jerome Canning, Alex Howse, Val Cull, and Jonathan Collett . . . and many more!

Fishing is the most dangerous occupation in the world: in Atlantic Canada, an average of one person dies every month while working at sea. The Deadly Sea by bestselling author Jim Wellman contains twenty-five stories about men and women who work in the Atlantic Canadian fishing industry, ranging from biographies of professionals to tales of tragedy at sea. In Atlantic Canada, the sea has given generously of its riches. Tens of thousands of men and women make a living from its resources. Some work directly on the water as fishing people, while thousands of others work in fish processing plants. And still thousands more are employed in service industries that are tied directly to the commercial fishery. The number of fatalities at sea hasn't changed much in the past fifty years, though the industry bears little resemblance to what it was just a few decades ago. Wooden schooners powered by wind and sail have been replaced by vessels with steel or fibreglass hulls and sophisticated technology, but we are reminded, every month, that new technologies are still no match for the power of an angry ocean.

"To succeed at fishing, one must be creative and constantly find ways to outsmart nature." Newfoundland captain and fisherwoman Tracey Button adds another dimension to her thoughts on the career path she's chosen: "Fishing is a fine way to exercise my gambling instinct," she says. That's why fishing people are among the most interesting people in the world. In Sea Folk, Jim Wellman recounts the stories of twenty-three men and women who make their living from the sea and introduces the reader to some of the most courageous and creative gamblers from Atlantic Canada. A departure from Wellman's critically acclaimed Final Voyages series, this book explores the lives and livelihoods of people who prosecute the fishery both on shore and off. Originally published as human interest stories in the Navigator magazine-the voice of the marine industry in Atlantic Canada-these biographies now appear for the first time in book form.

The fishing industry kills more people than any other job in the world. On average, Atlantic Canada loses one fisherman every month. From the pages of the Navigator magazine comes a collection of more than twenty sea stories from Jim Wellman's widely acclaimed series, Final Voyages. This volume marks his fourth venture onto the cold Atlantic waters, to stand alongside captain and crew and tell the stories of these unsung heroes: small-boat fishermen. In this book we learn the dangers of the sea that these mariners from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador must face every day . . . in the deadliest profession known to man.

The fishing industry in Atlantic Canada has gone through massive change in the last twenty years. Now, even small inshore vessels are outfitted with fishing equipment that would astound those mariners who passed on just a generation ago. But still, despite the incredible advances in technology, dozens of fishermen continue to die each year doing what they know best. Simply put, fishing is still one of the most dangerous professions in the world. In Final Voyages: Volume II Jim Wellman portrays the stories of some of those tragic events, along with other accounts of near-death experiences that finished with happier endings.

Fishing has long been documented as being the most dangerous occupation in the world. That is especially true in the harsh, and often bitter, marine environment of Atlantic Canada. These perilous conditions have caused the sinking and loss of hundreds of Atlantic Canadian fishing vessels, claiming enormous loss of life. Former host of CBC Radio's "Fisheries Broadcast" and now managing editor of The Navigator, Jim Wellman recounts some of those gripping tales as part of his regular monthly feature in The Navigator. Dubbed "Final Voyages," the feature has been one of the most popular sections of the magazine since its first issue in December 1997. The best ones have been gathered together to make up this first volume of sea stories.