Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea

by Steven Callahan

Overview

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER: The riveting account of a harrowing month spent stranded at sea—an incredible story of one man's struggle and bravery.

Steven Callahan shares his dramatic tale of survival at sea in this undeniable seafaring classic. His engrossing firsthand account reveals how he survived more than a month alone at sea, fighting for his life in an inflatable raft after his small sloop capsized only six days out. “Utterly absorbing” (Newsweek), Adrift is a must-have for any adventure library.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780618257324
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/17/2002
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	154,298
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.68(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Steven Callahan is the author of Adrift, Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea, which chronicles his life-raft drift across half the Atlantic in 1982, became an NYT Bestseller and has been translated into 15 languages. He also wrote Capsized for survivor Jim Nalepka who spent four months with four other men on an overturned, half-flooded boat. Callahan has contributed writings, illustrations, and photos to more than a dozen other books, many about seamanship or survival, and has authored hundreds of articles for the marine press worldwide. His website is www.stevencallahan.net.

Editorial Reviews

Callahan, a marine architect, lost his boat in a storm off the Canary Islands while engaged in a singlehanded race across the Atlantic in 1981. Luckily, he carried far more than the basic emergency equipment required, e.g., a six-person raft. Before sinking he was able to recover his emergency equipment bag and his life raft. Callahan admits to having read the survival accounts of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey ( Staying Alive , 1974) and Dougal Robertson ( Survive the Savage Sea , 1973) and even had the latter's manual Sea Survival (1975) with him in the raft. What makes his story different was his lack of a companion. Through his own ingenuity he learned how to spear fish, fix his solar still, and even repair his holed raft. This is a real human drama that delves deeply into a man's survival instincts. It should be read by anyone venturing offshore in a small boat. John Kenny, San Francisco P.L.

Library Journal

YA Sailing Napoleon Solo in a single-handed Mini-Transat race from Spain to Antigua, Callahan was west of the Canary Islands when he realized that his sailboat was sinking. He managed to grab the life raft, a knife, his emergency duffel bag, a piece of mains'l, and a sleeping bag. These items became his home and sole possessions for 76 days. Loneliness, hunger, thirst, pain, and weakness dogged Callahan, yet his ingenuity and knowledge of the sea enabled him to survive. The illustrations and diagrams of life aboard Rubber Ducky III enable readers to visualize the hardshipsthe cramped living space of the raft, the hundreds of salt water sores that covered his body, the foreboding appearance of an approaching storm, or the primitive method used to collect fresh water. Harassed by sharks and dorados; at the mercy of storms; sore, cold, and miserable, Callahan shows fortitude and perseverance. An excellent book for all YAs, whether sailors or landlubbers. Pam Spencer, Mount Vernon High School Library, Fairfax, Va.

School Library Journal

A tale of courage and determination in the face of almost insurmountable hardship.

New York Time TimesBook Review

The author attempts a foolish winter crossing of the North Atlantic alone in a small sloop. A storm sinks the craft, leaving him in a small inflatable raft for 76 days. Padded with Hemingway-like prose on unrelated subjects, the story of survival sometimes seems secondary. Callahan's voice at first sounds monotonous, but it takes on a little more life as his peril grows. He speaks in the first person and present tense while creating a mood of want and depression. The tone varies little between descriptions of sucking the juice from raw fish eyes and fending off attacking sharks. A couple of sentences have an echo for emphasis, and Callahan does a Maine accent for a man he remembers. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

AUG/SEP 07 - AudioFile