66 Days Adrift A True Story of Disaster and Survival on the Open Sea

by Butler, William

• ISBN13: 9780071438742
• ISBN10: 0071438742
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-02-08
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press

Summary

One of the great ocean survival stories of all time It was paradise. Skimming across the vast Pacific, Bill and Simonne Butler had everything they needed aboard their trim sloop Siboneyand a world of possibilities ahead. One night they were enchanted by a pod of pilot whales swimming alongside the boat--but then events took a terrifying turn. Without warning, and seemingly with coordinated intent, the whales attacked, ramming their hull until the doomed craft slipped beneath the waves. After abandoning ship in a panic, Bill and Simonne drifted helplessly, with only a few hastily grabbed provisions to sustain them, in a flimsy sixfoot raft. Simonne, who had been reluctant to join Bill on his dream quest of circumnavigating the globe, blamed him bitterly for their desperate plight. Now, ravaged by hunger and thirst, harassed daily by sharks, pummeled by storms, and baked by the sun, this troubled couple struggled to work together and survive. This powerful account tells the harrowing tale of their 66-day battle against nature, despair, and each other.

Author Biography

William Butler (San Juan, PR) learned to sail by the age of nine. In 1989 he retired from business and went sailing. Since then, he has logged more than 74,000 miles at sea.