Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea

Steven Callahan

Oct 2002 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

Before The Perfect Storm, before In the Heart of the Sea, Steven Callahan’s dramatic tale of survival at sea was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than thirty-six weeks. In some ways the model for the new wave of adventure books, Adrift is an undeniable seafaring classic, a riveting firsthand account by the only man known to have 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. 

Ratings and reviews

Could be MUCH, MUCH better. I mean, most of the days are stuff like, "Today I caught a fish. It tasted good," and " Today I saw another ship that did not come to rescue me. Woe is me." The only part I REALLY liked was his epitaph: Steven Callahan Feb 26 1952 Feb 26 1892 Dreamed Drew Pictures Built Boats Died LOL!

A really involving, compelling story, beautifully written. Sadly let down by awful typos, sometimes you have to just guess at what the word is supposed to be. A shame because the story itself is so worth reading.

We can all congratulate the writer's courage and his survival. But unless we have gone through similar life-threatening event, we can never fully appreciate what it means to be alive. Every year, thousands of people, most of them young and healthy, choose suicide in totally comfortable circumstances, and never give a fight when things are not going their way. If we can't live for searching for meaning, and resist putting our own feelings above everything else, we are still uncivilized people. We live in a society where ego is nurtured by the media and the whole humanity. Without a true belief in Christianity, more and more people are going to choose the "easier way" to conclude their lives in loneliness, more and more parents and family members will be living heartbroken for the rest of their lives. Why is man not afraid of physical danger while so fragile facing mental turmoil? Or rather, a man who is capable of defeating physical hardship will handle mental challenges better?

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.