The narrator shares two true stories of survival at sea.
The first story is about Harrison, a Nigerian man who was on a tugboat called the Jaskin 4, towing a Chevron oil tanker in the Gulf of Guinea. A rogue wave hit the tugboat, causing it to sink, and Harrison found himself trapped in a bathroom with a small air pocket. He survived for 60 hours, fending off sharks and hypothermia, until he was rescued by a dive team.
The second story is about Debra and her four friends, who were hired to sail a luxury yacht from Maine to Florida. They encountered a freak storm, and the yacht sank, leaving them stranded in a life raft with no food, water, or life-saving equipment. The group began to hallucinate and eventually, three of them died, including one who was eaten by sharks after jumping into the water. Debra and a friend, Brad, were the only survivors and were eventually rescued on the fifth day by a passing ship.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. The narrator went on a cruise from Florida to the Bahamas and back, but the boat hit bad weather halfway to the Bahamas.
2. The boat was rocking aggressively, and the crew was unconcerned, as they had experienced rough weather before.
3. The narrator was in college when this incident happened.
4. A tugboat called the Jaskin 4 was towing a Chevron oil tanker in the Gulf of Guinea on May 26, 2013.
5. There were 12 crew members on board the Jaskin 4, including a man named Harrison O'Keen, who was the ship's cook.
6. A rogue wave hit the side of the Jaskin 4 at 4:50, almost completely flipping it upside down and snapping the tow line.
7. The ship sank rapidly, and Harrison O'Keen was trapped in a bathroom with an air pocket.
8. Harrison O'Keen survived for 60 hours in the air pocket before being rescued by a diver.
9. Debra Kylie and her four friends were hired to take a billionaire's luxury yacht from Maine to Florida in October 1982.
10. The yacht sank in a freak storm off the coast of North Carolina, and the crew had to abandon ship.
11. The crew members were left stranded in a life raft with no food, water, or life-saving equipment.
12. One of the crew members, Meg, had a severe leg wound that went untreated.
13. The crew members began to hallucinate and drink seawater, which made them vomit.
14. Two crew members, John and Mark, jumped out of the life raft and were eaten by sharks.
15. Meg died from her infection, and the remaining two crew members, Debra and Brad, were left alone.
16. Debra and Brad were eventually rescued by a ship on the fifth day.
17. Debra became a motivational speaker and wrote a book about her experience being lost at sea.
18. Brad continued to sail and became the captain of his own ship.