Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea

Steven Callahan truly has one of the most amazing stories to tell. Not many people have a story that can compare to his nearly 11 weeks of solidarity in the middle of the ocean. Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea is the vessel that Callahan used to reveal his story to the world.


Adrift tells the story of a man (Callahan) who set sail in his self-designed boat across the Atlantic. Only a few days into his journey, Callahans boat gets caught in a swell and a wave cracks his hull. Forced onto his life raft with few supplies and no means of navigation, Callahan spends 76 days floating through the ocean. Quickly using up his small ration of food, Callahan learned how to catch fish using spear and collect water through a solar still. Other problems such as holes punctured in his raft also confronted him, but with his ingenuity he found a way to repair them. During his journey he was encountered by sharks and Dorado dolphin, which both gave him hardships. Using two pencils, Callahan was able to build his own compass approximate his location using the stars. On the 76th day, he was picked up by a small fishing boat that took him Guadeloupe.

Adrift reads as a diary. Although they are not marked with specific entries, every passage you read, you feel as though you are in the time with him. It is written in present tense which brings you even more into the raft with him. He talks about the future as if has not happened yet, although the outcome is known from the beginning.

Set in 1986, Adrift begins with Callahan sailing down Western Europe. He later departs from France to compete in a race across the Atlantic, where his boat soon crashed. The majority of the rest of the book takes place through thousands of miles of empty ocean. Nothing but Callahan and 'Rubber Ducky': the name he gave to his life raft. Callahan is completely alone, except for the creatures that swim beneath him. Callahan begins to have mental breakdowns. There is nothing left for him to hang his sanity onto anymore, and having no one to talk to amplifies this.  "I lie down again clothed only in a t-shirt . The watch circles my wrist, and around my neck as a slab of whale tooth on a string. It is the most I will wear the next two and a half months." (Callahan, 21)

I was initially attracted to this book because I love sailing. Sailing has always fascinated me and reading about it makes me feel like I am out in my boat navigated through the water. Little did I know at the time I picked this book up, though, I was embarking on a whole different journey. Adrift is not a book on sailing, but rather a book on a mans adventure and survival. This book targets anyone who likes to read an adventure story. Because of the simple diction, this book is an easy read. Though it may not appeal to younger audiences, anyone could surely read it.

As mentioned earlier, this story is like no other. Callahan had no one to talk to for 76 days. He had no one to keep him sane. He was surrounded by the vast ocean while his body began to whither away. So why write this story? The better question is who would not? After such a traumatic experience, it is likely that Callahan took to writing as his therapy. Along with releasing his emotions, this book became a New York Times Bestseller.

The only way to capture such an incredible journey through writing is if one has experienced it. One could not possible imagine what Callahan went through, and there is no possible way to into writing the emotions felt if you weren't there for yourself. Callahan conveys the story in such a way that you feel like you are there with him, living the experience by his side. You feel strong when he gets fresh water or a fish to year, and you feel weak when he goes days without a bite. “My plight has given me a strange kind of wealth, the most important kind. I value each moment that is not spent in pain, desperation, hunger, thirst, or loneliness.” (Callahan, 96) an author who has experienced this first hand could make you this entranced, and only a great author could make you feel his same emotions.

Throughout the story, Callahan uses a rather dry tone, with not too much excitement. This was the one aspect of the book that wasn't drawn to. The words used seemed to be lacking in vividness. With a little more animation, I felt that the book would have captivated me more and Callahan would have been an altogether more likable person.



Steven Callahan had to endure more in those 11 weeks than most people will have to endure in their entire lives, and his story unbelievable. All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an exciting adventure. For all ages, this story grabs your attention and you don't want to put it down. would give this book 4 out of 5 life rafts.