214:. The next day, on Callahan's 76th day afloat in the raft, fishermen picked him up just offshore, drawn to him by birds hovering over the raft, which were attracted by the ecosystem that had developed around it. During the ordeal, he faced sharks, raft punctures, equipment deterioration, physical deterioration, and mental stress. Having lost a third of his weight and covered with scores of saltwater sores, he was taken to a local hospital for an afternoon, but he left that evening and spent the following weeks recovering on the island and while hitchhiking on boats up through the West Indies.
22:
120:. In a growing gale, seven days out, his vessel was badly holed by an unknown object during a night storm, and became swamped, although it did not sink outright due to the watertight compartments Callahan had designed into the boat. In his book, Callahan writes that he suspects the damage occurred from a collision with a whale.
180:
and various improvised devices for collecting rainwater, which together produced on average just over a pint of water per day. There was a third solar still; however, because the stills he had were an early World War II prototype without supplied instructions, Callahan had to cut and destroy one of
222:
During his journey, Callahan experienced a few positive elements aside from suffering, describing the night sky at one point as "a view of heaven from a seat in hell". He still enjoys sailing and the sea, which he calls the world's greatest wilderness. Since his survival drift, he's made dozens of
197:
he crossed; however, from the beginning, Callahan knew that he could not rely upon rescue but instead must, for an undetermined time, rely upon himself and maintaining a shipboard routine for survival. He routinely exercised, navigated, prioritized problems, made repairs, fished, improved systems,
136:, measuring about six feet across. He stood off in the raft but managed to get back aboard several times to dive below and retrieve a piece of cushion, a sleeping bag, and an emergency kit containing, among other things, some food, navigation charts, a short spear gun, flares, flashlight,
103:
the boat to
Bermuda, and continued the voyage to England with friend Chris Latchem. He had left Cornwall that fall, bound for Antigua as part of the Mini Transat 6.50 single-handed sailing race from Penzance, England, but dropped out of the race in
192:
were not monitored by satellites at the time, and he was in a part of the ocean that was too isolated for the signal to be heard by aircraft. Additionally, ships did not spot his flares. While adrift, he spotted nine ships, most in the two
108:. Bad weather had sunk several boats in the fleet and damaged many others including the Napoleon Solo. Callahan made repairs and continued voyaging down the coast of Spain and Portugal, out to
160:
and the trade winds. After exhausting the meagre food supplies he had salvaged from the sinking sloop, Callahan survived by "learning to live like an aquatic caveman". He ate primarily
241:
In 2024, the book was made into the feature documentary "76 Days Adrift," Executive
Produced by Ang Lee and Steven Callahan and directed by Joe Wein.
253:, Scottish author and sailor who, with his family, survived being adrift at sea after their schooner was holed by killer whales in 1972.
189:
148:, a fellow ocean survivor. Before dawn, a big breaking sea parted the life raft from the Napoleon Solo, and Callahan drifted away.
415:
232:
episode "76 Days Adrift". Callahan's story also featured on an episode of
British survival expert Ray Mears's television series
176:
that evolved and followed him for 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km) across the ocean. He collected drinking water from two
558:
360:
592:
324:
390:
623:
607:
468:
504:
486:
99:, United States, in 1981 on the Napoleon Solo, a 6.5-meter (21.3-foot) sloop he designed and built himself,
522:
256:
344:
628:
157:
228:
223:
additional offshore passages and ocean crossings, most of them with no more than two other crew.
132:
as it filled with water and was overwhelmed by breaking seas, Callahan escaped into a six-person
416:
https://deadline.com/2024/08/ang-lee-joins-76-days-documentary-executive-producer-1236034928/
100:
96:
8:
182:
105:
21:
588:
554:
320:
281:
250:
234:
145:
133:
437:
314:
76:
113:
84:
617:
207:
188:
Callahan's use of a radio beacon and many flares did not trigger a rescue.
185:
how they worked. Nevertheless, these stills surely saved
Callahan's life.
263:
177:
172:, barnacles, and birds that he captured. The sea life was all part of an
169:
165:
137:
361:"Man Adrift At Sea For 76 Days Reveals How He Survived Against All Odds"
211:
291:
173:
161:
80:
459:
Callahan, Steven (December 1995), "The
Proactive Emergency Craft",
274:
271:
on which four people survived 119 days adrift in the South
Pacific.
268:
194:
206:
On the eve of April 20, 1982, He spotted lights on the island of
117:
109:
391:"Experience: I was adrift on a raft in the Atlantic for 76 days"
286:
551:
Capsized: The True Story of Four Men Adrift for 119 days
542:
The Sea
Survival Manual- Foreword by Steven Callahan
523:"Ten Most Intriguing, Interview by Claire Z. Cramer"
289:
stoved by a whale out from the Galápagos
Islands. (
277:, who survived for 133 days adrift in the Atlantic.
438:"The Life Raft: Don't Leave Your Ship Without It"
198:and built food and water stocks for emergencies.
615:
259:, survived 117 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
548:
505:"Catamaran Overview: Catapulting to the Future"
312:
112:and the Canaries. He departed El Hierro in the
140:for producing drinking water, and a copy of
306:
385:
383:
381:
582:
574:
566:
549:Nalepka, James; Callahan, Steven (1992),
539:
520:
502:
484:
466:
458:
20:
587:, Woodbridge, Suffolk: Seafarer Books,
378:
616:
355:
353:
116:on January 29, 1982, still headed for
340:
338:
336:
30:Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea
435:
345:"Sinking survivor designs life raft"
316:Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea
72:Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost At Sea
540:Howorth, Francis; Howort, Michael,
350:
313:Steven Callahan (17 October 2002).
156:The raft drifted westward with the
13:
424:
333:
14:
640:
601:
487:"Reflections at the Water's Edge"
469:"A Sea So Great, A Raft So Small"
226:This incident is featured on the
503:Callahan, Steven (1997-04-01),
485:Callahan, Steven (2002-07-01),
467:Callahan, Steven (1987-02-01),
168:, which he speared, along with
144:, a survival manual written by
585:The Last Voyage of the Lucette
409:
79:about his survival alone in a
16:1986 memoir by Steven Callahan
1:
610:from the US Geological Survey
319:. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
299:
217:
7:
583:Robertson, Douglas (2005),
429:
244:
10:
645:
575:Robertson, Dougal (1975),
567:Robertson, Dougal (1973),
257:Maurice and Maralyn Bailey
123:
90:
521:Callahan, Steven (2013),
451:(originally published in
201:
151:
134:Avon inflatable life raft
58:
50:
42:
34:
533:
295:is based on this event.)
158:South Equatorial Current
87:, which lasted 76 days.
624:1986 non-fiction books
577:Sea Survival: A Manual
569:Survive the Savage Sea
347:, CNN, April 22, 2002.
128:Unable to stay aboard
101:single-handedly sailed
26:
97:Newport, Rhode Island
24:
229:I Shouldn't Be Alive
75:is a 1986 memoir by
31:
608:Water desalination
473:The New York Times
436:Callahan, Steven,
95:Callahan departed
54:Nonfiction, Memoir
29:
27:
560:978-0-06-017961-8
553:, HarperCollins,
527:Portland Magazine
68:
67:
64:December 31, 1986
636:
629:American memoirs
597:
579:
571:
563:
545:
544:, Sheridan House
529:
517:
516:
515:
499:
498:
497:
481:
480:
479:
463:
450:
449:
448:
418:
413:
407:
406:
404:
402:
397:. March 23, 2012
387:
376:
375:
373:
371:
357:
348:
342:
331:
330:
310:
251:Dougal Robertson
235:Extreme Survival
183:reverse-engineer
146:Dougal Robertson
106:La Coruña, Spain
60:Publication date
32:
28:
644:
643:
639:
638:
637:
635:
634:
633:
614:
613:
604:
595:
561:
536:
513:
511:
495:
493:
477:
475:
453:Ocean Navigator
446:
444:
432:
427:
425:Further reading
422:
421:
414:
410:
400:
398:
389:
388:
379:
369:
367:
359:
358:
351:
343:
334:
327:
311:
307:
302:
247:
220:
210:, southeast of
204:
154:
126:
93:
77:Steven Callahan
61:
38:Steven Callahan
17:
12:
11:
5:
642:
632:
631:
626:
612:
611:
603:
602:External links
600:
599:
598:
593:
580:
572:
564:
559:
546:
535:
532:
531:
530:
518:
509:Cruising World
500:
491:Cruising World
482:
464:
461:Cruising World
456:
431:
428:
426:
423:
420:
419:
408:
377:
349:
332:
325:
304:
303:
301:
298:
297:
296:
278:
272:
260:
254:
246:
243:
219:
216:
203:
200:
181:the stills to
153:
150:
125:
122:
114:Canary Islands
92:
89:
85:Atlantic Ocean
66:
65:
62:
59:
56:
55:
52:
48:
47:
44:
40:
39:
36:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
641:
630:
627:
625:
622:
621:
619:
609:
606:
605:
596:
594:1-57409-206-5
590:
586:
581:
578:
573:
570:
565:
562:
556:
552:
547:
543:
538:
537:
528:
524:
519:
510:
506:
501:
492:
488:
483:
474:
470:
465:
462:
457:
454:
443:
439:
434:
433:
417:
412:
396:
392:
386:
384:
382:
366:
362:
356:
354:
346:
341:
339:
337:
328:
326:0-547-52656-3
322:
318:
317:
309:
305:
294:
293:
288:
284:
283:
279:
276:
273:
270:
266:
265:
261:
258:
255:
252:
249:
248:
242:
239:
237:
236:
231:
230:
224:
215:
213:
209:
208:Marie Galante
199:
196:
191:
186:
184:
179:
175:
171:
167:
163:
159:
149:
147:
143:
139:
135:
131:
130:Napoleon Solo
121:
119:
115:
111:
107:
102:
98:
88:
86:
82:
78:
74:
73:
63:
57:
53:
49:
45:
41:
37:
33:
23:
19:
584:
576:
568:
550:
541:
526:
512:, retrieved
508:
494:, retrieved
490:
476:, retrieved
472:
460:
452:
445:, retrieved
442:equipped.com
441:
411:
399:. Retrieved
395:The Guardian
394:
368:. Retrieved
364:
315:
308:
290:
280:
262:
240:
233:
227:
225:
221:
205:
187:
178:solar stills
155:
142:Sea Survival
141:
138:solar stills
129:
127:
94:
71:
70:
69:
18:
264:Rose Noelle
170:flying fish
166:triggerfish
164:as well as
618:Categories
514:2007-08-16
496:2007-08-16
478:2007-08-16
447:2007-08-15
300:References
212:Guadeloupe
455:magazine)
365:LifeDaily
292:Moby Dick
218:Aftermath
195:sea lanes
174:ecosystem
162:mahi-mahi
81:life raft
430:Articles
275:Poon Lim
269:trimaran
245:See also
43:Language
401:May 30,
370:May 30,
124:Sinking
118:Antigua
110:Madeira
91:Sailing
83:in the
46:English
591:
557:
323:
287:whaler
202:Rescue
190:EPIRBs
152:Adrift
35:Author
534:Books
282:Essex
51:Genre
25:Cover
589:ISBN
555:ISBN
403:2018
372:2018
321:ISBN
285:, a
267:, a
620::
525:,
507:,
489:,
471:,
440:,
393:.
380:^
363:.
352:^
335:^
238:.
405:.
374:.
329:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
