But the hardest part wasn’t physical. It was the silence. No music. No news. No other human voices except each other.
We tied it to a driftwood mast and launched it into the current. It felt stupid. Like throwing a message in a bottle in a movie. But watching that little piece of plastic disappear over the horizon, we both cried. Not because we were sad. Because we still had hope.
The universe, as it turns out, had packed a very different suitcase.
We were shipwrecked. And for the next three years, the world we left behind ceased to exist. Part I: The Inventory of Survival my wife and i shipwrecked on a desert island 2021
Water: five gallons. Food: essentially zero.
without shelter in harsh conditions (extreme heat or cold). 3 Days without water.
I came to on a beach of crushed coral. My left arm was gashed open. Sarah was 20 yards away, coughing seawater onto her hands and knees. But the hardest part wasn’t physical
On a desert island, creativity is your greatest asset. And so is your partner. When “my wife and I shipwrecked on a desert island,” the “we” is as important as the survival tactics themselves. Couples who communicate, divide tasks, and support each other emotionally far outlast those who succumb to blame and despair.
It was May 14, 2021. The sky had been clear for six hours. Then, without warning, a squall hit like a fist. The anemometer spun past 55 knots. Waves turned into black mountains.
“Thanks to our aircrews diligently conducting routine patrols, we were able to spot people in distress and intervene,” said Sean Connett, a command duty officer at the 7th Coast Guard District. The survivors were spotted when they waved makeshift flags to attract the attention of a Coast Guard helicopter crew. By the time rescue arrived, they were “fatigued, dehydrated and showing definite signs of just being out in the elements for the extended amount of time that they were there,” according to the helicopter pilot, Lt. Mike Allert. No news
In the spring of 2022, we had what I now call the "Salt Crisis." I had spent six hours attempting to smoke a meager catch of reef fish over a damp coconut-husk fire. Through a combination of exhaustion and clumsiness, I dropped the entire batch into the sand, ruining our food supply for the next two days.
Built an elevated A-frame matrix to avoid nocturnal land crabs. Rock oysters, land crabs, and occasional fish
On October 14th, at approximately 2:15 PM, the miracle happened.
