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6th out of 89 books
—
125 voters
Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea
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 alo...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
October 17th 2002
by Mariner Books
(first published April 12th 1987)
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Despite some of the negative reviews, I found this book bordering on poetic. For being a survival story it has some pretty amazing writing... great example for teaching double voice (Callahan speaks to the various imaginary crew members inside his head)... great recommend for YA teen boy... I started it this morning and couldn't put it down.
This book looked very interesting to me when it was offered by Kindle at a price one third the cost of any paper back book on the magazine stand. This book of survival was akin to the book "Up In Thin Air" and "The Perfect Storm". It can be a very fast read but I choose to read it and then deliberate on the experiences of Steve Callahan, in this well written true story (memoir). I am not sure if the uninitiated experiencing this situation would have survived the ordeal. Callahan was very knowled...more
Nice relatively quick (~7 hours) audiobook, which includes an intriguing interview at the end which means a lot more since the author has at that point established credibility with the reader.(Albeit interview was from 1987; perhaps tacking on a more recent interview could have been nice.)
After his ship capsizing, somewhat of a soul-searching while at sea along with the usual questions of how to keep sane and occupied as time passes and the realization of a rescue not forthcoming, nor of passing...more
After his ship capsizing, somewhat of a soul-searching while at sea along with the usual questions of how to keep sane and occupied as time passes and the realization of a rescue not forthcoming, nor of passing...more
The book Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea, by Steven Callahan was based on his true story on being lost at sea. The beginning of this book was hard to get into at first because it was not real eye-opening or real gripping and making the reader want to turn to read the next page. But once you got to understand what Steven Callahan was talking about the book got a little more interesting. Steven is a very experienced sailor who has gone on many expeditions, but Steven, one day, goes on another adventur...more
This was one of the most riveting books I've ever read.
Someone told me about this book back in the 1980s and I knew that I had to read it.
Steven Callahan, an accomplished sailor, decided to build his own sailboat after he and his wife divorced. Once built, he sailed it to England where he intended to enter a boat race that takes place every year. The race is from England to the Caribbean.
He is forced to drop out of the race because his boat is damaged in a storm. When it is repaired, he decides...more
Someone told me about this book back in the 1980s and I knew that I had to read it.
Steven Callahan, an accomplished sailor, decided to build his own sailboat after he and his wife divorced. Once built, he sailed it to England where he intended to enter a boat race that takes place every year. The race is from England to the Caribbean.
He is forced to drop out of the race because his boat is damaged in a storm. When it is repaired, he decides...more
Jan 25, 2010
Torie Duda
added it
LOVE LOVE LOVED this book. I'm a serious oceanophile(?) and seek any and all books associated with sailing/shipwrecks/stranded at sea and this book captured all of them together. Although it sounds weird, I loved living with the author on his sordid journey. I could almost feel the saltwater chafing his skin...feel the sharks poking at the bottom of the raft...smell the rotting fish as they hung from his makeshift drying racks - I loved every moment (this I admit sitting in the comfort of my own...more
Billed by National Geographic Explorer as “One of the 100 best adventure books of all time,” Callahan’s 1986 book recounting his horrifically amazing survival pushes the boundaries of what is means to be adrift at sea for just over eleven weeks. In the few weeks leading up to his rescue ashore of Marie Galante – part of Martinique – Callahan neared the nadir of physical, emotional, and spiritual health, and had come to realize that the core of his very humanness is what kept him alive despite th...more
Jun 03, 2009
Steven
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
sailors, adventurers, offshore fishermen
Great adventure and harrowing true story of a man lost at sea for two and a half months. The sailor's knowledge of sailing, geography, shipping lanes, tradewinds, and even the behavior of porpoises was fascinating. I especially enjoyed his constant struggle to keep his water purifier working, and his determination to maintain a working sextant made from pencils and rubber bands (and I enjoyed learning what a sextant was and how it is used).
But like most readers, I particularly enjoyed the porpoi...more
But like most readers, I particularly enjoyed the porpoi...more
Apr 14, 2010
Angela Lam
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people that like excite life
Recommended to Angela by:
me
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Jul 30, 2012
Tara
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
survival story lovers, fishermen, sailors
I picked up this book when my family rented a beach place for vacation and I was looking for something to read. I'd finished my own book already and it was the only one that grabbed my attention on the owners' shelf.
Let me say that I did not expect to like this book. I read the last couple chapters first, just skimming out of curiosity and boredom...and then proceeded to get hooked and start from the beginning. Reading a book like this on the beach was quite an experience, and it's a riveting su...more
Let me say that I did not expect to like this book. I read the last couple chapters first, just skimming out of curiosity and boredom...and then proceeded to get hooked and start from the beginning. Reading a book like this on the beach was quite an experience, and it's a riveting su...more
If this book weren't a true story, I probably wouldn't like it much. But since it IS true and even written by the guy who experienced it all, it's impossible not to be completely impressed by it. After Callahan's 20-foot sailboat sunk, he spent 76 days drifting in the emergency life raft before finally coming to land. His resourcefulness when the little equipment he has breaks, his willpower at rationing the water and fish he manages to gather, and, quite honestly, his ability to not just give i...more
I heard the author interviewed in connection with his consulting with Ang Lee for the movie Life of Pi. This is the story of his 76 days lost at sea, with close to nothing to sustain him but his knowledge and endurance. He is a thoughtful observer of himself and of the world around him. His experience reinforces his sense of being a tiny morsel in the universe not its center. He suffers physically and emotionally but something drives him on and he arrives in the Caribbean, not far from where he...more
What a story! The struggle for survival Steven Callahan goes through on the Atlantic is not easily matched. Attempting to sail alone across the Atlantic in his self-built sailboat is something normal for this natural born seaman, only this time he leaves a little late in the season. He figures it's worth the risk but questions his actions when his boat capsizes in the night during a heavy storm only a few days out. He ends up spending 76 days drifting across the Atlantic towards the Caribbean fi...more
A friend recommended this book after hearing my praise for Unbroken about Louis Zamperini. I had mentioned that Louie spent over a month on a raft after his plane crashed and my disbelief at his incredible will to live. Adrift was written by a man who was much more experienced in the ways of the sea, his story was also amazing in what he endured. Below are a few of my favorite passages.
"The sea makes the insignificance of my own small self and of all humanity so poignant."
"These people do not kn...more
"The sea makes the insignificance of my own small self and of all humanity so poignant."
"These people do not kn...more
Loved this survival memoir. Learned so much. To this day, it comes to mind again and again at these times:
1) When I'm in the sun and have no water and I'm getting thirstier and thirstier.
2) When I'm on water and can't see land and a bird flies over me, I think about the petrels miles and miles and miles from land.
3) When I have a sore that's taking forever to heal, I think of how the salt-water stung his open sores.
4) When I'm getting sunburned & not able to get out of the sun. I can't imagi...more
1) When I'm in the sun and have no water and I'm getting thirstier and thirstier.
2) When I'm on water and can't see land and a bird flies over me, I think about the petrels miles and miles and miles from land.
3) When I have a sore that's taking forever to heal, I think of how the salt-water stung his open sores.
4) When I'm getting sunburned & not able to get out of the sun. I can't imagi...more
After his sailboat sinks in the Atlantic, Callahan is left to survive on a small life raft. (Alone! Eek!) Of course it removes a layer of suspense knowing that he survived (obviously, since he wrote the book), but there was still excellent tension throughout, as he was tossed about in the unforgiving ocean.
While it doesn't have the journalistic edge/drive that you might find in one of Krakauer's books, I found Adrift to be quite well-written. It is as much about his struggle to stay focused and...more
While it doesn't have the journalistic edge/drive that you might find in one of Krakauer's books, I found Adrift to be quite well-written. It is as much about his struggle to stay focused and...more
This is the book that got me started on devouring survival stories. I just love em.
Not to sound like an extremist, but sometimes I think technology and iphones and internet and gps cripples certain skill sets that all men should possess. Luxury turns them into wimps. What would happen if the electricity went off forever? How many men would give up hope and lay down to die?
Not Steven Callahan!
Callahan is such a ballsy dude; I love the guy to death. He is my hero I swear. I really believe, howev...more
Not to sound like an extremist, but sometimes I think technology and iphones and internet and gps cripples certain skill sets that all men should possess. Luxury turns them into wimps. What would happen if the electricity went off forever? How many men would give up hope and lay down to die?
Not Steven Callahan!
Callahan is such a ballsy dude; I love the guy to death. He is my hero I swear. I really believe, howev...more
Books about the sea, have always fascinated me. With respect to poet Sam Coleridge I’ll quit the rhyme time as I think back to my freshman year in high school. One of our first class reads was The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and I may have been the only student interested in the classic tale of the seas. I’m not all that superstitious but I’ll never harm an albatross and I have a healthy respect for nature, especially the unforgiving ocean.
Adrift, a classic story of man versus nature, recounts S...more
Adrift, a classic story of man versus nature, recounts S...more
I can relate this book to Hatchet. Instead of being left alone in the wild, he is abandoned in the middle of an ocean, not even an island in sight. Steven Callahan is on a racing contest, and all of a sudden, this boat suffered some difficulties. He is stranded in the middle of the atlantic ocean, with only his life boat and a few supplies. He builds his own water filter and learns how to fish with a lure and a harpoon. Steven Callahan lives off of a diet on fish. A few times, he had spotted shi...more
One of the best books I've read thus far, I couldn't put it down.
"Challenges routinely produce crises that severely test us. However, crises also offer us the greatest opportunities. People going through tough times typically feel isolated, and unsure what to do. When I face a crisis, I try to keep in mind a few simple concepts: we cannot control our destinies, but we can help to shape them; we must try to make life hop a bit, but we must also accept that we can only do the best we can. Bearing...more
"Challenges routinely produce crises that severely test us. However, crises also offer us the greatest opportunities. People going through tough times typically feel isolated, and unsure what to do. When I face a crisis, I try to keep in mind a few simple concepts: we cannot control our destinies, but we can help to shape them; we must try to make life hop a bit, but we must also accept that we can only do the best we can. Bearing...more
Amazing story of Steven Callahan's 76 days in a life raft in 1982. Twenty-nine year old boat-builder designed and built his 26 foot boat Napoleon Solo and sailed with a friend across the Atlantic. He was attempting a solo return when his boat was sunk by a piece of mid-sea debris. This is his day-by-day tale of how he survived with a bit of philosophy thrown in. A quick and interesting afternoon's read.
Originally published in the 1980s and a 2nd edition in 1999, picked up a copy at my local lib...more
Originally published in the 1980s and a 2nd edition in 1999, picked up a copy at my local lib...more
Callahan made an ocean crossing from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean the hard way — 5 days out his sailboat sunk and he completed the trip in a deteriorating rubber raft. A classic, much–read ocean survival story.
When he was near the islands, just hours from being washed ashore, he was rescued by some fishermen in an open boat. After crossing most of the Atlantic ocean in little rubber raft, alone for 2 and a half months, and so emaciated and weak he could barely move his arms, still, he w...more
When he was near the islands, just hours from being washed ashore, he was rescued by some fishermen in an open boat. After crossing most of the Atlantic ocean in little rubber raft, alone for 2 and a half months, and so emaciated and weak he could barely move his arms, still, he w...more
This is straight nonfiction, but what a page turner. Yes, it was published in 1996 - really I read it because it has been a shelf sitter and I wondered if I could sell it. I think boy scout/adventure readers will love it - he survived 76 days at sea in a life raft. As I read, I knew there to be a happy ending because he wrote the book, but I wasn't convinced as the situation got increasingly dire with each catastrophe. http://stevencallahan.net/index.html is his website now - pretty interesting....more
Callahan offers up an autobiographical story that is both riveting and creatively recounted. Adrift reads much like a first-person fictional narrative, except it's not fiction at all. Callahan describes scenery and details vividly, poetically, and honestly. He invites us aboard his life-raft,"Rubber Ducky III" with him to witness 76 days of a fight for survival. This story is so good that even though you know how it ends (he survives to write a book), you can't help but wonder how he got there a...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
A fascinating documentation of the longest survival alone at sea. Steve, a life-long sailor, is impressively resourceful, prepared, and steadfast in his practicality that if he makes the correct decisions and rations his resources, he will make it. This book is full of dichotomies, nothing is ever pro or con, everything has a mirrored reaction towards survival and against it. It is a subtly spiritual book in that the ocean is impartial. The fish threaten to sink his raft while they sustain his b...more
An amazing survival story. This book made me realize to what lengths a person will go to hang onto hope and life even in the face of pain, loneliness, and long odds. I don't think I could do it, even with Steven Callahan's knowledge and physical abilities. But, you never really know unless the test comes. This book is a page-turner despite the foregone conclusion, and never too unpleasant to read despite the extreme suffering, which I really think is due to the author's straightforward mix of we...more
An amazing true story of survival and perseverance. It's been more than a decade since I read this book, but it has stuck with me. It's clear the author was extremely well versed in nautical navigation, boats and the tools of self-reliance before his ordeal, but his ingenuity in the face of seemingly insurmountable challanges epitomizes the concept that desperation is the parent of creativity.
I also remember being amazed and enchanted by some of the "ocean wilderness" experiences he describes....more
I also remember being amazed and enchanted by some of the "ocean wilderness" experiences he describes....more
Wow... I picked this book up last night and couldn't put it down until I was finished reading it. An amazing story of ingenuity and will-to-live (with a little luck thrown in for good measure). I especially enjoyed the author's special relationship with the animals he was forced to kill to eat, and how he grew to know them as individuals, and felt remorse with every death. A really inspiring book... don't read it without some snacks and plenty to drink nearby, because you'll often feel a craving...more
Another great adventure! I find reading on my iPhone allows me to finish books very quickly, this is probably the first book I've read in under 24 hours in quite a while. Definitely a page-turner, though I could have done without some of the "spiritual connection to the sea" stuff. This guy was not a born and raised sailor or anything, just a trust fund kid who loved to sail. It felt forced and hokey. That said, the survival details and diagrams of the various stills, water collectors, and fishi...more
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Steven Callahan is an American author, naval architect, inventor, and sailor most notable for having survived for 76 days adrift on the Atlantic Ocean in a survival raft. Callahan recounted his ordeal in the best-selling book "Adrift: 76 days lost at sea", which was on the New York Times best-seller list for more than thirty-six weeks.
-Wikipedia
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-Wikipedia
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“This life is full of trials and tribulations, so you have to capture humor whenever and wherever you can find it.”
—
3 people liked it
“There is a magnificent intensity in life that comes when we are not in control but are only reacting, living, surviving. I am not a religious man per se...but for me, to go to sea is to get a glimpse of the face of God. At sea I am reminded of my insignificance-of all men's insignificance. It is a wonderful feeling to be so humbled.”
—
3 people liked it
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