Left for
for the six people on the Grimalkin, August 11 seemed like the beginning
of any other yachting race. But by the night of August 13, powerful storm was throwing the yacht around like a toy. The next bay, one crew member was missing, and Nick and his friend Gerry weren't moving. Thinkin all three were dead, the remaining thee sailors left in the small life raft. Left for dead, and with his friend dying, Nick had to try to survive alone on the yacht. When I came to, nothing looked familiar. I was confused. I had to think clearly. I could tell the storm was still too strong. But my biggest concern was all the water inside the yacht. The force of one more huge wave, combined with a strong wind, would sink the boat. Then to my right I saw something blue. A bucket! I reached out for it and fell into the nasty water. Coughing, I reached out again and managed to get the bucket. For half an hour I kept throwing out buckets of water. It was slow, hard work, but having a purpose and a goal lifted my spirits. But all too soon I was out of breath and energy. I was back to worrying, imagining horrible endings. I needed something to keep me alert. I started testing my knowledge. I named lighthouses, then the planets. Once I'd finished them, I started on each planet's moons. Through it all, I kept saying, "I must not fall asleep." On August 14, three days after the race started, Nick was finally rescued by a helicopter. Gerry had died during those three days, and his body was taken back to family.