Fiction: Lost in the Pacific

[K9Kampers]

Something I don't understand about this character...
He's suddenly free of marital entanglements and has a boat and classic pickup in San Diego, and he wants to kill himself? Why? That'd be like living the life of Riley!

Also, isn't an AMT .380 backup a 5+1? How does he get eight shots?

Oh wait, FICTION!, never mind...

[dlandersson]

Something I don't understand about this character...
He's suddenly free of marital entanglements and has a boat and classic pickup in San Diego, and he wants to kill himself? Why? That'd be like living the life of Riley!

Also, isn't an AMT .380 backup a 5+1? How does he get eight shots?

Oh wait, FICTION!, never mind...

[Russ]

A good book is "Adrift: 76 Days Lost At Sea" is a 1986 memoir by Steven Callahan about his survival alone in a life raft in the Atlantic Ocean, which lasted 76 days.


He departed El Hierro in the Canary Islands on January 29, 1982, in a 21' boat headed for Antigua. 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 watertight compartments Callahan had designed into the boat.

Callahan escaped into a six-person Avon inflatable life raft, 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, solar stills for producing drinking water and a copy of Sea Survival, a survival manual written by Dougal Robertson, a fellow ocean survivor. Before dawn, a big breaking sea parted the life raft from his boat and Callahan drifted away.

Callahan's use of an EPIRB and many flares did not trigger a rescue. EPIRBs were not monitored by satellites at the time, and he was in too empty a part of the ocean to be heard by aircraft. Ships did not spot his flares. While adrift, he spotted nine ships, most in the two sea lanes he crossed.

He used simple calculations to determine his rate of drift and rough navigation. His experience caused him to help improve life raft design and supplies.

[BOAT]

Something I don't understand about this character...
He's suddenly free of marital entanglements and has a boat and classic pickup in San Diego, and he wants to kill himself? Why? That'd be like living the life of Riley!

Also, isn't an AMT .380 backup a 5+1? How does he get eight shots?

Oh wait, FICTION!, never mind...

If you contacted the factory in El Monte they would mail you a 6 round magazine - so actually it was 1 in the chamber are 6 in the clip. It came from the factory with the standard 5 round clip and the 6 round clip was not advertised. At that time there was nothing much like it but today there are a ton of 38 or 380 mini automatic pistols that would be a more modern replacement. The AMT is really a 1978 to 1980 vintage all metal gun - if you were really writing a story that takes place during the period that a man would own a MAC M boat (2004 to 2013) you would need to update the gun to something with more plastic in it. Modern automatic mini gun would be not US made, and would hold a lot of rounds, and have a lot of plastic. So that's why there are so many bangs - in a real story you would need to use a real modern gun, but I am old and I only know the old stuff.

Really though, if you know anything about guns you really missed the biggest thing:

CLICK CLICK CLICK

An automatic pistol does not click when it's empty - the slide locks back and will not allow the trigger to be depressed when the gun is empty. To make that passage real the gun would need to be a double action revolver, and make only 6 bangs.

And for the original poster that wants to write a story let this be a lesson to you - the very people that are going to be most likely to read your story are going to tear it to pieces on the details. This is normal and it's the reason why you must do your research.

Your first statement using the word "entanglements" is just a bit too revealing so I think I will stay away from that. If you were the protagonist here I think you could change this story so that he sort of makes these bad things happen unconsciously - but i don't want to give you any ideas so I don't get blamed from your wife. As I said, we will leave that one alone. (That's why I don't write stories - whatever woman your with will always use it against you.)

[Russ]

What is a "clip"?

[BOAT]

It's the thing that holds the bulletts

[DaveC426913]

And for the original poster that wants to write a story let this be a lesson to you - the very people that are going to be most likely to read your story are going to tear it to pieces on the details. This is normal and it's the reason why you must do your research.

Yep. And the reason why they say "write what you know".

Of course, I've never sailed in blue water, let alone the open Pacific, but...

The story will mostly be about using available resources to turn a really bad situation into just a bad situation, and a bad situation into a better situation, one jerry-rig at a time.

I really enjoyed "The Martian" for all its detail (I read it before it became popular).

And I really enjoyed Life of Pi. The really weird things he encountered while adrift were fascinating.

Lately I've been reading some Lovecraft which is also rife with minute detail. (The fact that South Pacific is prominent in Lovecraftian fiction is not lost on me - but that would be a VERY different story.)

[sunshinecoasting]

Have a look at these guys and what they achieved in the early 70's, they landed right where I live and we have named parts of our local area after their rafts and crew. In fact I launch my yacht just near "La Balsa Park", fascinating story and truly gutsy (albeit psycho) effort by these guys. You may draw some inspiration and perhaps technical resources from their story.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vital_Als ... xpeditions

Cheers, Den.

[Highlander]

Sh_t this is amazing how in the hull did u guy,s know I was makin this trip Oh I know now u r watchin my AIS , N/P I,ll b fine bilge,s full of food , beer ,wine & Scotch , Boat how did u Know !
but seeing as my boat has 4 forestay,s , 2 sets of spreaders , masthead rig with 3 sets of shrouds & a backstay I,m thinkin I,ll b fine , my biggest worries r I substituted too much beer , wine & scotch & other alcohol beverages instead of water , Oh & I might suffer from sunburn being naked all day & freeze at night from only wearin my string thong because all my laundry got washed O/B while I was in a drunken state but my sea worthy legs always made sure I fell in board not out board "why is that I wonder" Mmm ! , also while in my drunken state of happy go lucky need to make sure I don,t blow myself up with my 2 butane stoves Oh but wait a min I got a fume alert so that,s not gonna happen & got lot,s of solar power & with lots of baked beans on board I,ve got lot,s of wind power & running outa fuel won,t b a problem as my pee is 90% alcohol proof so can b recycled for either use ! .
Anyway,s guess u can,t use my story cause i,m too organized to full fill ur stories, but then I came across 2 ladie,s in the night adrift at sea rescued them & they r forever thankful now they clean my boat , cook my meals , serve me drinks , bath me & take care of my needs my dreams r now fulfilled for the journey of my life time I don,t care if I ever see land again & if I should ever wake up from this dream it mean,s it,s now a nightmare meaning I just run outa Booze !

Ya all have some nice sweet dreams romancing the sail

J

[DaveC426913]

Sh_t this is amazing how in the hull did u guy,s know I was makin this trip Oh I know now u r watchin my AIS , N/P I,ll b fine bilge,s full of food , beer ,wine & Scotch , Boat how did u Know !
but seeing as my boat has 4 forestay,s , 2 sets of spreaders , masthead rig with 3 sets of shrouds & a backstay I,m thinkin I,ll b fine

Let me know when you're setting out. I"d like to come and install some webcams for research.

What? No, don't mind these wire cutters and metal saw - I need them for s̶a̶b̶o̶- I mean installing equipment.

[Catigale]

That AIS map tells me if you go adrift in the Pacific you die alone, sans technology.

Horizon view is about 10 miles <<<< meanfree distribution of boats

[delevi]

What about water and food? A small vessel just can’t store enough of either for months. Also, check out the Pacific High. No wind ever. Sailing from CA to Hawaii, you follow its outer perimeter. Same thing going back which is why it takes twice as long to get back to CA than getting to Hawaii from there. Fiction indeed, but the story isn’t very plausible. Maybe make the boat larger than 26 feet. OTOH read North to the Light. This guy sailed to the North Pole, got stranded in the ice but managed to survive for a year and get back home. True story.

[NiceAft]

What about water and food? A small vessel just can’t store enough of either for months. Also, check out the Pacific High. No wind ever. Sailing from CA to Hawaii, you follow its outer perimeter. Same thing going back which is why it takes twice as long to get back to CA than getting to Hawaii from there. Fiction indeed, but the story isn’t very plausible. Maybe make the boat larger than 26 feet. OTOH read North to the Light. This guy sailed to the North Pole, got stranded in the ice but managed to survive for a year and get back home. True story.

Leon,

Nice to see a post by you.

[delevi]

It’s been a while. Be well and safe. It’s nice to have a boat to get away from it all. Keeps me sane

[DaveC426913]

What about water and food? A small vessel just can’t store enough of either for months.

No. Both will be a challenge, even for the resourceful castaway.
A sail lashed over the foredeck to catch rain and funnel it into the fresh water tank.
There's a trick you can do to collect condensation on the underside of a black funnel of plastic sheet.

Food will have to come from the ocean. Hopefully, he has brought something that can be repurposed as bait - there is precious little life in these parts.

Also, check out the Pacific High. No wind ever. Sailing from CA to Hawaii, you follow its outer perimeter. Same thing going back which is why it takes twice as long to get back to CA than getting to Hawaii from there.

South Equatorial Current and South East Trade winds will both sweep a vessel Westward if it's south of the equator.

Fiction indeed, but the story isn’t very plausible. Maybe make the boat larger than 26 feet.

Says you.
You'd have to read it to make that call.