An inspirational story of survival, rescue and what came after…

As indicated by the subtitle, A Speck in the Sea: A Story of Survival and Rescue (by John Aldridge and Anthony Sosinski) is a story of survival and rescue; but it is also much more than that.  There are swathes of background material wrapping this episode; such as the town of Montauk and its residents, the lives of the main participants (and others) prior to this event and how it shaped them and a total insight into how rescue operations are conducted off the northeastern coast of the U.S.A.

The whole episode of how one of them came to be overboard without anyone knowing for hours due to a simple avoidable mistake and then waiting, even more, hours while a search and rescue operation takes place only consumes a few chapters; so much of the volume is how it affects those who know the men and their past involvement with them.

I was surprised at the part where it lists the three most dangerous occupations.  Not surprisingly, fishing was number one, closely followed by timber getters but the third, albeit by a large margin, was pilots!  I must try and forget that before I fly to Europe next time.

The way the fishing and boating community immediately swing behind a possible rescue is illuminating, people on charters being unceremoniously dumped at the wharf and told their day is over while the boat is freed to join the search is just one example.

There are no difficult sections, this is a straightforward read in precise English and it is clear why this man survived where others may have perished.  There are so many examples of how people’s fortitude and attitude kept them going whilst others might fall by the wayside under similar circumstances and this adds to that list.

All the mental doubts, reasons for optimism and thinking outside the square are covered while John’s odyssey in the sea continues and the command centre of the coast guard springs to life with all its amazing array of equipment that has evolved over the years.  They actually have a system that plots the possible and probable drifts according to current data of current, winds etc.; a great aid when looking for a floating object.

There are pages at the rear dedicated to the personal aftermath of the event.  I found it interesting how it affected, and will affect, people’s lives forever in ways I never considered.

The Coast guard’s resources are listed in the last pages for those who want to know the finer details but, summing up, it’s really a story about a community upon whom a near tragedy evolved and how their lives were impacted upon both at the time and afterwards.

A Speck in the Sea by John Aldridge and Anthony Sosinski (published by Hachette Australia) is available now from Dymocks. Click here to learn more.