Last year, the film Adrift was released into theaters. Based on a true story, the film was exceptionally done and very well acted! (A movie with Sam Claflin with Shailene Woodley? Count me in!). After watching the movie, I learned that there was a memoir and immediately looked to see if it was available on my audiobook app. It was, and I couldn’t wait to get started.
Adrift, also known as Red Sky in the Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea, is an inspiring book!
Tami Oldham Ashcraft survived 41 days alone at sea after being hit by a category four hurricane. Heartbroken, lost, and with limited supplies, Tami did what she had to do to make it out alive.
Her story begins towards the end of 1983, when Tami and her fiancé, Richard Sharp, agree to deliver a friend’s yacht from Tahiti to San Diego. However, when their paths cross with Hurricane Raymond, things take a turn for the worse. Battling 40-foot waves, Richard sends Tami below to stay safe; little did she know, that would be the last time she would see her beloved.
Alone and adrift, Tami’s memoir dives into the hardships of surviving in the middle of the ocean and fighting to live through horrible circumstances. She is a brave woman who never gave up, no matter how tempting and easy it would’ve been to surrender.
Though I am not a sailor, I connected to Tami’s words as I listened to this audiobook. Her fight for survival and the other events she experienced felt so raw that it made me believe that no matter how scary something might be, we can always come out strong in the end. I also enjoyed hearing about Tami’s love story with Richard in-between the chapters of her drifting across the ocean, even if the narrator’s English accent was atrocious.
The title says it all; Adrift is one of love, loss, and survival; more than that, it’s also one that will inspire you to live out your passions and not let devastation keep you from doing what you love. To this day, Tami still sails, and her love of the open water has never left her! She’s a role model to all, and her story is one that I will be sharing with friends and family!
[yasr_multiset setid=0] Ages: 16+
Watch the movie trailer
