Shipwreck! Debbie Kiley’s Story of Survival

O’Shei, Tim. Shipwreck! Debbie Kiley’s Story of Survival. 2008. ISBN 978-1-4296-0089-7. Available at 910 OSH on the library shelves.

Debbie Kiley has always loved the water, and from a young age took sailing lessons. She raced yachts professionally, and when she had the opportunity to be a crewmate on a ship heading from Bar Harbor, Maine, to Florida, she jumped at the chance.

Unfortunately, the captain was not very good, the rest of the crew was ineffective, and even the captain’s girlfriend got in the way. So when the ship hit a hurricane, it promptly sank, and the five people aboard barely managed to hang on to a life raft. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of their crisis.

The life raft was soon surrounded by sharks, and, with a lack of water and food, the sun shining down hard on them, Debbie and the other four were adrift in the Atlantic Ocean, with little hope of rescue.

This story of survival is uplifting and shows that with effort and dedication one can live through a disaster. If you like this book you’ll enjoy Lost at Sea! Tami Oldham Ashcraft’s Story of Survival.