Part 14. Climbing to Safety As Sparky circled downwind of us again, we watched her crew arrange themselves to haul us on board and vowed to hang on this time. In the raft, the calm that had come over us from the time Dave discovered the compromised rudder bearings continued to prevail. I had become aware of two parallel tracks in my mind: on one, I knew there was a not insignificant chance I wouldn't survive; on the other, I was convinced that, whatever odds Vegas might be laying, I was going to make it. Somehow, that combination – neither denying the reality nor succumbing to the inevitable – kept me peaceful and focused. We were all that way. If we had not been, things might have turned out differently.

Sparky’s skipper again threw the line. Fred reached over and snared it, and each of us grabbed onto either the line or someone holding it, as Sparky’s crew hauled us slowly toward them, both vessels rocked forcefully by the sea. We came up amidships, and Fred, the closest, scrambled up the hull until Rob and Jack could grip him under both arms and haul him to safety. One by one we followed, waiting till a wave brought us close, then clambering up till we felt the grip of men who had come eight miles to rescue us.

The captain went last, hurling himself over the lifeline and landing on Jack, who pulled him over and onto his body. Safely on deck, George burst into tears.