Author Michael Tougias to present Overboard! July 23
Author Michael Tougias will visit the Camden Public Library at 7:00 pm on Thursday, July 23, to give a slide presentation on his new book, “Overboard! A True Bluewater Odyssey of Disaster and Survival.” The program is free and open to the public.
Tougias is the author and co-author of 24 books, including “The Finest Hours: The True Story of the Coast Guard’s Most Daring Rescue,” and “Fatal Forecast: An Incredible True Tale of Disaster and Survival at Sea.” Disney has made a major motion picture of “The Finest Hours” which will be released this coming January. Visit www.michaeltougias.com for more information.
The true story o f “Overboard!” began in early May of 2005 when Captain Tom Tighe and first mate Loch Reidy of the sailboat Almeisan welcomed three new crewmembers for a five-day voyage from Connecticut to Bermuda. Tighe had made this bluewater trip 48 times, and Reidy joined him 20 times. Each year they take three new passengers who seek to learn about offshore sailing and are looking for adventure. That year the new crewmembers were Chris Ferrer of Massachusetts, Ron Burd of New Hampshire, and Kathy Gilcrest from New Jersey.
Four days into their voyage a massive storm struck, and Captain Tighe and first mate Loch Reidy were swept from the boat during a knockdown and were carried away by huge seas. The three new crewmembers somehow remained on the vessel as it was torn apart by the seas. “Overboard” follows the simultaneous desperate struggles of both the crew on the boat and the Captain and first mate in the sea. Tougias will use slides of the storm, the sinking sailboat, the crew, and the rescue missions to bring this story to life.
“I enjoy doing these programs,” says Tougias, “because I like to transport the audience into the heart of the storm so that they ask themselves ‘what would I have done.’ I think author readings can be a bit slow, but with a slide presentation, the viewer can visually relive the adventure.”
The attempted Coast Guard rescue of the survivors featured in Overboard put the rescuers in almost as much danger as those in the sea. It was such a complex and risky rescue that the Coast Guard later selected it – from among thousands of incidents—as the search and rescue case of the year.
A book signing will follow the program, and the presentation is suitable for all ages.
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