Customer Reviews

Albatross: The True Story of a Woman's Survival at Sea

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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ALBATROSS is a gripping story of survival and agonizing death at sea--the sinking with the loss of three lives of the yacht TRASHMAN off the Carolina coast. The author pulls no punches and tells a tale of human suffering, weakness, and malice that left this reader shaken by its bluntness, realism, and intensity.

The story is told in a direct and clear manner that inescapably draws one in to its nightmarish hell. Besides a sea story it is also a story of a young person's stuggle with her own demons.

Why read such a painful book? One important life lesson that we must learn from this account is not to leave port unprepared. In some ways, I would urge all boaters to read this book just to have that lesson hammered in. As a boater I came away with the deep conviction that I don't ever want to come anywhere near going through anything like what the crew of TRASHMAN went through.

As presented by the author, the tragedy was entirely the result of the incompetence, alcoholism, and carelessness of the captain and other crew members. I must confess, however, that when I reflected on the author's tale I could not help wondering how objective it was. She is so unremittingly critical--bitterly critical--of John and Mark that I began to doubt the clarity of her vision. I would love to get the account of the other survivor. There are several mysteries about the tragic sinking of TRASHMAN that remain troubling and unresolved.

Nevertheless Debby's tale is one that will move in and rearrange your mental furniture, especially if you are a boater or have ever been to sea in a small boat.

I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. I had seen Deborah and Brad's story on "I Shouldn't Be Alive" series, where they showed re-enactments and now and then broke away to the two actual survivors telling their story. I just knew she had written about this, so I looked it up on Amazon.

The story is told in very colorful prose. I could hear the sailboat slicing through the water, could see the pewter waves and dark sky. I could almost feel the sharks bumping the underside of the rubber raft with their rough skin.

Debbie is brutally honest, which adds to the credibility and interest of her story. She opens up and really lets us into her ordeal, and adds extra bits of information and impressions, like when she had her head under water looking for sharks and saw the beauty of the school of doradoes. So descriptive, I could see it.

This is also a story of triumph, as Debbie deals with strong emotions in the months and years after the tragedy. I'm glad she pulled through it all and wrote the book. I recommend this book for teens as well as adults.

Heard ALBATROSS: THE TRUE STORY OF A WOMAN'S SURVIVAL AT SEA by Deborah Scaling Kiley and Meg Noonan . . . it is the tragic tale of what was supposed to be a simple boat trip that wound up as a nightmare . . . several of the crew members perished; what was more interesting to me was the story of how the survivors made it.

I've read other "how I survived at sea" books before . . . this was the first one, though, that I've come across written by a woman . . . what I'll remember: when your instincts tell you something, listen . . . Scaling Kiley, unfortunately, did not.

I liked her special introduction at the beginning of the cassette tapes . . . I also liked the work of Karen Allen--a talented actress that I don't see nearly enough--who did an excellent job with the narration.

I thought this book was very good and was well written. It's the kind of book you will find hard to put down. This was the only survival at sea book; I have read, written by a woman. It was a nice change, to have a different perspective. She puts a lot of feelings into it. It was a classic tale with a good guy and a villain. With competent and incompetent sailors. I enjoyed this book almost as much as The Perfect Storm.

I received this book today and have read it in one sitting, just couldn't put it down. It is both a fasinating and horrific true story of this womans fight for survival in the open seas. It is written in an easy to follow style. Definately worth the read!!

I've read quite a few "stories of survival" and I have to say this one puts you "in the life raft" better than any I've read. Very vivid descriptions of both mental state of mind and physical discomforts. This will probably leave you with some vivid mental pictures long after you're finished with the book.

For sailors or people who love adventure, this book permits one to understand the snowball effect of chaos on-board a sailboat and what it takes to survive in the Atlantic Ocean.

The author lays the groundwork and then gets right into it. This methodically detailed accounting of a true life horror story, left me with a new regard for dry ground. From the moment Deb met Mark, she knew that she should not be on that boat. But fate was stronger than all her efforts to get out of it. If it were not for Brad, I doubt she would have survived.The discription of Megs long, slow, truly pitiful demise, left me weak in the knees. There is no fluff here....just hard -core reality.

I listened to the audio tape version of this book twice in one weekend. I couldn't stop listening and found myself gripping the arms of the chair.

Imagine sailing a 70-foot yacht in an 80-knot hurricane wind in for 58 hours. Now, imagine the boat falling off a wave and sinking beneath your feet... An agonizing survival story that will teach you new respect for the elements. Read it in a safe place.