Red Sky In Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea [Paperback]

Tami Oldham Ashcraft (Author), Susea Mcgearhart (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786886765 | ISBN-13: 978-0786886760 | Publication Date: July 16, 2003

New available in paperback, a true-life adventure story with everything: page-turning suspense, remarkable acts of courage, wrenching despair, and a triumphant, life-affirming ending.

Red Sky in Mourning is the story of Tami Oldham Ashcraft's 41-day journey to safety, which she survived through fortitude and sheer strength of character. Interspersed with flashbacks to her romance with her doomed fiance Richard, this survival story offers an inspiring reminder that even in our darkest moments we are never truly alone.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A dramatic debut . . . Movingly told." -- Kirkus

"Amazing but true story of tragedy and survival at sea." -- Ladies' Home Journal

"Ashcraft emerges as a fiercely independent, strong sailor . . . The story certainly has enough adrenaline-pumping action to satisfy nautical adventure junkies." -- Publishers Weekly

"Memorable and profound." -- Booklist

About the Author

Tami Oldham Ashcraft continues to be an avid sailor and is a 100-ton licensed captain with more than 50,000 offshore miles. She lives in Friday Harbor, Washington. Susea McGearhart is a freelance writer and photographer who has been sailing for more than 20 years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (July 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786886765
• ISBN-13: 978-0786886760
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #989,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Courageous Tale of Love and Survival, December 5, 1999

By 

Dan Flaherty (Morgantown, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red Sky in Mourning (Paperback)

I met Tami at the St. Petersburg Sailboat Expo. She was at a table with several other authors talking about their books. She told me a little about "Red Sky in Mourning", and it sounded very interesting, but I moved on. The next day at the Expo, I went straight back and bought the book. I'm very glad I did. The story of this woman's stuggle to survive alone at sea, in what was left of the boat after the hurricane is truly inspiring. This experience alone would have been enough for a gripping adventure novel. But the author very tenderly intertwines her survival with flashbacks of her loving memories of her fiance, Richard. And then there was the voice that was always there to get her back on track when she got discouraged or wanted to give up the fight to survive. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in sailing, the sea, love, spirituality, and adventure.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More stirring than Hemingway's "Old Man and the Sea", November 8, 1999

By 

Captain Mary Stoltz (Clearwater, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red Sky in Mourning (Paperback)

While Hemingway provides a moving fictional tale in The Old Man and the Sea, Tami Oldham Ashcraft shares her heart-rending, real-life experience with the reader in Red Sky in Mourning. Other written accounts of storms at sea often leave non-sailors wondering why anyone would traverse any ocean in a cruising boat, but this book balances the immense joys of sailing in the South Pacific with the risk of facing a survival situation. On a deeper level though, she inspires a passion for life. Can any man who has not ridden a Manta Ray, "caressed the side of the moon," or made ardent love in a tropical waterfall have lived as fully as Richard? Can any woman who has not ridden the bow with whales in a phosphorescent sea, smelled the earth, or loved so deeply be as complete? She copes with grief, faces her fears and charts her own course. In the end she not only survives but quietly triumphs. What a movie this would make!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much More Than Expected, November 22, 1999

By 

Phil Hanson (Peoria, Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red Sky in Mourning (Paperback)

I had the pleasure of meetig Tami at a book signing in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island. I was more than surprised that such an epic adventure could have come from her personal experiences. I am a born "desert rat", but also love the sea, while having a great deal of respect for its power and vastness. I have had the opportunity of visiting French Polynesia and the Cook Islands in the South Pacific and can relate to much of Tami's earlier experiences. The book was well written, moving from flashbacks of beauty and love, to her present in the terror and challenges of the disaster which befell her. It is one of those rare books which are difficult to put down until the last page. A movie needs to be made. I've seen some that are much less riveting.