Steve Callahan Survived 76 Days Adrift in the Ocean

Weak, burned, and alone, he drifted for months through shark-filled waters of the Atlantic.

by Victor Hale

The Atlantic Ocean was calm when Steven Callahan went to sleep. It was the kind of calm that convinces a solo sailor to trust his preparations. His 21-foot sloop, Napoleon Solo, rode low but steady, built and modified by Callahan himself for long-distance journeys. He was more than 800 miles west of the Canary Islands, navigating west toward the Caribbean through remote open water.