In September 1983, Tami Oldham and her fiancé, Richard Sharp, set sail from Tahiti on what should have been a routine yacht delivery to San Diego. Weeks later, a hurricane they could not outrun found them in the open Pacific. Tami woke up injured, aboard a boat that barely resembled the one she had boarded, with one question that could not wait: where was Richard? What followed took more than a month, a navigation tool most of us have never used, and a decision at the very end that could have cost her everything. Julie and Kaycee tell the story and explain what a head injury like hers can mean

Content note: This episode includes the death of a loved one, a serious head injury, and a brief mention of suicidal thoughts. In the United States, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text.

Time Stamps -
00:00 Podcast Intro
00:30 Waking Up After Capsize
01:56 Content Warning
03:01 Tahiti Departure And Crew
04:54 Hurricane Raymond Forms
08:44 Inside The Storm
11:15 Richard Missing Aftermath
13:02 Radios Fail Survival Plan
15:44 Improvised Mast And Course
17:36 Celestial Navigation Without Time
22:35 Daily Routine Food Water Wounds
25:07 Close Calls And Steering Trouble
27:02 Third Man Factor
28:51 Land Signs
31:37 Hilo Harbor And Rescue
34:17 Recovery And Life After
35:27 Legacy And Closing

Key References

United Press International, "A woman who spent 41 days alone in a..." (November 22, 1983).
Lou Bodenhemier, "A Survival Classic: Tami Oldham Ashcraft's 41 Days Alone at Sea," ExplorersWeb (May 20, 2025).
Wikipedia, "Tami Oldham Ashcraft."
Wikipedia, "1983 Pacific hurricane season," Hurricane Raymond section.
"Adrift: Surviving a hurricane at sea," interview with Tami Oldham Ashcraft, RNLI magazine (April 4, 2019).
Media kit for Red Sky in Mourning, Foggia+Associates Public Relations (about 2002).7
Kara Warner, "41 Days Stranded at Sea: The Harrowing, Heartbreaking Real-Life Story Behind New Movie 'Adrift,'" People (June 1, 2018).
Tim Schmit, "'Adrift' 1983 Hurricane (Raymond)," CIMSS Satellite Blog, University of Wisconsin-Madison (October 12, 2021).
Defense Health Agency, "Traumatic Brain Injury" (VA/DoD severity classification).
"Guardian Angels Or The 'Third Man Factor'?" NPR (September 13, 2009).
"Shackleton's Fourth Man," National Catholic Register.
Review of Red Sky in Mourning, Kirkus Reviews.
New Idea interview with Tami Oldham Ashcraft (August 27, 2018).14. 'Adrift' | Local author's book hits big screen," San Juan Journal.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories--7265181/support.

Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast
Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/
Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/
Use discount code CRUX to get 10% off tuition on a 2-day Wilderness First Aid course!

This episode includes AI-generated content.

41 Days Adrift; Tami Oldham Ashcraft and Hurricane Raymond | E272

The Crux True Survival Stories

41 Days Adrift; Tami Oldham Ashcraft and Hurricane Raymond | E272