EP 131: “One Who Goes Over the Horizon” — The Incredible Ocean Survival of Tami Oldham Ashcraft, PART I

In 1983, Tami Oldham Ashcraft was only 23 years old when she and her fiancé set out to sail the Pacific Ocean. She and her fiancé, Richard Sharp, set off to sail from Tahiti to San Diego aboard Hazana. Back in 1983, weather reports only came through every 3 hours. By the time Tami and Richard knew what Hurricane Raymond was, the storm was already on top of them.

Richard was swept overboard and never found. Tami was knocked unconscious for 27 hours. When she woke up, she was alone on a dismasted, half-destroyed boat 1,500+ miles from the nearest land — without a working motor, radio, or rescue in sight.

In Part I of this Survival Summer two-parter, we walk through Tami's extraordinary life before the storm — the VW bus, the beach salsa business, the dockside love story — and come right to the edge of one of the most harrowing moments in modern survival history. Buckle up, campers. It only gets wilder from here.

Want to learn more about Tami’s incredible story? Read “Red Sky in Mourning,” her memoir that inspired the 2018 film “Adrift,” starring Shailene Woodley.

Sources

Oldham Ashcraft, T., & Magearhart, S. (2002). Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea. Hyperion.

"That's Genevieve. And that's Kaitlyn."

Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.

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