In 1973, a couple sold everything to sail until a whale upended them. They survived 117 days at sea
They had no motor and no radio, and what followed was 118 days drifting across the Pacific Ocean.
In 1966, three years after they married, Maralyn Bailey, 31, suggested to her husband Maurice Bailey, 39, that they sell their house in Allestree and buy a boat to live on. By 1968, they had ordered a 31-foot yacht called the Auralyn, and in June 1972, they finally left Southampton, bound for New Zealand. As per BBC, Maralyn’s sister, Pat Brewin, said she received postcards as they traveled, including one from Panama warning them that there might be a pause in communication while they crossed the Galapagos. On February 28, 1973, the couple left Panama for the islands, a journey expected to take ten days. Days later, on March 4, their yacht was struck by a whale and sank within 40 minutes.
They escaped into a nine-foot dinghy tied to a small rubber life raft, carrying only a few gallons of water and 33 tins of food. They had no motor and no radio, and what followed was 117 days of drifting across the Pacific Ocean, covering almost 1,500 miles before being rescued by a Korean fishing vessel on June 30. With their supplies gone, they survived by improvising. Maurice said Maralyn made hooks from safety pins to catch fish, seabirds, and turtles. They ate everything raw, collecting rainwater on a tarp to drink. Maralyn saved fish eyes and called them "Smarties," giving them to Maurice each night for vitamins.
There were moments of real danger — sharks rammed the raft, and seven ships passed within sight but did not notice them. Brewin believes her sister’s determination was the reason they survived. "I think Maurice gave up. She was the strong one, definitely," she told the BBC. Although they had their differences, they stuck together till the end. In a 2014 interview with the BBC, Maurice said, "I have always put the credit down to Maralyn that she saved me… she was the guiding light in everything we did." This kind of support from a partner is one of the most powerful buffers against adversity. According to a 2023 study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, closeness with a spouse, partner, or similarly trusted person often buffers the trauma, supplying emotional strength, hope, and motivation to carry on in adversity.
When they were rescued, the Baileys were too weak to stand. They were fed only milk at first, then eggs, soup, and butter as their bodies adjusted. They later admitted they became vegetarians, appalled by what they had been forced to eat to survive. Their survival soon became international news, and they sold their account to the Daily Express for £10,000, toured widely, and gave survival lectures. Their ordeal has been retold in "Sophie Elmhirst’s book Maurice and Maralyn: An Extraordinary True Story of Shipwreck, Survival and Love," which won the £30,000 Gold Prize at the Nero Book Awards and was featured on Barack Obama’s summer reading list.
Maralyn died of cancer in 2002 at the age of 61, and Maurice lived alone until his death in 2018 at 85. Friends said he was adrift without her. In an interview with Docastaway, Maurice said, "She was a very strong woman. I don’t think I could have done as well as she did. If it had been two men in that life raft, we wouldn’t have survived it. Maralyn was able to sustain the will to live. My childhood was pretty appalling, and until I met Maralyn, I didn’t know what affection was. She brought me happiness, and that is why I wanted to do everything with her."
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