In June 1972, English couple Maurice and Maralyn Bailey set sail for New Zealand, planning never to return home. They made stops in several ports during the first months of their voyage, making friends who also were sailing long distances, and enjoyed spending time in various new places.

But the Baileys were always ready to get back to their boat, the Auralyn, and continue on. Eight months in, their voyage was going well until one morning in March 1973 when the boat was thrashed by a massive, injured whale and started rapidly taking on water. The Baileys quickly inflated their dinghy and lifeboat, filled it with as many supplies as they could, and climbed inside them, watching the Auralyn sink into the Pacific Ocean.

The story of the Baileys, who survived 118 days lost and alone at sea, has been told many times, even by the couple themselves. In A MARRIAGE AT SEA, Sophie Elmhirst retells it, paying close attention to the emotional nuances, the personalities, and the relationship between Maurice and Maralyn. The book is at times thrilling and breathless in its action and suspense, and charming and insightful in its love story.

"A MARRIAGE AT SEA is a wonderful introduction (or reintroduction) to this extraordinary story. The writing here is thoughtful, well-paced, detailed but accessible, and quite caring toward Maurice and Maralyn."

Thanks mostly to the efforts of Maralyn, the lifeboat and the dinghy were full of helpful (and some not-so-helpful) supplies. There were canned food, some matches, buckets for water, lamps, towels, tools, pencils, oilcloth, books and paper. Some items proved surprisingly useful. The books and paper had limited practical use but meant they could write and record their experience and stave off boredom. Safety pins eventually found among their things meant they could fashion fish hooks, which was one item that didn’t make it off the Auralyn. The canned food went fast, and the water was hard to collect and keep fresh. The inflatable boats were prone to holes and tears, and their skin was extremely vulnerable to the seawater. Sometimes it was very hot, and other times it was cold and stormy. They were surrounded by hazardous waters and danger in the water as well.

The precise details of the 118 days are best left to Elmhirst, who relied on the Baileys’ firsthand writings and other accounts to craft her narrative and tells the story with skill.

The days adrift at sea and how the Baileys survived are at the center of this tale. However, Elmhirst never reduces them to “survivors.” She is interested in who they were before and after the shipwreck, and, indeed, why they found themselves sailing to New Zealand in the first place. While the unimaginable story of the 118 days are fascinating to read, Elmhirst does an excellent job of letting readers get to know Maurice and Maralyn, two thoughtful, adventurous, enigmatic, odd and intriguing individuals. A MARRIAGE AT SEA is not a long book, but it packs in a lot of detail about the Baileys, their motivations, their marriage and their perspectives.

The Baileys captured the attention of the world when they were finally rescued by a Korean ship, made television appearances, wrote books, and eventually returned to the sea. But, in the five decades since their adventures and misadventures, they have faded from memory. A MARRIAGE AT SEA is a wonderful introduction (or reintroduction) to this extraordinary story. The writing here is thoughtful, well-paced, detailed but accessible, and quite caring toward Maurice and Maralyn. It’s an absorbing read about survival, as well as the power of nature and love.