By Gloria Wahl

Special to the Homer Independent Press

“A Marriage at Sea – a true story of love, obsession, and shipwreck” tells the story of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey. 

They seemed an unlikely couple: She was confident and pretty, he was awkward and reclusive. In spite of — or perhaps because of — their differences, their relationship grew. They married in December 1963. She was 22; he was 30.

After their marriage, they grew weary of their predictable lives. Maurice, who worked as a compositor (Brit word for typesetter; it was the 1960s), said his job felt like the “mechanical slavery of everyday employment.” He noted “We knew with the same certainty that Newton had for his theory of gravity, that our affluent, though mundane life, would not satisfy us forever.”

They soon decided to chuck it all. They sold their home and commissioned the building of a 31-foot sloop, intending to emigrate to New Zealand. As they wanted their boat to “preserve their freedom from outside interference,” they chose to NOT have a radio transmitter — a life-altering decision. The boat was christened Auralyn, combining both their names; it was delivered in spring 1968. 

It took four years to prepare their boat for the journey, which began in June 1972 when they left England. They made stops in Spain, Portugal, Madeira, the Canary Islands and the Caribbean. They travelled through the Panama Canal.

On Feb. 26, 1973, nearly eight months after leaving England, they began the first stage of their Pacific crossing, from Balboa, Panama, to the Galapagos. On March 3, Maralyn’s diary entry noted that Maurice estimated only 325 miles to go. At their usual 100-mile-a-day sailing rate, it’d take three days. 

It was not to be. At dawn on March 4, 1973, their boat was struck by a whale and was severely damaged. They transferred some supplies, some food and a compass to an inflated life raft and dinghy. They watched the Auralyn disappear beneath the waves. She later provided some last offerings as items floated to the surface. Maurice rowed the dinghy and retrieved what he could: four containers of water, one of kerosene, one of methylated spirits (which I learned is camp stove fuel), a jar of coffee mate, a tin of margarine and two pencils. 

Tides and currents pushed them away from known navigation routes until they ended up in one of the most inhospitable regions of the Pacific, where very few ships venture. Their meager supplies soon ran out. To survive, they collected rainwater. They ate sea creatures such as turtles, seabirds and fish caught by hand or with safety pins fashioned into hooks. 

They were rescued by a Korean fishing vessel after drifting more than 1,500 miles over 118 days. Think of it: 118 days ago, we were filing our federal tax returns. Imagine having been stranded at sea since then. The Baileys’ journey is remarkable. Do consider reading it. It’s available in print, in large type and as an e-audio. 

Also, consider joining the Friends at Alice’s at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 for their first ever Library Trivia Night. “A Marriage at Sea” is one of the eight books from this year’s Lit Lineup to be included in the event.

Reading Between the Lines is a co-production of KBBI AM 890 and volunteers with the Friends of the Homer Public Library and airs on KBBI 890 AM and Seward 88.1 FM every Sunday at 9:35 a.m. These reviews are reprinted with permission from KBBI and the Friends of the Homer Public Library. Program recordings can be found at Reading Between the Lines.