Alone and Adrift in the Pacific

On my first time out as a commercial fisherman, my boat sank, my captain died, and I was left adrift and alone in the Pacific. This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter. Sign up for it here. The Evening was small in the shadow of the other boats. When I arrived at the dock, it was well past midnight, and a misty rain was falling—the edge of a storm far out at sea. Mick, the captain, was blunt and salty; not old, but weathered. He led me on board and pointed down the ladder to the hull, where I immediately got into bed and fell asleep. When I woke up, Mick had gone into town, and I began to look around in the mute light of the overcast morning. Explore the June 2025 Issue Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read. View More Our plan that October was to fish for albacore off the coast of Washington State. These would be short trips—four or five days at a time—to train me up for the summer, when I’d join Mick for a real voyage. I’d taken ... Read full article.