Now Playing: 76 Days Adrift

For an astonishing 76 days, a fragile inflatable raft became Steven Callahan’s entire world as he drifted helplessly across the vast expanse of the Atlantic. Courtesy Robert Sennott

The documentary film 76 Days Adrift is now playing in select theaters and winning awards on the festival circuit. It’s based on The New York Times bestselling book Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea by former Cruising World staff editor Steven Callahan.

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Directed and produced by Joe Wein, and produced by Ang Lee, the documentary recounts the night of February 4, 1982, when a catastrophic collision with a whale left Callahan’s boat sinking in the dead of night on the Atlantic Ocean. Callahan  had only moments to grab what he could before taking to his life raft with a basic emergency kit.

Steven Callahan, the author of the New York Times bestseller Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea, recounts the night of February 4, 1982, when a catastrophic collision with a whale left his boat sinking in the dead of night. Courtesy Robert Sennott

For 76 days, Callahan drifted across the ocean. The film documents how he confronted his deepest fears and limitations amid the raw power of nature, with a score by Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump.

Weir says he was inspired to direct the film after coming across the book in a used bookstore.

Forced to confront his deepest fears, limitations, and the raw power of nature, Callahan discovered an inner strength he never knew he possessed. Courtesy Robert Sennott

“I bought it on a whim, hoping it would serve as a temporary escape,” he reveals on the film’s website. “I had no idea that what started as a distraction would resonate so deeply. … His struggles mirrored my own—a man grappling with his identity, wrestling with the world around him, and pushing his limits sometimes beyond the point of reason. He found himself in an unthinkable situation, adrift in the middle of the Atlantic, confined to a life raft so small he couldn’t even stretch out fully. His raft was failing, leaking air, with no food or water left. The search for him had been called off; he was presumed dead. Alone, attacked by sharks in the dead of night, facing the most harrowing of circumstances, it seemed more comforting to let go, to slip quietly into the ocean rather than endure a slow, torturous demise.

With the Atlantic Ocean surging into his vessel, Callahan had only moments to grab what he could before launching himself into the sea in a life raft, clutching a basic emergency kit. Courtesy Robert Sennott

“Yet, Steven never saw himself as a hero. When I asked him how he persevered, his answer was simple—he was more terrified of dying than comforted by it.”

Where to view the trailer and purchase tickets to a screening: visit 76daysadrift.com for tickets to upcoming screenings of the film, as well as to watch the trailer.

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