In 1983, Ashcraft's fiancé, 34-year-old British sailor Richard Sharp, was hired to deliver the
yacht Hazaña from
Tahiti to
San Diego. The then 23-year-old Ashcraft accompanied him on the crossing. The couple set sail from
Papeete Harbor on September 22. On October 12, the vessel was caught in the path of
Hurricane Raymond. As the ship was being hit by waves and winds, Sharp sent Ashcraft below deck. Moments later, she heard him scream, "Oh, my God!" The yacht capsized and Ashcraft was thrown against the cabin wall and knocked unconscious. When she regained consciousness about 27 hours later, Sharp was gone and the
Hazaña was severely damaged: the cabin was half-flooded, the masts had broken off the yacht, and the radio and navigation system were inoperable. Ashcraft rigged a makeshift sail from a broken
spinnaker pole and a storm
jib (a triangular sail) and fashioned a pump to drain the cabin. Due to the boat damage and the local wind conditions, she determined that her original route to San Diego was no longer viable and decided instead to make the journey to
Hawaii. Without a
radio navigation system, Ashcraft was forced to navigate the yacht manually with the help of a
sextant and a watch. She survived mainly on canned food during this time. On November 2241 days after the dismastingAshcraft reached
Hilo, Hawaii. ==Bibliography==