The following edition of the text was used in the creation of this study guide: Elmhirst, Sophie. A Marriage at Sea. Riverhead Books, 2025. Kindle AZW file.

On March 4, 1973, British couple Maralyn and Maurice Bailey’s yacht, Auralyn, was fatally damaged when struck by a dying whale. Unable to repair the breach, they abandoned ship, salvaging what they could in a dinghy and life raft, and watched their yacht sink, leaving them stranded in the Pacific.

The narrative then rewinds to 1962, when Maurice and Maralyn met and began dating, bonding over a shared love of the outdoors. They married and bought a house in Derby, but soon became restless. Maralyn proposed selling the house, quitting their jobs, and buying a boat to sail to New Zealand. Maurice agreed, and they planned the voyage meticulously. They decided not to carry a radio transmitter, wanting total independence. They moved to Southampton to be near where their boat was built, naming it Auralyn (a blend of their names). Maralyn sold their possessions to help fund it, and they lived frugally while completing the boat’s interior. They practiced sailing with friends across the Channel but Maralyn never learned to swim.

In June 1972, they crossed the Atlantic successfully, enjoying port stops and meeting fellow sailors. After several months in the Caribbean, they set off on February 26, 1973, to cross the Pacific, which felt more intimidating than the Atlantic.

The story then returns to the shipwreck: with no radio to call for help, they salvaged supplies, photographed the sinking yacht, and drifted alone at sea. After the Auralyn sank, Maralyn organized their possessions on the life raft, which was too small for both of them to lie down in at once. They salvaged floating items and stored them in a dinghy tied to the raft. Maurice silently blamed himself for the disaster and believed survival was unlikely, while Maralyn focused on possible rescue scenarios.

Maralyn established a routine and inventoried supplies, estimating they had enough for 20 days. Believing they were near the Galapagos, she insisted they row toward the islands, though Maurice knew it was highly improbable they would get there. Exhausted by the effort, they gave up rowing, and Maralyn tried to make a sail to reach a shipping lane. They later spotted a ship but their water-damaged flares failed, and the vessel passed without seeing them. Maralyn remained hopeful of eventual rescue.

As the days passed, they noticed turtles gathering near the raft. They caught and ate one raw, feeling guilty for harming it, then began fishing with improvised rods, eating their catch raw as well. They ran dangerously low on water but were later able to collect rainwater. They briefly tried to harness turtles to tow the raft but failed, although they kept one as a pet. They also encountered another whale but were unharmed by it and awestruck by the sight.

By late March, three weeks after the shipwreck, Maurice and Maralyn were emaciated. On March 29, after 25 days adrift, they saw a ship and fired their last two flares: one failed, and the other was unnoticed. Two more ships passed in April without seeing them. After a fourth ship appeared to approach but turned away, Maralyn stopped looking for ships, believing none would ever spot them.

The rainy season began in April, giving them water but worsening their living conditions. Their pet turtle died, and they ate it. To fight despair, Maralyn made playing cards and encouraged them to imagine their future life, including building a new boat and sailing again. She wrote detailed menus in her diary as their hunger worsened.

On April 24, after seven weeks adrift, Maurice punctured the dinghy while fishing, losing four gallons of water. That night, their last tin of rice pudding proved inedible, and soon after, the life raft developed a slow leak, leaving them wet and uncomfortable. Maralyn wrote that death felt near. They became ill from bad water and spoiled fish. Two more ships passed without seeing them. Both eventually accepted they would die and discussed methods of suicide but did not go through with it. Maurice fell seriously ill and recovered, and on June 5 they survived a violent storm. Afterward they resumed fishing and killed a shark and a bird for food. One night in late June, Maralyn shook Maurice awake.

On June 30, 1973, Captain Suh Chong-il of the Korean ship Wolmi spotted two emaciated people on a raft. The crew rescued Maurice and Maralyn, hosed them down, discarded their clothes, and gave them milk and new clothes. Their belongings, dinghy, and raft were recovered. Too weak for bunks, they slept on mattresses on the cabin floor while the medic treated Maurice’s severe sores. The crew rationed their own food to feed them. Maurice and Maralyn released their pet turtles before boarding. They gradually settled into life on the Wolmi, spending time with the crew and posing for photos with their salvaged gear.

News of their rescue spread internationally. They were diverted to Honolulu for medical care, where reporters greeted them. At a press conference, Maurice credited Maralyn with their survival and described how she kept them focused on survival. They sold their story to the Daily Express for £10,000 and began writing about their experience. Doctors determined they were too weak to continue by sea, so they flew to Korea, parting with the Wolmi crew who had saved them.

After arriving in Seoul, Maurice and Maralyn attended numerous public events. Returning to England felt bleak, and Maralyn focused on buying another boat and planning a new voyage. They agreed to write a book, 117 Days Adrift, published in April 1974, which became their main source of funds for building the boat Auralyn II. They gathered a crew including their friends Colin, June, and Maralyn’s schoolfriend Tony. On July 15, 1975, they staged a press-covered launch and later began their real voyage to Patagonia.

The final section of the book recounts Maralyn’s death from cancer in 2003 and Maurice’s lonely final years. Though the Patagonia trip was successful, Maurice’s behavior strained the crew, and after Maralyn’s death Colin and June found him difficult to be around. In grief, Maurice wrote letters about his marriage, focusing on their sailing years. He self-published them in 2017 as When the Water Becomes Still: Letters to a Friend. He died later that year, reflecting that to love and be loved is the measure of a life: by which, the author concludes, his life was a success.