Finding Ile Amsterdam

Their only hope was to reach Ile Amsterdam, a tiny island in the vast southern Indian Ocean. The captain had to find it with only a spare compass, which had not been corrected for magnetic variation. Using his knowledge of the wind, the boat's drift and the current, he worked out their position as well as he could.

He gave Larry a course of 185 degrees to steer, and said that if they were lucky, they would see the island by about 5 p.m.

Then, exhausted, he went below and fell asleep. When he woke at 6 p.m., he was sure they had missed the island. But the children came to him. 'Daddy, can I give you a hug?' asked Jonathan. 'You're the best daddy in the whole world, and the best captain.' And they told him the news: the island was right ahead.

Ile Amsterdam was only a bleak, volcanic rock with little vegetation. But to the captain, it was the most beautiful island in the world. Its 28 inhabitants gave them a warm welcome and helped them ashore.

Looking back, the captain remembers with gratitude Larry and Herb, who stayed cheerful and hard-working; Mary, who held the wheel steady for all those critical hours; and, above all, his two children, so brave in the face of death.