Guests Sweet - The Coconut Chronicles: Two Guys, One Caribbean Dream House - page 212

“Sure, I remember. Great gal, but she didn't mention any lifeboat. I think that would
have stuck in my poor brain, addled as it is.”
“Apparently she was stranded in the Atlantic for six days.”
“How do you know?”
“She mentioned it in our guestbook.”
“I should take a peek at that thing sometime.”
“You might enjoy it. It's full of comments about how wonderful you are.”
“Wow, sounds like a classic.”
We did further online research about Erin. In a nutshell, here's her story, which (I kid
you not) was made into a TV movie in 1993.
In the late '80s she was diagnosed with leukemia. She went through the usual hell of
chemo and radiation and three years later was declared a survivor. Then one day she took
her longtime partner aside and told him she was pregnant. He could hardly believe it. To
add to his general befuddlement, she informed him that there was one last thing she needed
to do before assuming the responsibilities of parenthood—sail up the Atlantic seaboard.
Very reluctantly he agreed, though at the last minute he found himself unable to join
her. Intrepidly, she set out with two male friends in idyllic September weather, only to be
clobbered by Hurricane Bob on their third day out. The boat capsized and they were set
adrift in a lifeboat.
After three or four days they were pretty much convinced they were going to die. One
of the men became delusional and threatened the other guy. Erin, in the throes of morning
sickness, mediated, keeping everyone calm and reasonably sane until they were rescued at
the end of their sixth day out.
Although I was somewhat wary of letting Erin know I'd been researching her past, I
couldn't resist sending her an email to confirm the story. After all, she had sold her tale to
ABC, so it couldn't be that much of a secret.
It's true, she responded matter-of-factly. I've had a blessed life. I'm healthy, happily
partnered and our wonderful son Thomas is now sixteen. P.S. Thomas loves the ocean .