ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Obviously this book could not have been written without the cooperation of Bob Tininenko, and I hereby acknowledge my thanks to him. He is the kind of subject that a writer always hopes he will encounter—articulate, possessed of an excellent memory, willing to answer any question, and able to put his incredible experience in perspective.

Bob Tininenko has regained his health and is now teaching again at the college in Washington State. His only physical complaint is an occasionally irregular heartbeat and rapid pulse; these bother him now and then. He now weighs approximately 185 pounds, near his normal weight.

Bob helped me reconstruct the conversations that took place on the voyage, and I believe they are, in essence, accurate. Of course there are places where what somebody said can only be approximated, but all in all, the book should be taken as a documentary.

Other people gave me help and encouragement. My deep appreciation extends to the Coast Guard Search and Rescue Unit and Public Information Office at San Francisco (one of those increasingly rare government agencies that are candid and open with inquiries); to various courteous and helpful members of the families of Bob and Linda Elliott Tininenko, and of Jim Fisher—Wilma Fisher, especially; to N. C. DeWolfe; to U. S. Marine Meteorologist Robert Baum, in Redwood City, California; to my agent, Robert Lantz; to Jim Pfeil, for helping transcribe several days’ worth of tapes; and to assorted friends and relatives who sustained my unintentioned rudenesses and absences while trying to write this book. These include my sons, Kirk and Scott, my parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Thompson, and fellow writers and friends Judy Giness and Marcia Seligson.