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Maralyn and Maurice Bailey were always a little unconventional. Maurice was a loner, precise. Maralyn was extroverted and energetic. But when they married in the 1960s, they both felt they had found their person. 

Together, they dreamed of running away from their ordinary lives — of selling everything and sailing the world. And in 1972, they made it happen. They set course for a fresh start in New Zealand and left England in a 31-foot yacht. 

All went well until they reached the Pacific, where a chance encounter with a whale sank their boat. They managed to get a few supplies onto their life raft, where they waited for help to come. 

Exhausted, starving, struggling to survive 

 get along, their marriage was put to the ultimate test. 

But when they were finally rescued after more than 100 days adrift at sea, they were a stronger couple than before. 

Author Sophie Elmhirst discovered the Bailey’s true story on a message board and knew she had to bring it to a new generation — with the added twist that this isn’t just a personal survival story. It’s a marital survival story. 

She joins host Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas to talk all about “

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This week on Big Books and Bold Idea, author Sophie Elmhirst joins Kerri Miller to talk about the true story of a British couple who survived more than a hundred days together on the open seas after a whale sunk their boat. Even more amazing: When it was over, their marriage was stronger than ever. 

‘A Marriage at Sea’ by Sophie Elmhirst

Side-by-side photo of author Sophie Elmhirst (left) and her new book (right), a bright blue cover with an outline of a sailboat.

‘A Marriage at Sea’ by Sophie Elmhirst

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