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Apr 2025
47m 16s

Family Shipwrecked in Alaska | Home | 1

Wondery
About this episode
It’s February 13, 1979. Elmo Wortman and his three children are sailing home to Alaska across the frigid North Pacific after a routine orthodontist visit in Canada. But this time, they get caught in a freak storm—80-mile-per-hour winds and towering 20-foot swells rip their homemade sailboat apart, leaving them stranded on a remote island in the dead of winte ... Show More
Up next
Apr 2025
Family Shipwrecked in Alaska | The Raft | 2
<p>After a powerful storm destroys their sailboat and leaves them stranded on a remote Alaskan island, Elmo Wortman and his children build a raft, determined to reach a friend’s cabin 25 miles north. Elmo expects southeastern winds to carry them there in a day or two, but the jou ... Show More
40m 44s
Apr 2025
Family Shipwrecked in Alaska | The Cabin | 3
<p>Elmo and his son Randy leave the girls behind, paddling ahead in their Sport-Yak to find help—but trouble continues to follow. Though they eventually reach the cabin, the CB radio doesn’t work, and as their frostbitten feet thaw, they can barely stand. Helpless, they spend day ... Show More
43m 51s
Apr 2025
Family Shipwrecked in Alaska | Keg Point | 4
<p>It's March 10, 1979—24 days since their sailboat sank and 15 days since Elmo and Randy arrived at a remote cabin, trapped, powerless to save Cindy and Jena, and consumed by guilt and grief. Once they regain their strength and the snow begins to melt, they discover an old skiff ... Show More
38m 36s
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