Bill Butler

Bill Butler, born in Havana of a Cuban mother and a US father, grew up in Cuba. Starting in his early teens, he developed a deep attachment for the oceans of the world over which he has logged more than 90,000 nautical miles. Exiled from Cuba in 1960 he ended up in the Philippines where he got a chance, once again, to return to the sea. Aboard Siboney, a hardy 39 foot Robert Clark cutter, he and his family survived a full night battling a 90-knot typhoon in Manila Bay. The full story from three perspectives can be perused on http://www.wbutler.com/. When GE transferred Bill to Venezuela, Siboney followed on a friends sugar carrier.

In 1989, with a new wife and business in decline, Bill closed shop and headed out aboard Siboney on a 'round-the-world' cruise. Two months later, a large pod of pilot whales confused Siboney for an intruding whale and a menace to their young, broke the hull of Siboney. Bill and Simonne ended up adrift in a four-man inflatable raft out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Sixty-Six harrowing days and nights followed. Violent storms with thirty-foot waves threatened to swallow all. Masses of sharks continuously whacked their six-foot plastic raft as Bill battled them continuously. Bill and Simonne struggled to stay alive as they fought insurmountable odds. She was sure they would die. He was sure they would live. Lovable arguments continued until the end. Their full 100% true story is contained in 66 DAYS ADRIFT, published by McGraw-Hill.

October 2010