A pearl in the storm : how I found my heart in the middle of the ocean / by Tori Murden McClure.

Machine derived contents note: Table of Contents -- Dedication Vi -- Introduction To Part I Viii -- Chapter 1-The Quest Begins 1 -- Chapter 2-Women And Stomachs First 19 -- Chapter 3-A Shark And An Explosion 34 -- Chapter 4-Baptism By Storm 44 -- Chapter 5-Death On Deck 59 -- Chapter 6-Independence Day 70 -- Chapter 7 -Sea Lions In The Middle Of The North Atlantic 82 -- Chapter 8-Three Strokes Forward Two Strokes Back 92 -- Chapter 9-Storm Petrels 102 -- Chapter 10-Theodore Roosevelt'S Burial At Sea 117 -- Chapter 11-Where'S The Rest Of It, And What Ate It? 130 -- Chapter 12-Bad Breath 146 -- Chapter 13-The Weather Is Weird 160 -- Chapter 14-Hurricane Danielle 176 -- Chapter 15-I'M Alive! 193 -- Chapter 16-Losing Consciousness 206 -- Chapter 17-Independent Spirits 217 -- Chapter 18-Pain Settles In 230 -- Chapter 19-Philadelphia 249 -- Part Ii -- The Journey Home 258 -- Chapter 1-The Tragedy Of "Civilus" 259 -- Chapter 2-A Comedic Flirtation 272 -- Chapter 3-The History Of Muhammad Ali 282 -- Chapter 4-Returning To Slay The Sea Monster 294 -- Chapter 5-The Romance Of Being Merely Human 311 -- Afterword 316 -- Acknowledgments 319.

"During June 1998, Tori McClure set out to row across the Atlantic Ocean by herself in a twenty-three-foot plywood boat with no motor or sail. Within days she lost all communication with shore, but nevertheless she decided to keep going. Not only did she lose the sound of a friendly voice, she lost updates on the location of the Gulf Stream and on the weather. Unfortunately for Tori, 1998 is still on record as the worst hurricane season in the North Atlantic. In deep solitude and perilous conditions, she was nonetheless determined to prove what one person with a mission can do. When she was finally brought to her knees by a series of violent storms that nearly killed her, she had to signal for help and go home in what felt like complete disgrace."

"Back in Kentucky, however, Tori's life began to change in unexpected ways. She fell in love. At the age of thirty-five, she embarked on a serious relationship for the first time, making her feel even more vulnerable than sitting alone in a tiny boat in the middle of the Atlantic. She went to work for Muhammad Ali, who told her that she did not want to be known as the woman who "almost" rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. And she knew that he was right." "In this thrilling story of high adventure and romantic quest, Tori McClure discovers through her favorite way - the hard way - that the most important thing in life is not to prove you are superhuman but to fully to embrace your own humanity. With a wry sense of humor and a strong voice, she gives us a true memoir of an explorer who maps her world with rare emotional honesty."--Jacket.