Anne Robertson (3:21)

We announced that we were in love and we were going to stay together.

Douglas Robertson (3:29)

She says, I'm leaving. Me and Jeff are going to get married. My mother went bonkers. She said, what do you mean you're getting married?

Becky Milligan (3:38)

How did you feel about it?

Douglas Robertson (3:39)

I felt devastated, felt really depressed because she was kind of my soulmate.

Becky Milligan (3:46)

Lynn and Dougal tried to persuade their daughter to stay.

Sandy Robertson (3:51)

Mother was beside herself.

Douglas Robertson (3:52)

She was losing her daughter, but she had no choice.

Anne Robertson (3:56)

And headstrong when I know, I know.

Becky Milligan (4:01)

Just like her dad.

Douglas Robertson (4:03)

She was 18, you know, she was off.

Becky Milligan (4:09)

17 year old Douglas is also making a new life for himself, cruising the streets of Miami in a fancy car.

Douglas Robertson (4:18)

V8 Chevy Camaro, the sports version. I was a farmer's son and there I was in Miami with my Chevy and people think, how the hell did he get that?

Becky Milligan (4:33)

Good question. It's a gift from a new friend, Albert, who's in his 40s, a male.

Douglas Robertson (4:40)

Nurse and good money.

Anne Robertson (4:44)

I'll took Douglas under his wing, showering.

Becky Milligan (4:47)

Him with attention and Gifts. He teaches him how to drive. And it's not only Douglas. He's generous to the whole family.

Douglas Robertson (4:57)

Very, very generous.

Becky Milligan (4:58)

And they liked him.

Douglas Robertson (4:59)

And they liked him.

Becky Milligan (5:03)

Douglas is spending more and more time with his new friend.

Sandy Robertson (5:07)

He would go and work at Al's house and all this sort of business.

Becky Milligan (5:11)

And he stays over. The family see Douglas less and less. They think what a good friend Albert is, especially to Douglas. But for Douglas, it's going much further than that. And the family have no idea.

Douglas Robertson (5:29)

I was living like a double life. He used whatever means to make sure he got what he wanted.

Becky Milligan (5:37)

And looking back now, here's how Anne sees things.

Anne Robertson (5:42)

You could say that the family was groomed by him.

Becky Milligan (5:47)

Do you think that's what happened to Douglas?

Anne Robertson (5:49)

I do think that's what happened to Douglas. It's happening right in front of their noses. They don't see it. That's how it happens.

Becky Milligan (6:09)

One morning, Dougal wakes up to what's really going on.

Dougal Robertson (6:16)

I met Douglas and Albert returned, something from yet another driving lesson.

Becky Milligan (6:21)

They both come on board the Lucette, chatting quietly together. Dougal catches part of their conversation and.

Dougal Robertson (6:29)

It made my blood run cold.

Becky Milligan (6:33)

Dougal and Lyn are stunned and they want to put a stop to it. So they tell the crew, we're off, we're leaving Miami as soon as we can.

Douglas Robertson (6:44)

I thought, bloody hell, I don't want to leave.

Becky Milligan (6:46)

So Douglas confronts his dad.

Douglas Robertson (6:49)

And I said to him, what do you mean we're leaving? We live here. He said, have you forgotten? We're going around the world.

Becky Milligan (6:56)

Douglas has to make a choice, stay or go. And Albert makes him an offer.

Douglas Robertson (7:04)

Douglas, stay here in America. I'll look after you. You can have everything that I have.

Becky Milligan (7:10)

Despite everything, Douglas is tempted, your abuser.

Douglas Robertson (7:16)

You form a relationship with them that is quite unique and quite strange.

Becky Milligan (7:22)

But if he stays and abandons the Lucette, it's the end of the family's dream. Douglas's younger brother, Sandy.

Sandy Robertson (7:31)

Mum and dad felt if they lost Douglas, if Douglas took the same route as Anne, the trip would have been over.

Becky Milligan (7:38)

Douglas knows he's essential dad. Dougal needs him to help sail the boat.

Douglas Robertson (7:45)

I was the strongman. They couldn't go on without me. Dougal could not do it himself.

Becky Milligan (7:52)

Dougal and Albert wait for Douglas to decide.

Dougal Robertson (7:56)

My heart was racing. There was an ominous, overbearing silence.

Becky Milligan (8:01)

Douglas looks at his dad and then Albert.

Douglas Robertson (8:06)

I said, we're leaving, Albert. We're leaving today. And he was crying and he said, douglas, when you finish your trip, come back and see me. I Put my arms around Albert in front of my dad and mum.

Becky Milligan (8:21)

Did they ever talk to you about it?

Douglas Robertson (8:23)

Never. Never.

Becky Milligan (8:26)

And you didn't talk to them about it?

Douglas Robertson (8:27)

I tried. They didn't want to know. Which meant to me they did know.

Becky Milligan (8:34)

Douglas watches Albert walk away. They're off after six months in Miami, but without Anne, who's staying behind with her boyfriend.

Douglas Robertson (8:56)

And we left that world behind us. We were on our way again. We were on our trip around the world again, to Jamaica, onto Panama and.

Becky Milligan (9:09)

On to the Pacific. May 1972. Club Nautico, Colon, Panama. Northern gateway to the Panama Canal. A busy staging post where crews rest, stock up, refuel, relax and have a drink or two before setting off on their long voyages. And for anyone hoping to catch a ride, it's the perfect place to hang out. It's a sunny spring afternoon when 22 year old Robin drops by the club. Robin's a graduate and he's been travelling for the best part of a year. And now he's hoping to hitch a lift to New Zealand. And this is when fate steps in, when a random meeting alters the course of your life, because Robin bumps into Dougal, who's about to take the Lucette through the Panama Canal and onto New Zealand. And they get talking.

Robin (10:24)

He was a fairly gruff sort of character. He was a man of the sea. He looked a man of the sea. Had the air of a man of the sea.

Becky Milligan (10:33)

Dougal thinks an extra pair of hands could be useful now Anne's gone and.

Robin (10:39)

Fortunately for me, they had a spare bunk within half an hour of meeting him. Duo basically says, hey, laddie, welcome on board.

Douglas Robertson (10:48)

We liked him. He was tall, square rimmed glasses, dark curly hair, big beard, long thin legs and knobbly knees. Loud, well spoken, talked a lot, very confident.

Becky Milligan (11:04)

Did you like him?

Douglas Robertson (11:05)

Oh, yeah, definitely, you know, he fitted in. He was one of us.

Robin (11:12)

I was accepted and I was part of the crew.

Becky Milligan (11:23)

The Lucette sets off through the great Panama Canal. It takes less than a day to reach the vast blue exposure expanse of the Pacific.

Dougal Robertson (11:38)

The Pacific. 64 million square miles. 35,000ft deep, spread across almost a third of the Earth's surface.

Douglas Robertson (11:52)

We felt privileged to be there. We were excited to be there. We were now on the other side of the Americas.

Becky Milligan (12:00)

They're at the beginning of a long journey across the world's biggest ocean. It should take them about 45 days. Next stop, New Zealand. June 1972. One day after the sinking of the Lucette, the family sits in the raft while Lynn sings and prays. Dougal is taking stock, trying to clear his head and work out what on earth they do. Now, there's one immediate problem.

Douglas Robertson (12:47)

The raft was already leaking.

Becky Milligan (12:50)

There's water in the raft. They all start to bail it out and that quickly becomes their constant, tedious routine. Bailing water. But it's a losing battle because there's no way of fixing the leak. They do have the fiberglass dinghy, which Dougal, in the nick of time, had tied to the raft when the Lucette went down. But it's flooded, useless. What good is that? And they really are on their own.

Douglas Robertson (13:27)

We were right out in the Pacific Ocean, miles away from civilization.

Becky Milligan (13:32)

Dougal is trying to work out their position.

Dougal Robertson (13:35)

I knew that Our latitude was 1 degree, 15 minutes south of the equator, but I was trying to work out where. Where we'd gone down, how far we drifted and where we were.

Becky Milligan (13:48)

Now, thankfully, the family do have that survival kit.

Douglas Robertson (13:53)

Glucose tablets, fortified bread, a jar of sweets.

Becky Milligan (13:59)

And along with the onions and lemons salvaged from the Lucette, that's all they have to eat. Then, tucked into a pocket in the side of the raft, Lynn discovers a survival manual.

Douglas Robertson (14:13)

It had various tips and, you know, helpful advice. One of the recommendations was to stay put and await rescue.

Becky Milligan (14:24)

But that doesn't make sense.

Douglas Robertson (14:27)

There was absolutely no point staying put.

Robin (14:30)

No one knew we were adrift. That was the scary thing.

Becky Milligan (14:34)

Dougal is racking his brain trying to think of a way out of this, but he can't. He thinks their chances of survival are practically zero. But that's not something he's going to say out loud, because he and Lynn have made a solemn oath to each other.

Lynn Robertson (14:54)

If we only do one thing, Google, we must get our boys back to land.

Becky Milligan (15:03)

He could let the winds and currents carry them across the Pacific, but that.

Douglas Robertson (15:07)

Was out of the question because it would take at least 70 days.

Becky Milligan (15:14)

They'll die long before that. And going the other way, back to where they've come from, to the east. The wind and currents will be against them, so that won't work either. Dougal has to come up with a plan. He remembers Lynn's sisters telling him this whole venture was mad.

Douglas Robertson (15:34)

You're crazy. You've got your children to think about.

Becky Milligan (15:38)

They were so worried, they bought them a dinghy. What would they say now? Dougal looks at the dinghy, now waterlogged. And then he has the germ of an idea. An idea which might actually work. It's the first night in the raft. They're all shattered, but none of them can sleep because they're not alone.

Douglas Robertson (16:22)

What's that? The bottom of the raft is soft.

Lynn Robertson (16:25)

Did you feel that?

Becky Milligan (16:27)

What was it?

Sandy Robertson (16:29)

And then the bumps got harder and harder.

Douglas Robertson (16:33)

We were being assaulted from underneath constantly. It was like getting kicked in the backside.

Becky Milligan (16:41)

Small fish, big fish, all kinds of fish. A whole new world is evolving beneath them. And when the sun's gone down, it was pitch black.

Sandy Robertson (16:55)

Darker than dark. She didn't know what was going on.

Becky Milligan (17:00)

Lynn is lying awake.

Lynn Robertson (17:03)

It was a strange night, full of fear and dread.

Becky Milligan (17:07)

Earlier, she'd seen Dougal hugging the twins.

Lynn Robertson (17:10)

I heard him say, oh, my beloved boys.

Becky Milligan (17:15)

Dougal can't sleep either.

Dougal Robertson (17:17)

Would it be death by thirst or starvation? Either way, I imagined a slow deterioration into a long sleep.

Becky Milligan (17:29)

Douglas has finally managed to drift off.

Douglas Robertson (17:34)

The dreams I had were so unfair.

Becky Milligan (17:38)

Douglas is below deck on a luxury yacht anchored in turquoise waters next to a glittering white sandy beach. An exotic Caribbean island just like the ones they visited a few months before.

Douglas Robertson (17:56)

I was in a warm, comfortable bed with thick duvet and fluffy pillows, only to wake up in this raft.

Becky Milligan (18:15)

Two days adrift. Douglas hears a noise outside. He lifts the flap and peers out. It's bright moonlight. The sea is black.

Douglas Robertson (18:30)

And Dougal was working on the dinghy outside.

Becky Milligan (18:34)

He's kneeling down in the little boat, putting the finishing touches to a homemade mast. He's used one of the oars and some rope they found floating in the sea.

Douglas Robertson (18:44)

And he said, look, I've got the messed up.

Becky Milligan (18:47)

Douglas isn't impressed.

Douglas Robertson (18:49)

Looks like rubbish to me. You know. You know that'll never work.

Becky Milligan (18:53)

But Dougal ignores him.

Douglas Robertson (18:56)

We unfurled the sailor sail, filled, and off it went.

Becky Milligan (19:06)

Miraculous. The dinghy can now pull the raft with all of them inside like a tugboat. And that means they're no longer drifting. At the mercy of the winds and.

Douglas Robertson (19:20)

Currents, we could sail in a direction.

Becky Milligan (19:25)

At speed not fast, but at least they're moving.

Douglas Robertson (19:30)

Two knots, 50 miles a day, every day. 50 miles. We were thinking, bloody hell. And I suddenly realized that my dad's idea was actually a brilliant one. You know what I mean?

Becky Milligan (19:46)

But they only have 10 days of water, so. So where do they go? What's the plan? Dougal has made a rough chart using a map he found in the survival kit.

Dougal Robertson (20:00)

I marked in the coordinates with the Galapagos and as many of the islands as I could remember to the north. And I lightly pencilled in the route I thought we might take.

Becky Milligan (20:12)

So the plan is, aim for the shipping lanes. The shipping lanes, the ocean's freeways, where they'll be rescued.

Douglas Robertson (20:23)

We would get there. We would sit there until a ship sail past and picked us up. That was our plan. We were definitely going to be picked up by a ship in the shipping lanes.

Sandy Robertson (20:36)

Dad said we'll get picked up. First ship we see, you'll pick us up. I believed every word my dad said. So if he said, we're going to get picked up, we're going to get picked up. He wasn't a master mariner to me. It was our dad.

Robin (20:53)

He's not gonna let us die.

Douglas Robertson (20:56)

We were back in business. We had a plan. We weren't sitting there waiting to die. We've got our tugboat now and we're gonna be rescued.

Becky Milligan (21:11)

But there's something Dougal isn't telling them. He doesn't know if this is going to work, if it will even take them in the right direction. Dougal's plan to save their lives is a long shot. Can they make it to the shipping lanes? Will their water last? Another plan has crossed his mind. It's high risk because it means asking his son Douglas to make an impossible decision. The hours and minutes tick by. The routine. And a daily routine emerges. Strict meal times, and they pass water round, taking tiny sips. There's still no sign of rain. They become more and more thirsty, more and more dehydrated, and the raft continues to deflate. They're constantly torture, popping up the air and bailing out the water. The wind carries them slowly, pushing them northwards, where Dougal hopes they might be spotted and rescued. And each day at midday, when the sun is at its highest point, Dougal tries to work out their position. It's late afternoon. They talk about their last port of call before setting off across the Pacific. The Galapagos Islands. Paradise full of weird and wonderful creatures they'd never heard of. The albatross, marine iguanas, giant tortoises. The blue footed booby. A lifetime ago. Dougal is next to his eldest son. He leans towards him.

Dougal Robertson (23:32)

I began in barely more than a whisper, so the others couldn't hear me.

Douglas Robertson (23:38)

He said, douglas, Douglas, you can row.

Dougal Robertson (23:41)

You can row. You can row better than any of us. Take the dinghy back to the Galapagos Islands and raise the alarm.

Becky Milligan (23:51)

He's the only one who can do it. Douglas doesn't answer. He can't quite believe what his father is asking him to do. It's hundreds of miles and he would be all alone in the dinghy and he's sure he won't make it. It. He's about to say there's no way. But Then he looks into his dad's eyes.

Douglas Robertson (24:18)

It was the desperation. I loved my dad. I had a lot of respect for him and I wanted to please him because I always wanted to be my dad's hero. He was my hero.

Becky Milligan (24:35)

And you wanted his approval.

Douglas Robertson (24:36)

And I wanted his approval. And constantly sought his approval. Which you would never give.

Becky Milligan (24:41)

Do you think you're still looking for his approval?

Douglas Robertson (24:43)

Yeah, probably. Probably spend the rest of my life doing it.

Becky Milligan (24:48)

He's also scared.

Douglas Robertson (24:50)

You didn't disobey him. We'd learned on the Lucette you would do what he said.

Becky Milligan (24:56)

Douglas asks when?

Dougal Robertson (25:00)

Tomorrow.

Becky Milligan (25:08)

That evening, the sky turns pitch black. Douglas can't sleep.

Douglas Robertson (25:16)

I've got to tell him no. I have got to say to Doodle. Dad. I'm not doing it.

Becky Milligan (25:23)

Next day he comes out with it.

Douglas Robertson (25:27)

We'll all die if I do that. We're all going to die. I'm going to die out there alone. You lot are going to die here together. Because there's no way I can get that dinghy back to the Galapagos Islands. I don't even know where they are.

Becky Milligan (25:44)

Douglas thinks his dad is about to lose it.

Douglas Robertson (25:48)

But he didn't. He didn't. He put his arms around me.

Dougal Robertson (25:53)

I'm sorry, Douglas. I should never have asked.

Douglas Robertson (25:59)

My dad was human after all. All this tough facade. Somewhere in there was a father.

Becky Milligan (26:16)

Day 7 Dawn. The water is nearly gone. The thirst is agony. Their lips and tongues are swollen. There's no way of knowing if they've reached the shipping lanes. Clouds are gathering above them in the early morning sky. They grab their water cans and hold them up to the heavens. They fill to the top in seconds and then they drink. Douglas watches the clouds lifting and the sky turning blue.

Douglas Robertson (27:35)

There's a ship over there.

Dougal Robertson (27:36)

Look, it's a ship.

Becky Milligan (27:39)

Look, it's a ship. Ship ahoy. It's a ship.

Douglas Robertson (27:43)

Holy rescued boys. A ship. Holy rescue. Over here. A ship.

Becky Milligan (27:56)

You've been listening to Adrift an Apple original podcast produced by Blanchard House and hosted by me, Becky Milligan. Adrift is written and produced by Ben Crichton and me, Becky Milligan. The series is based on the book the Last Voyage of the Lucette by Douglas Robertson. Original score by Daniel Lloyd Evans, Louis Nankmanel and Toby Matimal. Sound design by Vulcan Kizletug and Daniel Lloyd Evans with dialogue editing by Toby Matimal. The lead sound engineer is Vulcan Kiziltuk. The part of Dougal Robertson is played by Mark Bonner and Lynn Robertson is played by Anne Marie Duff. Their words are adapted from Dougal and Lynn's own accounts of their story. The young Robertson twins are played by Rocco Hamill and Dexter Hutton. Other parts are played by Mark Gillis. The managing producer is Amica Shortino Nolan. The creative director of Blanchard House is Rosie Pye. The executive producer and head of content at Blanchard House is Lawrence Grisel.