Praying for Rain | 5

Summary

Podcast Summary: Adrift

Episode 5: Praying for Rain
Date: November 24, 2025
Host: Becky Milligan
Produced by: Blanchard House / Apple TV

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Main Theme

This episode chronicles the desperate 15th day of the Robertsons’ ordeal on the Pacific after their boat sank. With six people stranded on a leaking life raft, supplies gone, sharks circling, and no rescue in sight, they face dehydration, internal tensions, and the continual threat of death. Yet, amidst calamity, they chase hope, recall the roots of old grievances, and cling fiercely to the will to survive—sometimes buoyed by dreams of fresh food, by faith, or by sheer stubbornness.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mental Desperation and the Power of Fantasy

[00:04–01:37]

• Douglas dreams obsessively of fresh fruit salad, describing it to his father Dougal in vivid, mouthwatering detail.

"Fresh fruit salad. It was so powerful, I thought, I've got to share this with my dad." —Douglas Robertson (00:29)

• This shared fantasy offers a moment of relief and human connection.

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2. Dire Straits: Water, Weather, and Unrelenting Hunger

[03:43–07:16]

• By day 15, the water is almost gone; the family is barely able to move, covered in sores and saltwater boils.

"Our lives were slipping away." —Douglas Robertson (04:03)

• The tension between hope and despair peaks as they spot, and then finally receive, miraculous rain.

"My prayers were answered. It was raining during the doldrums. It was bloody well raining." —Douglas Robertson (06:15)

• Their ecstasy at the rain, filling every available container, underscores how much survival depends on chance and elements:

"Beautiful, gorgeous rain...Wealth beyond measure. God's gift. We had water and with water we had hope." —Douglas Robertson (06:25)

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3. The Raft Deteriorates, Tempers Flare

[07:16–09:41]

• Rainwater compromises the structural integrity of the raft.
• A critical moment occurs when Robin nearly catches a turtle, disobeying Dougal’s strict order. This leads to physical violence:

"If you disobey an order again, I'll hit you with this." —Dougal Robertson (08:26)

• Douglas reflects on his father's explosive temper, revealing the psychological pressure of survival:

"So he always seemed to be an angry man... Could be dead in 10 minutes, you know, what's the point of arguing?...these stupid arguments, you never know where they're going to end." —Douglas Robertson (09:02)

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4. Family Dynamics and the Legacy of Violence

[09:44–11:41]

• Douglas avoids discussing Dougal’s outbursts with others to prevent the 'infection' from spreading.

"My grandma used to say, least said, soon is mended. And I've always remembered that...You might win your point, but you are keeping the disease going." —Douglas Robertson (09:44)

• Flashback: Douglas recounts a violent storm pre-disaster, when Dougal hit him, then nearly went overboard—saved only when Douglas, after extracting a promise, pulled him back.

"Dougal was saying, pull me up, pull me up...I was shouting at him, dougal, you never hit me again. Ever." —Douglas Robertson (11:13)

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5. Close Call: The Dinghy Drifts Away

[12:13–17:32]

• Their only backup—the dinghy with vital supplies—breaks away.
• Dougal dives into shark-infested waters to retrieve it, a harrowing ordeal met with terror, prayers, and relief as he narrowly escapes.
• The family’s response is emotionally charged:

"He couldn't move." —Lynn Robertson (16:17)
"Good old dad. We felt that as long as he was okay, we were okay." —Douglas Robertson (17:35)

• Dougal’s commitment to his family blends courage with responsibility for their plight.

"Don't thank me, Len. Don't thank me. I did it for you...I did it for my family." —Dougal & Douglas Robertson (17:22–17:32)
"He had the courage of a lion. He was a great man. And I loved him." —Douglas Robertson (18:16)

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6. Faith, Hope, and Existential Doubt

[19:09–20:02]

• The group ponders divine intervention, with some praying and others questioning:

"If God is such a great person, why are we here? And Mum couldn't answer that question. She said, well, I'm sure He'll help us through this." —Lynn Robertson (19:49)

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7. Reflections: Letters of Love and Buried Trauma

[20:28–22:38]

• The family writes farewell letters, fearing their raft will be found empty.
• Douglas confides, for the first time, about past sexual abuse by Albert during their Miami stopover.

"I was trying to tell him that I was being abused, you know, but I didn't know how to say it to him...You're nothing more than a bloody whore, he said to me, in other words, don't tell me." —Douglas Robertson (21:22–21:30)

• The culture of silence and shame of the era is palpable.

"It was the 1970s, grooming, abuse, it just wasn't talked about. All of this is churning around in Douglas's head when he writes to Albert." —Becky Milligan (22:09)

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8. Enduring on Daydreams of Food

[23:07–25:18]

• The survivors distract themselves—when too weak to play games—by designing a fantasy restaurant menu, Dougal’s Kitchen:
  • Steak and chips, stew and dumplings, hamburgers, milkshakes, donuts, exotic seafoods.
  • Fantasizing about food becomes both torture and motivation.

"That was the only highlight of the day, really. Your brain is so unfair to you." —Douglas Robertson (25:21)

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9. Cliffhanger: Catastrophe Strikes Again

[25:41–25:58]

• As the episode closes, the raft finally gives way beneath them, leaving the six survivors with only the tiny dinghy to cling to.

"The bottom just dropped out...The raft was no more." —Douglas Robertson (25:53–25:55)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Fresh fruit salad. Fresh fruit salad. Fresh fruit salad.”
  Douglas’s desperate fixation on food at [00:04–00:43] is both poignant and haunting.

• “Wealth beyond measure. God's gift. We had water and with water we had hope.”
  The rain at [06:35] is transformative for morale and survival.

• Violent cracks under pressure:
  "He did punch Robin in the face." —Douglas, [08:22]
  "If you disobey an order again, I'll hit you with this." —Dougal, [08:26]

• Abuse disclosure:
  "I was trying to tell him that I was being abused, you know, but I didn't know how to say it to him…'You're nothing more than a bloody whore,' he said to me." —Douglas, [21:22–21:30]

• Heroism and ambivalence:
  "He had the courage of a lion. He was a great man. And I loved him." —Douglas, [18:16]
  "But he wouldn't have to have made that oath if he hadn't got you there in the first place." —Becky, [18:33]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:04] – Douglas’s food hallucinations
• [03:43] – Dire state of the raft; waiting for rain
• [06:15] – Rain finally falls
• [08:09] – Flare-up between Dougal and Robin
• [11:13] – Douglas saves Dougal after being struck and thrown overboard
• [12:19] – The dinghy breaks loose; rescue sequence
• [16:44] – Dougal’s exhaustion and emotional family reunion
• [19:49] – Questioning faith and purpose
• [21:22] – Douglas recounts past abuse
• [25:41] – The raft finally collapses

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Tone & Language

• The episode maintains an honest, immediate tone, mixing raw, first-person narration with present-tense, dramatic re-enactment.
• The language is often vivid, evoking hunger, desperation, fear, and family tensions as well as fleeting hope.

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Conclusion

“Praying for Rain” encapsulates one of the most existentially bleak and emotionally charged stretches of the Robertson family’s ordeal: a microcosm of hope springing from the smallest mercies, the volatility of human relationships under stress, the persistence of trauma, and the fragile faith that something—God, fate, or sheer will—might see them home. In the end, just as one crisis abates, another catastrophe looms, driving home the relentless, unpredictable peril of survival at sea.

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Transcript

[Douglas Robertson]

Fresh fruit salad. Fresh fruit salad. Fresh fruit salad. This vision came to me of a fresh fruit salad. Fresh fruit salad.

[Becky Milligan]

It's the middle of the night, everyone's asleep, apart from Douglas, who's on watch.

[Douglas Robertson]

Fresh fruit salad. It was so powerful, I thought, I've got to share this with my dad. I've got to tell him about it. Dad. Dad. Dad, wake up.

[Becky Milligan]

Dougal looks up.

[Douglas Robertson]

What's the matter, Douglas? Dad, I've got to tell you about this fresh fruit salad. Now that normally would be enough to get a clip round the ear, you know what I mean?

[Becky Milligan]

But Dougal isn't cross. He's relieved it's not an emergency. So he says, go on, tell me.

[Douglas Robertson]

Dougal listened intently.

[Becky Milligan]

Douglas starts with a mouth watering melon.

[Douglas Robertson]

Hollowed out with a knob of ice cream. He said, then what? And then you add blackberries and raspberries and sliced peaches. And then on top you put cream. Fresh cream.

[Becky Milligan]

Dougal's eyes are closed. He breathes out a long sigh and.

[Douglas Robertson]

Dougal says, and then what? Then you eat it, dad. Dougal's eyes open and he looked at me through the darkness and he said, thanks, Douglas.

[Becky Milligan]

This is a drift an apple original podcast produced by blanchard house I'm becky milligan. Episode 5 praying for rain. Day 15 their second day in the doldrums. There's still no rain and they're down to their last drops of water. And remember, six people are living on this small leaking life raft. Parents Dougal and Lynn, their 18 year old son Douglas, 11 year old twins Neil and Sandy, as well as 22 year old Robin, the only non family member on board who joined them in Panama. Attached to the life raft, an even smaller three man fiberglass dinghy. If the life raft fails, they'll have to crowd onto that dinghy. A prospect that doesn't bear thinking about.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

Waiting was the only option we had left. Waiting to live, waiting for rescue or waiting to die.

[Becky Milligan]

They can barely move, let alone find the energy to bail and they're sitting in pools of salty seawater.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

Our wrinkled skins were covered with boils and now raw red patches were creeping across our bodies. Douglas looked exhausted. Our lives were slipping away.

[Becky Milligan]

Time has almost run out and their constant companions circle.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

I watched along. Sleek shapes of the sharks glide slowly by.

[Becky Milligan]

At night. It may be a relief to be out of the glare of the sun, but they're still unbearably thirsty.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

Save for a little sip for the twins. We took no water that evening.

[Becky Milligan]

Dougal stays awake, keeping a constant vigilante.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

I Prayed quietly that Douglas would make it through the night. I prayed that my family and I would make it home.

[Becky Milligan]

He searches the dark skies for clouds.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

I prayed that it would rain. We were in God's hands.

[Becky Milligan]

And then hope.

[Dougal Robertson]

What is it, Dougal?

[Becky Milligan]

It's early morning when he wakes, Lynn.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

I pointed to the cloud. Maybe we'll get something to drink out of that.

[Becky Milligan]

The others wake up and they all look at the cloudy sky and we.

[Douglas Robertson]

Could see the rain falling out of it.

[Becky Milligan]

But it's out of reach and there's no wind to push them towards it. The life saving rain is so tantalisingly.

[Lynn Robertson]

Close, but we can't get to it.

[Becky Milligan]

But then dark clouds.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

Oh dear Lord, the rain's coming.

[Becky Milligan]

Bring it to us slowly.

[Douglas Robertson]

We watched, Couldn't miss us.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

My prayers were answered.

[Douglas Robertson]

It was raining during the doldrums. It was bloody well raining. That was the plan wasn't had worked.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

Beautiful, gorgeous rain poured from the skies with a bucketful, beating down on our heads and splashing against our upturned faces.

[Douglas Robertson]

Heavy, fantastic, sweet tasting rain. We laughed, we shouted, we sang, we filled the containers, we filled the tins. Wealth beyond measure. Wealth beyond measure. God's gift. God's gift. We had water and with water we had hope.

[Becky Milligan]

But the rain has made the condition of the raft worse. It's disintegrating around them. Air leaking out, water coming in.

[Douglas Robertson]

A constant, constant nightmare battle.

[Becky Milligan]

The raft won't last much longer and soon they'll have to move to the three man dinghy. And there's six of them. They're dreading it. Will they all fit in? But they don't brood on it for long.

[Dougal Robertson]

Turtle, Turtle.

[Douglas Robertson]

This turtle bobbed along.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

Nobody touch it. Nobody touched that turtle till I get to it. Nobody touch it but me.

[Becky Milligan]

But Robin's the closest and he reaches for its back flippers. It slithers out of his grasp.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

Why the hell didn't you do as you're bloody told?

[Robin]

Dougal wasn't very happy, understandably. I mean, he was pretty rough at the time. There were some fisticuffs. Yeah. He had to go at me. Let's put it like that.

[Becky Milligan]

That's a bit of an understatement.

[Douglas Robertson]

He did punch Robin in the face.

[Becky Milligan]

Dougal picks up a paddle.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

If you disobey an order again, I'll hit you with this.

[Robin]

I just had to take it. But it brought out the anger and the frustration and the having a go at Robin.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

Moment I looked at Robin, opened my mouth, then shut it again. He was completely incompetent. But there was no point trying to change him now. He was 22. I made a mental note that next time he reached for a turtle, I should be ready with a paddle first.

[Becky Milligan]

It's not the first time Dougal's picked on Robin after making another mistake.

[Douglas Robertson]

Dougal said, I'll punch you when you get off. Watch. Like he was going to save that punch up. You were going to get punished for doing something bad. So he always seemed to be an angry man. He was always mad about something. I mean, we were in a raft in the Pacific Ocean. Could be dead in 10 minutes, you know, what's the point of arguing? What was the point? We were trying hard to survive. And these stupid arguments, you never know where they're going to end.

[Becky Milligan]

Could you talk to each other and go, oh, my God, what the hell are the adults doing?

[Douglas Robertson]

No, no, no, we never did that. And I wouldn't. I would not talk about anything like that because I didn't want to spread the infection, so to speak. My grandma used to say, least said, soon is mended. And I've always remembered that. And I know not to discuss things because you might win your point, but you are keeping the disease going.

[Becky Milligan]

You saw it as a. The arguments, as a disease.

[Douglas Robertson]

Yeah, they had to be stopped, so I would not discuss it with the twins or Robin.

[Becky Milligan]

And were they scared, do you think?

[Douglas Robertson]

Probably.

[Becky Milligan]

Douglas had tried more than once to stop his dad lashing out even before the Lucette went down. After leaving Miami, they were caught in a huge storm in shallow waters in the middle of the night. They could have run aground at any moment. Father and son were arguing. Dougal landed a punch square on the side of Douglas's head.

[Douglas Robertson]

The very next moment, the boom suddenly swung across and Dougal was standing in the way of it. And it hit him straight on the head and over he went over the rail. I grabbed his leg as he was going and had hold of him. And Dougal was saying, pull me up, pull me up. And I was looking down at him, holding him. I was shouting at him, dougal, you never hit me again. Ever. My mum could stop, see all this going on, and she was absolutely certain I was going to let him go. And she says, douglas, pull him back on board.

[Dougal Robertson]

Pull him back on board.

[Douglas Robertson]

And I pulled him back on board. It was midday. We were still making our way north.

[Becky Milligan]

Navigating only by the stars, the sun, the currents and the wind. Dougal reckons they've travelled about 400 miles, but they've still got hundreds more to go.

[Douglas Robertson]

And suddenly I noticed that the dinghy had gone.

[Becky Milligan]

It's no longer tied to their raft.

[Douglas Robertson]

Dad. Dad. The dinghy.

[Lynn Robertson]

The dinghy's gone.

[Dougal Robertson]

The dinghy. The dinghy. Doodle the dinghy, quick.

[Robin]

All of a sudden it was panic.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

The dinghy was 60 yards away and taking our lives with it.

[Lynn Robertson]

He knew he had to get that dinghy because all the food was in the dinghy. The water cans are in the dinghy. It had everything in that dinghy. Without that dinghy, everybody's gonna die.

[Becky Milligan]

There's no time to lose. There's no question.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

It was the dinghy or us.

[Becky Milligan]

Dougal dives headfirst into the sea.

[Robin]

Up, dive, swim straight out.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

There was no hesitation.

[Dougal Robertson]

Dougal's body hurtled past me. Douglas shouted, shark. And then Neil was shrieking in despair.

[Becky Milligan]

Daddy.

[Dougal Robertson]

Daddy.

[Becky Milligan]

They all watched Dougal from the raft, holding their breath.

[Douglas Robertson]

There were sharks in the water.

[Becky Milligan]

Whitetip sharks, oceanic whitetips. Man eaters.

[Douglas Robertson]

They were swimming after him.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

My belly crawled, thinking of the sharks right behind me. Would they get me? Before I got to the dinghy, I was so scared.

[Douglas Robertson]

I thought, I'm going to leave me down.

[Becky Milligan]

And without their dad, they'll all die. Dougal is giving it everything.

[Douglas Robertson]

Dad's swimming like Olympic swimmer. Front crawl.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

My body felt like a machine as I thrashed my way through the sea.

[Becky Milligan]

But the dinghy seems to be moving further away from him, carried off by the waves and wind.

[Douglas Robertson]

It was a long way.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

I didn't know. I didn't know if I could reach the dinghy. Could I swim faster than the dinghy could sail?

[Douglas Robertson]

I was willing him on.

[Becky Milligan]

At last. Dougal is getting closer.

[Douglas Robertson]

Keep going. Keep going.

[Becky Milligan]

And he does. He just doesn't give up.

[Douglas Robertson]

I don't know where he found the strength from. He's going to make it. He's going to make it.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

I was there. I was there.

[Becky Milligan]

Watching Dougal from the life raft. The others are jubilant. Over by the dinghy, Dougal manages to haul himself over the side.

[Douglas Robertson]

The sharks hadn't got him. We were so grateful. Grateful to God. Grateful to Dougal.

[Becky Milligan]

He takes down the dinghy's little sail and then collapses back on the life raft. Lynn and the others can no longer see Dougal. He's disappeared from view. They still can't see him. Then they see an army slowly rise up. He's okay. He's okay.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

I slowly paddled back to the raft. It took nearly an hour before I finally nudged alongside it, whilst the long shapes of two sharks circled, curious.

[Lynn Robertson]

He just flopped into the raft.

[Dougal Robertson]

His face gray with exhaustion.

[Lynn Robertson]

He just lay there.

[Douglas Robertson]

He couldn't move.

[Lynn Robertson]

Absolutely shattered.

[Douglas Robertson]

I thought he'd never recover from it.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

I sensed they were all looking down at me. I couldn't feel my own body. I became aware that they were holding my hands, smiling. I flitted in and out of consciousness. And for a moment I wondered if I'd actually died.

[Dougal Robertson]

I made him drink. Then I put a piece of glucose in his mouth. I cradled him in my arms.

[Lynn Robertson]

She stroked him. We all stroked him.

[Douglas Robertson]

I was stroking his heart. I thought we'd lost him.

[Dougal Robertson]

Relief flooded through me.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

She held me in her arms and slowly, slowly, my strength returned.

[Becky Milligan]

They nearly lost everything.

[Douglas Robertson]

My mum was just so overcome with emotion.

[Becky Milligan]

Thank you, Dougal.

[Douglas Robertson]

Thank you.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

Don't thank me, Len. Don't thank me. I did it for you.

[Douglas Robertson]

I did it for all of you.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

I did it for my family.

[Douglas Robertson]

Good old dad. We felt that as long as he was okay, we were okay.

[Becky Milligan]

Dougal and Douglas, secure the dinghy, this time with an extra nylon rope.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

I didn't relish a repeat performance of that swim. Not ever.

[Douglas Robertson]

And then it was back to business. My dad was frightened, of course. He was, about the safety of his children. And still he stood up to that. He was like a lion, my dad was. He had the courage of a lion. He was a great man. And I loved him.

[Becky Milligan]

Are you letting him off the hook of it?

[Douglas Robertson]

Maybe he deserves it.

[Becky Milligan]

He deserves it.

[Douglas Robertson]

He deserves to be left off the hook. He gave us a commitment.

[Becky Milligan]

But he wouldn't have to have made that oath if he hadn't got you there in the first place.

[Douglas Robertson]

Exactly. That's true.

[Robin]

The sea was calm as a mill pond.

[Becky Milligan]

The next couple of days, they remain in the doldrums, just looking out.

[Robin]

The vastness of the ocean, the vastness of the sky.

[Becky Milligan]

Vast and windless. They're making no progress at all.

[Dougal Robertson]

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

[Becky Milligan]

Robin is certain they'll make it.

[Robin]

Come on, we can do this.

[Lynn Robertson]

We can do this.

[Douglas Robertson]

His belief was unshakable. His faith.

[Robin]

Someone was looking after me. And somehow this magic curtain, this magic protection we had about us, that kept me going.

[Becky Milligan]

And Lynn feels the same way.

[Lynn Robertson]

My mother was praying and singing all the bloody time.

[Becky Milligan]

But Sandy doesn't get it.

[Lynn Robertson]

If God is such a great person, why are we here? And Mum couldn't answer that question. She said, well, I'm sure He'll help us through this.

[Becky Milligan]

Each day is pretty much the same as the day before. Keeping the raft inflated, bailing, catching food, looking for rain clouds. It's exhausting. But their heads are elsewhere. While Douglas bails, his mind drifts. He thinks back to their second day on the raft.

[Lynn Robertson]

We decided to write letters and leave them in the life raft in case the life raft was found with nobody in it.

[Douglas Robertson]

If these letters were ever going to be read, it would be because we hadn't made it.

[Becky Milligan]

Robin writes to his mum. Lynne and Dougal write to Anne.

[Douglas Robertson]

She told Anne that Mum and dad loved her and we were thinking of her. These messages, they were messages of love.

[Becky Milligan]

Douglas writes to Albert, the middle aged nurse he spent so much time with in Miami. But his letter is not a message of love. He's trying to figure out what happened between them. He did try to talk to his dad about it at the time in Miami, but Dougal didn't want to know.

[Douglas Robertson]

I was trying to tell him that I was being abused, you know, but I didn't know how to say it to him.

[Becky Milligan]

And this was Dougal's response.

[Douglas Robertson]

You're nothing more than a bloody whore, he said to me, in other words, don't tell me. I was only 17 and Albert was quite a lot older than me and knew the way the world worked.

[Becky Milligan]

At least that's what Douglas thought then.

[Douglas Robertson]

He was very interested in getting me to go out with girls so that he could be a part of it. He found two women, paid them, so that he could watch with you. With me? Yeah, watching. He liked to watch. And then he wanted me to be with him.

[Becky Milligan]

Douglas didn't understand what he was getting into and anyway, he didn't feel he had a choice. His whole family loved Albert, so Douglas shut up about was all swept under the carpet. It was the 1970s, grooming, abuse, it just wasn't talked about. All of this is churning around in Douglas's head when he writes to Albert.

[Douglas Robertson]

Maybe I wanted to forgive him. Maybe I was thinking, well, that's over, all of that is over now.

[Robin]

We played a few games where I.

[Becky Milligan]

Spy, but everything began with S. Sea, Sky, Sun, Sharks.

[Douglas Robertson]

We tried to play quiz games but we couldn't because it takes energy, that does.

[Becky Milligan]

There's one subject, though, that they never tire of.

[Lynn Robertson]

Food, food, food, food.

[Douglas Robertson]

And we talked about it a lot.

[Becky Milligan]

And they imagine what they'll do if they ever get out of this alive.

[Douglas Robertson]

We would open this cafe.

[Becky Milligan]

And they'll call it Dougal's Kitchen and we would.

[Douglas Robertson]

Serve some of this food that we'd been dreaming up and it's only food.

[Lynn Robertson]

That we liked Food from Medis Farm.

[Becky Milligan]

And on the menu, a cup of.

[Douglas Robertson]

Coffee, a biscuit, steak and chips. Steak, egg and chips, shoulder of ham and salads. If it was cold, stew. If it was raining, stew with dumplings, hamburgers. You think about food all the time and your mind would never let up. Constantly reminding you of what you were missing out on. You see images of hot dogs with.

[Lynn Robertson]

Onions, roast beef, tomatoes on toast, cheese on toast. The thought. The thought of eating food again.

[Douglas Robertson]

Hot potatoes, got the ice cream. Donuts, definitely. All sorts.

[Lynn Robertson]

All sorts of things.

[Douglas Robertson]

Breadfruit, jelly, cold jelly, shimmering on a plate.

[Lynn Robertson]

Milkshakes, thick ice cream milkshakes.

[Douglas Robertson]

And they got more and more exotic.

[Lynn Robertson]

Crayfish from the Bahamas. That was a favorite. That was crab, lobster tails, red pepper soup in Jamaica. Oh, my God. All based around food.

[Becky Milligan]

That was Dougal's kitchen.

[Douglas Robertson]

That was the only highlight of the day, really. Your brain is so unfair to you.

[Becky Milligan]

A kind of torture, a fantasy. Or another way to survive.

[Douglas Robertson]

I was thinking about Dougal's kitchen suddenly. Oh, my God. Dad. Oh, please go. Hold on, everyone. The bottom just dropped out.

[Douglas Robertson (narration)]

It disappeared from under us.

[Douglas Robertson]

The raft was no more.

[Becky Milligan]

Now they've only got the three man dinghy. And there are six. 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 Volken Kizletug. 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.