Steven Callahan is a renowned American sailor, author, and survival expert, born in 1944. He has spent most of his life "messing about in boats," starting at the age of 10 when he helped his brothers build small barges. By 12, he was sailing out of sight of land, and by his teenage years, he was teaching himself boat design and celestial navigation.
As an adult, Callahan built boats before transitioning to boat design, teaching, and writing about the marine world. He has lived aboard for five years, raced offshore, captained boat deliveries, and sailed over 80,000 miles, mostly shorthanded and on unusual craft.
Callahan is particularly known for his survival story, which inspired his New York Times bestseller, "Adrift: Seventy Six Days Lost at Sea." In 1982, he lost his boat and spent two and a half months drifting about 2,000 miles across the Atlantic, learning to survive like an "aquatic caveman." This experience has been adapted for stage and radio.
Callahan's approach to survival focuses on the common stages of survival, successful strategies, and how challenges can serve as opportunities. He believes that life will step on our toes, but we can learn to enhance our chances of survival and gain from the experience.
Throughout his life, Callahan has continued to voyage offshore, logging 80,000 mostly trouble-free miles. He is drawn to wilderness environments and unusual voyages, accepting that anything worth doing is usually more difficult and time-consuming than imagined.
Callahan views boats, sailing, and material life as tools to link us with the conceptual, philosophical, and spiritual. He believes that venturing in the wilderness is good survival training, and the sea is the world's greatest wilderness.
His writings, talks, illustrations, and other work have been widely acclaimed, including his books "Adrift" and "Capsized." He has contributed to numerous books, magazines, and media outlets, and has been featured in scores of media venues worldwide.
Callahan has also worked as a writer, consultant, equipment tester, and designer, and has been involved in various projects, including a film adaptation of Yann Martel's novel "Life of Pi." He has been profiled on numerous programs aired in the U.S. via the Discovery, History, and Biography Channels.
Callahan is married to Kathleen Massimini, a nurse, author, and editor, and they have shared many adventures together, including sailing and building a home from scratch.
