Robert Ray began his maritime career as an apprentice marine diesel engine mechanic. He went to school for marine mechanics while working on commercial marine vessels, including yachts, tuna and crab processors, fishing vessels, tug boats, and passenger car ferries. He sailed on tug boats as oiler, engineer, chief engineer, and then port engineer site safety health officer, overseeing maintenance and repairs on several vessels. He has been married for more than 47 years; he and his beloved wife have two wonderful children and three handsome grandsons. He and his wife currently live in Hawaii. He is a certified scuba diver who is passionate about protecting our oceans.
Darkness in the Light of Day
A True Survivor Story
by Robert Ray
Darkness in the Light of Day
A True Survivor Story
by Robert Ray
Published Apr 30, 2021
146 Pages
Genre: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs
Book Details
When Disaster Strikes, Every Second Matters…
As a young maritime professional in the 1980s, Robert Ray was always on the lookout for opportunity—he had a wife and two young children to provide for, and he was determined to keep climbing the ladder to financial stability and success. When he was offered a chief engineer position on the tug boat Eagle, which would cross the Gulf of Alaska, he jumped at the chance. Not only did it pay well, it was safer than working with fishing boats. “Tug boats don’t sink,” he confidently assured his bride. But destiny had an appointment with the Eagle, resulting in a horrifying tragedy with Ray as the lone survivor. This heartfelt memoir immerses the reader in the world of the Eagle and its crew, and takes you moment by moment through the ordeal that Ray survived due to incredibly quick thinking and the heroic efforts of the Coast Guard. Compelling, heartbreaking, and deeply honest, this story of endurance and courage in unthinkable circumstances will stay with you long after you turn the final page.