When a sailor overcomes crushing adversity, there's a massive sense of accomplishment.

One day that same year, I told my dad that someday, I would sail around the world alone.

I was so thankful that my parents trusted me enough and had enough faith in my abilities to let me follow my passion and try to do something great, even if I might fail.

Terror ripped through me as I was falling, falling, falling toward the sea.

The winds were blowing from west to east, pushing Abby's boat toward the rocks as Abby struggled with the autopilots below. If Wild Eyes reached those islands, she wouldn't run aground, keel in the sand. She would be smashed into pieces.

I wanted to break the record, of course, and become the youngest person to sail around the world solo and unassisted.

On June 10, the worst storm in the series swept across the middle of the Indian Ocean and Wild Eyes was directly in its path.