Deborah Scaling-Kiley's experiences are featured in Swimming with Sharks when she was aboard a luxury yacht that capsized in a storm.
Deborah is 48 years old, author of two books, a yoga instructor and an experienced sailor.
Have you fully recovered from the trauma of your experience?
I don’t know that I will ever completely recover from the horror of the sinking of The Trashman and the deaths of my three fellow crewmembers. However, writing my books and doing shows like Alive continue to help me along the way of healing.
Do you still sail?
I don’t do much sailing and really only because I am currently living quite far from the water. I did however return to sailing several months after the sinking. I did the Southern Ocean Racing Series in Florida the following year and then on to the Newport to Bermuda Race, to mention a few.
Has the experience changed you?
Survival of such an ordeal can have long-lasting psychological effects and it is imperative that you address them. I have had some counseling but I truly believe that putting down on paper the events and my feelings about them has been most cathartic. My book No Victims, Only Survival: Ten Lessons for Survival really addresses this issue in an in-depth way.
How often do you think about The Trashman?
It has been 24 years since the sinking of The Trashman and I still am reminded of it every day. Not haunted, just reminded. I am very thankful for each day of my life here on Earth.
Do you still see Brad?
I haven’t seen Brad in years and have only sailed with him once or twice since the sinking but we do still keep in touch on occasion.
Do you think it was mental attitude that helped you survive out there?
I do have a strong mental attitude but most importantly I feel like my ability to break the whole ordeal down into manageable pieces is what got me through. I believe that in life there quite often exists a wide gap between our realities and our expectations. That 'gap' is stress.
My reality was that I was lost in the Atlantic Ocean. My expectation was that I would not die. So I had to find a way to close the gap and I did it by breaking each day, each moment, each task, and each breath into something that was manageable. I hung in there just long enough to be rescued. I talk about this process at length in my new book.
Do you have advice for other survivors, or would-be adventurers?
My best advice to anyone in any survival situation is: never but never give up! There is always one more thing that you can do.
