Sydney

Adelaide

Perth

4am

12pm

6pm

Michael, Mum, Dad, Stella

I continued to look for Stella on deck – I shouted her as loud as I could. I tried to make out her shape through the pitch blackness of the night. I remembered that she hadn’t got her harness on and a wave of panic washed over me… what if she had washed overboard again? Mum would kill me if she knew. I knew had to find her before either of them heard the commotion I was making up on deck. Then I remember seeing her, I was so relieved! For some reason, Stella still wouldn’t come to me, I tried to entice her in with Eddie’s football but it was no use. All of a sudden, there was a whip of strong wind and I knew instantly I should not have left the wheel.

July 28

High

North West

20 mph

Calm

Cloudy

20 degrees

Stormy showers

6am

Half full

Michael

The boat instantly lunged to the side and my ball rolled overboard, I tried to hang on so that I didn’t do the same. I was so so angry with Stella, why was she even up here? What was she barking at? She had caused me to lose my favourite ball, it meant so much to me. I decided to just grab Stella by the collar and drag her, she was reluctant to move so I placed my arms around her and swooped her up. I could hear the wind roar loudly above me in the sails, I remember thinking: this is silly, you haven’t got your life jacket on. The boat veered violently and I was thrown sideways. With my arms full, I had no chance to hang on, I was immersed in the ice-cold of the ocean before I could stop myself.The lights of the Peggy Sue faded away and left me in darkness, alone. I shouted and shouted but no-one came, my thoughts then drifted to the sharks cruising the black waters beneath me, already searching me out – homing in on me. I trod water, frantically searching the impenetrable darkness beneath me, for something to swim towards. There was nothing…