Family Shipwrecked in Alaska | The Cabin | 3

Against The Odds

Wondery

Cassie De Pecol, History, Society & Culture, Dolby, Mike Corey, Dolby Atmos, Atmos

4.7 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 22 April 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Elmo and his son Randy leave the girls behind, paddling ahead in their Sport-Yak to find help—but trouble continues to follow. Though they eventually reach the cabin, the CB radio doesn’t work, and as their frostbitten feet thaw, they can barely stand. Helpless, they spend days struggling to recover while miles away, Cindy and Jena remain alone on the freezing beach, without food or fire.

Pre-order your copy of the new Against the Odds book, How to Survive Against the Odds: Tales & Tips for Animal Attacks and Natural Disasters, for stories of everyday people confronted by life-or-death situations, showing you how they survived—and how you can too.

Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter

Listen to Against The Odds on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting http://wondery.com/links/against-the-odds/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Against the Odds early and ad-free right now.
0:05.6	Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.
0:10.0	A listener note, Against the Odds uses dramatizations that are based on true events.
0:15.3	Some elements, including dialogue, may be invented, but everything is based on research.
0:27.9	Thank you. dialogue may be invented, but everything is based on research. Elmo Wartman flails in the freezing water as he desperately reaches for the edge of the ice.
0:33.9	Just moments ago, he was leading the way along the snow-covered shoreline, ahead of his 15-year-old
0:39.3	son, Randy. But then, he unknowingly stepped onto thin ice and fell through. His impulse is to
0:46.7	climb out, but each time he tries to hoist himself onto the fragile surface, the ice cracks
0:52.5	and he plunges back into the frigid water.
0:54.8	Dad! Dad!
0:57.0	Randy is shouting from the beach, just 15 feet away.
1:01.2	His voice filled with fear and panic.
1:04.0	Elmo is a single father of four, and right now, the weight of that responsibility feels
1:09.2	heavier than the icy water threatening to pull him under.
1:12.6	He got his children into this mess, and he has to stay alive to get them out.
1:17.6	It's the evening of February 24, 1979, 10 days since a massive storm sank their sailboat
1:24.6	off the coast of southeastern Alaska.
1:26.6	Earlier this morning, Elmo left his daughters Cindy and Jenna six-mile south, huddled under
1:33.0	their sail on a remote beach.
1:35.1	The plan was for him and Randy to paddle ahead in their two-person dinghy to reach a friend's
1:39.4	cabin and returned with help in about three hours.
1:43.1	But the cabin was farther than Elmo expected.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Wondery, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Wondery and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.