The Watch That Kept Ticking: How She Survived Under a Hull

The Watch That Kept Ticking: How She Survived Under a Hull The shock: a mechanical watch, its leather strap stiff as dried bark and a storm-cloud-colored case, washed ashore with its second hand still moving - eleven days after its owner was listed as dead. How did a twenty-three-year-old captain survive under an overturned hull while a ticking watch turned up ninety miles from where she was found, and what decision eight months earlier set the chain in motion? In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from a routine run on Cabot Shoal Beach to the moment the watch's serial number pulled a canceled search back into focus. We follow the daily habits, maintenance logs, and a single course change that altered where rescuers looked - and ask how those choices enabled survival. Person: Peggy Bishop Date: January 29-February 9 Location: Port Salinas / Cabot Shoal Beach Vessel: Vera Lynn, 28-foot sloop Event: Bilge pump cycling every 11 minutes - The watch was found at the waterline on the morning of February 9 with a moving second hand and a leather strap "stiff as dried bark." - Peggy Bishop was listed as dead for eleven days before the watch suggested she might still be alive. - Peggy held a captain's license since age nineteen and was twenty-three at the time of the incident. - The Vera Lynn departed Port Salinas at 7:15 AM on January 29 with a planned destination of Marathon, 160 miles southeast. - The bilge pump cycled every 40 minutes at departure and increased to every 11 minutes by the afternoon of January 30, indicating water ingress. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].