nothing is sure in a sea fight above all.

[Eleanor CrEssy’s] husband was commander of the famous clipper ship Flying Cloud, and on more than one occasion contributed to the record-breaking passages of the ship. However, it was her pinpointing of the location of a drowning seaman that made her famous. The Flying Cloud was heading for Madagascar in heavy weather, and Mrs. Cressy was working at the chart table when she glanced through the porthole and saw a man in the sea… They searched the area where they thought he should be but failed to find him, and the captain concluded he was lost. Mrs. Cressy was not prepared to give up so easily. She knew the position he had gone overboard, and she worked out the direction of wind and tide and the drift of the ship…. Captain Cressy decided to send two boats out, and sure enough, they found the sailor at dusk exactly where she had calculated he would be. He was weak but still alive, and he was taken back to the ship, where he made a full recovery.