Seven-Tenths

A disillusioned man and a blind oceanographer find love and adventure while studying the world's oceans.

In 1995, a mechanical engineer whose career and heart are adrift meets a blind oceanographer who spends much of her life at sea. Sailing the Arabian Sea as Amy's eyes, David Fisichella watches her adapt to progressive vision loss while he finds his own bearings, confronts the mysteries of ocean currents, survives an armed pirate attack, and learns what it means to be working for, and dating, the Chief Scientist.

This behind-the-scenes look into the life of an oceanographer will appeal to a diverse group of readers: sailors, people interested in how the ocean works and how it controls the Earth's climate, the vision-impaired community, those who like seagoing adventure stories, and anyone who likes to see a strong woman character. Fisichella explains complex ocean processes and how they are studied in clear, straightforward language, and enlivens the most mundane aspects of life at sea with gritty details, humor, and a refreshing sense of wonder about our oceans.

"A lost man finds his calling, and an oceanographer with dimming eyesight illuminates the dark sea. A dissatisfied engineer, David Fisichella, stumbles upon a life at sea. As Amy Bower, a scientist at a highly respected oceanographic research institution, loses her eyesight, her research increasingly reveals the workings of the ocean. An inspiring story of dedication, perseverance, courage, and love."--Deborah Cramer, author of Great Waters: An Atlantic Passage and Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water Our World

"Showing a genuine appreciation of the everyday struggles faced by a blind professional, David Fisichella recalls his early years with his colleague-wife, a blind oceanographer. His humorous accounts are mixed with poignant recollections as his wife's vision slowly but steadily deteriorates. More than once, I found myself thinking, ‘This guy really gets the blindness thing.' He gets the difference between being a first-hand observer and the recipient of a verbalized observation; between effortlessly navigating a familiar environment and being utterly stymied by a new one; and he gets that a reluctance to rely on others is not a lack of trust but a fear of losing control."--Judith M. Dixon, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress

"A fascinating and open window into the life of an ocean scientist.... [P]irates, exotic ports of call and unforgettable characters.... One woman who faces the challenges of disability and the glass ceiling and triumphs every day, to show that vision is more than eyesight and limits are just an horizon that beckons. The earth's surface is seven-tenths water, but Seven-Tenths is ten-tenths of a good read."--John K. Bullard, President, Sea Education Association, Woods Hole, Mass.

About the Author
David Fisichella manages shipboard scientific services at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Formerly an aerospace engineer, he started a company to provide adaptive technology to the blind. When his first marriage collapsed, he went to sea on a whim with a scientist who was rapidly losing her sight as a result of macular degeneration. David teaches sailing and skiing to the blind, and sails around New England with his wife and 8-year-old daughter.