In Gloucester, friends and family of the crew of the Andrea Gail learn that the ship is missing. They gather at the Crow’s Nest to drink. Bob Brown, the owner, hasn’t heard from his boat in over thirty-six hours. None of the other ships can raise her on the radio. The news media picks up the story, and the Coast Guard is called.

Meanwhile, the Air National Guard is called out to rescue a Japanese sailboat. A Coast Guard C-130 and an Air Guard H60 are deployed. On board the H60 is pararescue jumper John Spillane, who, like all PJs, has trained for eighteen months in one of the most grueling training courses in the United States military. Upon reaching the sailboat, the crew of the helicopter decides there’s no safe way to rescue the Japanese sailor; he will be safer in his boat, they say.

As the helicopter starts back to shore, a communications error fails to inform them of the approaching rain. As the helicopter tries to refuel in mid-air from the C-130, the rain hits, reducing visibility and making an already-difficult task impossible. The helicopter pilot cannot refuel, and they will soon run out, so he makes the decision to ditch into the ocean.