About The Author.

Lancashire-born Carolyn experienced a difficult, dysfunctional childhood with a mentally unstable mother who neglected her three children and eventually left them to live with another man.

Years of lavish spending by his wife had left Carolyn’s father with a mountain of debt and the children suffered years of financial burden as he attempted to right the family’s finances.

Carolyn craved escape from her unhappy past and when aged 21 she met Raymond,  originally from Hong Kong, she felt he offered the chance of a new, exciting life.

Carolyn’s relationship with her mother was strained over the years but it finally exploded in a tumultuous row just before Carolyn and Raymond moved their family to Hong Kong in 1994 and they never spoke again.

Raymond embarked on a new career in investment banking as Carolyn met the needs of their three children.

But as the years passed and Carolyn and Raymond drifted apart she became depressed. After her beloved father died in 2000, Raymond suggested the family buy a yacht and Carolyn believed this new hobby would help heal their relationship.

Little did she realise sailing would ultimately drive them apart forever. Following the disaster on 31 December 2007 Carolyn, then 45 years old, ended her marriage and started her life afresh, retraining as a Counsellor and later as a Life Coach.

Carolyn married Purple X crewmate Martin in 2019 and the pair lived in Hong Kong until mid-2022. She said: ‘It was important to tell the story of the Purple X disaster in tribute to the brave seamen who risked their lives to save us, or it would be lost to the waves forever.’