Joanie M by Ken Sieben

Joanie M is a story of a divorced couple, Joan and Walter Martin, who plan a three-week sailing cruise in the Chesapeake Bay as they consider another try at marriage and parenthood. They befriend a younger couple, Brandy and Alex, and agree to give them a sailing lesson. Joan is at first jealous of Brandy but soon discovers herself pleased by Alex’s attention and flattery. When tropical storm Emma is reported moving up the East Coast, they agree to switch partners and seek a sheltered anchorage. The boats become separated as the storm approaches. Joan and Walter both spend a frantic night looking for each other. Both must dig deep to find the resources that will prove them worthy of each other—and of themselves. The novel dramatizes the conflict between substance and form, love and sex, courage and cowardice, instinct and reason as it moves swiftly toward an exciting climax.