The geometric impact of the 9/11 event blossoms beyond NYC, The Pentagon and the lonely fields of Pennsylvannia. Parents, Wives, Husbands, Children, Siblings, Friends, Neighbors, and Workmates connect in an incredible linking of humanity. We are all in a sense victims, or more properly, we share in a small way, the suffering. We share this rip in the fiber of humanity. We share our human condition. There is anger, vengance and perhaps in time forgiveness and peace. Sailors believe it is unlucky to change the name of a boat. Placebo was the fourth name. The sailboat Placebo was a 47-year old derelict when Michael Collins discovered her and brought her back to life. In many ways, Placebo would repay the favor in similar fashion. The Baltimore Catechism offers that the sacrament of Extreme Unction more commonly referred to as the Last Rites (the Placebian rites) are given to someone in immediate danger of death. It adds the remark, "...Giving comfort and solace to the soul and sometimes to the body." The medical use of the definition, Placebo, is derived from the healing effects of personal solace. The sugar pill is a venue to seduce the body into relief. The healing comes from within. Nothing in Michael Collin's experience had prepared him for his life became after September 11, 2001. His wife, Linda and daughter, Beth were visiting New York City to celebrate her "Sweet 16" birthday. Like almost 3,000 others they were guilty of nothing more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time, they were never found. Michael's world is rearranged and disorienting. His sense of loss immediately flowers to guilt. The pain of his loss and guilt encapsulates him. The primal survival defense mechanism of flight eventually takes over. He runs away. The Placebo becomes both his escape capsule and life boat. It becomes his sugar pill. Michael attempts his escape into the back water, off the beaten path, outposts in the Caribbean Islands. He drifts across a palette of exquisite deserted coves and beaches populated by an eclectic cast of characters. He meets Jenni who offers him his first toe hold toward recovery offering him a future. A late season hurricane rolls off the African desert and careens toward a rendezvous with the Placebo. The ultimate challenge to any single-handed sailor- an open ocean confrontation with one of nature's most formidable creations is a nightmare from which few of the dreamers survive. His suspense filled struggle and ultimate survival leaves him with closure to his personal tragedy. Fashioned in the shadow of Pat Conroy, in the settings of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt stories and in a tone of Stuart Woods, Placebo transports Michael through his own tragedy, the acceptance of his own humanity, and finally the rebirth of love. Placebo is not just a 911 story. It is a story of the human condition - love, loss, repair and growth.