22
ALL AT SEA MAY 2018
FOLLOWING A DREAM An unplanned pregnancy is not the greatest way to build on a dream to sail the world, but it worked for ren a ri n and lan oody ood.
I
renka and I met while working as flotilla skippers for Neilson Active Holidays. We lived on gyros, beer and good times. We shacked up on various boats and islands around Greece and Croatia and were constantly skint, but life was easy-going, fun and wonderfully irresponsible. But when those two little red lines confirmed Irenka was pregnant our life was about to change, and a return to the UK was inevitable. But not before we had made a pact. We promised one another that no matter what the near future would bring, one day we would sail the world together. An unlikely aspiration for a couple of jobless, hopeless dreamers with a child on the way.
The family have left the rat race and are in charge of their own destiny once again
Private shared ownership can be a great route to ownership, but ensure there is a binding agreement
ALTERNATIVE LIFE
But dreamers can be obstinate people, and although the carefree lifestyle fell by the wayside in the intervening years, the dream smouldered below the surface. It saw us through difficult times in our relationship and gave us a focus and a financial discipline during the chaos of family life, renovating houses and embarking on business startups of varying success. Although we had our hands full, we kept our heads in the clouds and our feet in the sea. We ran an RYA training centre for a number of years and Irenka crewed for the RNLI. She also become the first female beach lifeguard coxswain in Brighton. I tried and failed to reignite a career in the computer games industry so began making industrial style furniture instead. We rented out rooms through AirBnB, sold furniture and crafts through Etsy and became real gig economy advocates. It has to be said that living in Brighton also imbues one with - how can I put this - a somewhat ‘alternative’ outlook on life. We are not particularly superstitious people, but we took the placenta of each child (yup, we had another two!) out to sea and ritually sacrificed it over the side to Poseidon with a drop of rum along with our hopes for the future.
Their 20-year-old yacht is now their much-loved home as well as school and workplace Irenka and Woody are sharing their liveaboard dream with their children Rowan, Darroch and Yewan
LUCKY CHILD?
Having a third child rarely puts a spring in the step of parents, but our youngest was born with a caul (a piece of the amniotic sac still attached to a newly born baby’s head or face). In medieval times it was believed these lucky children would be protected from death by drowning and their cauls were highly prized by sailors who paid high prices for them and took them to sea as a talisman for protection. Although I said we are not particularly superstitious people, it felt like a kick up the scuttlebutt, so we committed ourselves to our dream with renewed vigour. Our first boat buying attempt in early 2017 nearly ended in disaster. We had saved for more than a decade and finally made an offer on a catamaran anchored in the BVIs, listed by a reputable broker. We commissioned a survey, transferred the requisite deposit through a large trusted bank, then somehow our money disappeared. After 12 frantic weeks of desperation and increasingly shrill communications,
You can follow what the family gets up to in their life afloat online
the email from the Yacht Brokers Association of America seemed to confirm our worst fears: “There are many incidents of wire transfer hacking [when buying boats in the Caribbean] where monies have been fraudulently directed to offshore accounts with no chance of recovery. We have no legal authority in this matter.”
DREAM CONTINUES
Then suddenly and inexplicably, the deposit popped back into our bank account barely a week before hurricane Irma trashed every single boat in the anchorage. Maybe it was luck or maybe Poseidon came up trumps after all, but our dream survived by the narrowest of margins.
The trials and tribulations that led us from there to finally setting sail are too numerous to mention, but we are now the owners of a fine 1997, 53’ Amel Super Maramu in Greece and are finally realising our dream. Even though we live on a budget that would be a struggle for most families in the western world, we have exited the rat race for a second time and own our destiny once again. There are obviously a few ‘adaptations’ to be made with young kids in tow. YouTube has become indispensable for homeschooling, maintenance videos and blogging (when we can pick up WiFi) and Minecraft seems as much a part of a child’s life today as Lego was in our day.
Woody and Irenka are currently in Greece living aboard their 1997 53’ Amel Super Maramu - SV Haddock with their three children, Rowan 11, Darroch 8 and Yewan 5. This year they plan to sail the Mediterranean before heading across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and beyond. Their YouTube channel - Mother Ship Adrift - was listed in the top 20 best sailing channels on the Internet by feedspot.com. By sharing their experiences, they hope to inspire others to take a step into the unknown and follow their dreams - whatever they may be. Follow them through their social media channels opposite:
However, we are living proof that selling up and sailing away is not just the preserve of wealthy retirees, but an achievable goal, even for families with young children. For sure, it is hard work. We have earned every rivet, bolt and split pin on our yacht with blood, sweat, tears and sheer determination. Our yacht may be 20-years-old and she may be in need of restoration and constant repair, but she is now our family home, our school, our workplace and the key to a lifestyle we promised ourselves, all those years ago. Of course we miss our family and friends back home in the UK, but if life’s journey is like writing a book, we want the opening lines of our children’s lives to lay the foundation for an epic odyssey. An unplanned pregnancy may not be the most stable foundation on which to build a dream, but castles in the air and ships on the sea, do not travel very far on terra firma. Next month we will discover more about the family’s life in Greece PATREON: www.patreon.com/ mothershipadrift Contributions to the video blog budget greatly appreciated YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/c/ mothershipadrift Vlogs and mini vlogs from on board the boat INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/ mothershipadrift Photos of the boat, the crew and other sailing families and characters FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/ mothershipadrift Updates and photos - as often possible - from the boat WEBSITE: Coming soon!