Novice sailors’ epic voyage
Abby Sanford and Rohan Honson-Morris had no sailing experience but it didn’t put them off a crossAtlantic odyssey, writes
Their adventure came close to capsizing one night when, sailing through thick fog, Rohan noticed a flicker of light on their port side and ran to the helm to investigate. Seeing they were about to plough into a big rusty fishing boat, he jammed Inspire into reverse, narrowly preventing them seriously damaging, if not losing, their yacht.
A blissful three weeks cruising around the Canary Islands calmed their nerves ahead of the ‘‘big crossing’’ from Cape Verde to Barbados, a distance of 900 nautical miles. Aside from a few rain storms with strong winds and some largish swells, they were blessed with blue skies most days.
Barbados turned out to be their favourite destination, perhaps in part because it greeted them with turtles after 15-and-a-half days at sea.
That and the fact they soon discovered the Mt Gay rum distillery and New Zealand-made Tiki pies on store shelves.
‘‘Barbados is everything and more. The people are very friendly, the scenery is picturesque, it’s easy and cheap to explore the island and the water is stunning,’’ Abby says.
The sailing proved challenging at times, but they figured things out through trial, error and perseverance.
‘‘Sailing is one of those sports where you are always learning, so we just gave everything a go and, if we did things wrong, people would let us know or we learnt from our mistakes,’’ Abby says.
The scariest leg was a night sail between Barbados and St Lucia, when they were buffeted by 30-knot winds and three-metre swells which created a resounding boom when the waves broke under the deck.
‘‘I hid downstairs half the night and we both had no sleep,’’ Abby says.
While nerve-racking, they arrived in St Lucia four hours ahead of schedule, with a greater understanding of what both they and Inspire could weather.
They spent four weeks in the Caribbean, enjoying a lifestyle that was at once luxurious – they spent their days indulging their inner water babies and discovering the hidden corners and cultures of the islands they visited – and down-toearth.
‘‘When you are sailing you are always on a budget so you get to experience more of the everyday life of the places you are visiting.’’
Now back in New Zealand, they are working hard to save for their next sailing adventure, which will take them from the British Virgin Islands to Aotearoa via the Panama Canal and Pacific Islands. Perhaps unsurprisingly for a pair who seem to have sea water in their veins, they have decided that sailing is the way to travel.
‘‘The sense of pride that comes from knowing that you have sailed there makes the country more enjoyable.
‘‘Also you get to learn more about the culture of each country because you have to live and shop like they do. I love it because you meet so many incredible people.’’