BLAIR JOLLANDS (El Hula)
The London-based Kiwi singer-songwriter has one of the most thrilling and transformative weeks of his life sailing from Morocco to Cape Verde.
Where did you go and for how long?
Starting point was Agadir, a resort destination on Morocco’s southern Atlantic coast where I joined the crew on my brother Nigel and sister-in-law Veronica’s specialised high-latitude expedition yacht, Novara.
We were taking her to Cape Verde, 1200 nautical miles southwest, in a daring week-long East Atlantic crossing, destined for Mindelo, a lively, colourful Brazilianinfluenced port city on volcanic island São Vicente.
We set sail from Agadir on January 5 and arrived in Mindelo on January 13, which ended up becoming one of the most thrilling and transformative weeks of my life.
What was the occasion?
Novara’s mission is “connecting people to the impacts of climate change through science, education, art and adventure”, aimed at some of the world’s most remote coastal communities to document and advise on climate change impacts.
I joined them and two other seasoned sailors and adventurers – legendary Rev Bob Shepton, an 88-year-old Arctic explorer and mountaineer, and Novara’s former owner Steve Brown, for this leg of their oceanic voyage, which is ultimately headed to New Zealand.
Our passage was just one of many to help get her to the Americas and safely out of the way of the hurricane season.
Where did you stay?
On Novara. She’s a 60-foot, aero-rigged schooner – a safe, comfortable, goanywhere adventure vessel with plenty of room for all of us, very comfortable.
What was the best thing you saw?
The depth of star vision, so many incredible sunrises, sunsets, dolphin pods, breaching whales and stunning vistas along the way. Even when we hit the doldrums, the sheer volume of water 4000 metres above the ocean floor beneath us was humbling!
The best thing you did?
I found solace in the simplicity of daily routines
– cleaning, cooking and sailing – reflecting on life away from the digital world, and the mental and physical hustle of living in London.
The best thing you ate?
The food on board is mostly vegan. We stocked up at the local souk, filling our ship with delicious provisions of fresh food, herbs and spices from the local Berber markets. Four-thousand dirhams (NZ$620) later, and enough kai to sink a ship had me thinking we might drown but we won’t starve!
Any holiday hiccups/did anything go wrong?
Setting sail on January 5, we battled a 30-knot northerly, confronting threemetre swells and having to deal with the stark reality of life at sea. Eventually, my sea legs kicked in and we adjusted to the rhythm of the ocean. We had planned to stop in Western Sahara, but we decided to stay with the wind and avoid the heightened marine activity due to regional conflicts and just sail straight towards Cape Verde.
Share your top travel tip:
In retrospect, this sea voyage aboard Novara was a transformative experience for me, reaffirming the insignificance of humanity against the vast expanse of the ocean – so not so much a travel trip as a reminder to embrace adventure and cherish the moments of tranquillity amid the general tumult we can create in our lives.
Where to next?
Touring the United Kingdom and Europe before coming home to New Zealand to perform four solo shows.
El Hula featuring Blair Jollands plays Christchurch, Auckland, Kumeū, Warkworth, Napier, Hamilton, Raglan and Cambridge this April.
See: blairjollands.com/live
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM TOP
Blair Jollands and his ukulele at sea. Sailing the Novara.