A tough decision to make

So 24,000 miles and two years and nine months later Adina has reached Malaysia and we find ourselves at a crossroad. In fact it’s not a crossroad, it’s a three-way junction. Each of those roads is signposted ‘Home, London, England’. And despite the fact that we do love life in London with all of our family and friends there, they are words that make us a little sad. Without doubt we’ve been on the most incredible adventure of our lives and it’s hard to think it’s nearing the end – but we have to make a decision.

Which way home?

Each of those signs has another sign under it which is of course different. The first one says ‘Sail via the Red Sea and Mediterranean’, the second one says ‘Ship from Thailand to Turkey and then sail’, and the third one says ‘Sail around the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa’.

Timewise, the first two mean we’d be home this time next year, the third one will extend us six months beyond that.

So Susie and I are looking at the signs and weighing up the pros and cons of each.

There are family and friends to consider. The few friends we have told are supportive saying ‘If you can do it, go for it, you are living the dream’. For family it is not so easy, some of them would like us home.

There are also careers to think about but as someone wisely said if you’ve been gone three years, four years isn’t going to make a big difference. We both know we will have to take a step backwards in our careers but we’ll come back fighting and get up that ladder. Tom has twice taken career breaks before and proven it can be done and we have sailing friends who have done it this year.

Repair it

What about our will power? We have questioned ourselves and continue to question ourselves. While there’s no doubt this is an incredible experience it is a lot of hard work, you have to endure certain hardships. Perhaps we won’t get much sympathy here but it is something we have to factor in. Running a yacht is like running an ongoing project. There is always something to work on, it can be depressing how things you have spent good money on fail repeatedly. It’s rather like being at home and something goes wrong each and every week; this week it’s the washing machine, next you find the television volume won’t work, then the boiler goes, your iron will only operate on the top temperature just as you really need it and so the list goes on. One key difference is that we have to find ways to fix most of it ourselves; it wears you down sometimes but we keep fighting. We’ve learnt a lot, and we keep learning.

There’s the ongoing research – where to go, when, formalities, weather etc. Think of when you go on your annual two week holiday, you spend a fair amount of time researching and planning it – we are always doing it and it takes time. Luckily, we enjoy it, we consider ourselves pretty good at it.

The high deck light and siren we installed on Adina

And of course there is the sailing and living in the confined space of a boat. We’ve come to realise sailors are a hardy bunch – they put up with a lot, they don’t complain, they crack on. It’s always hot, there are always bugs, you have to source provisions in strange places, eat unfamiliar things, work out how everything operates but we enjoy it. Many will do one ocean crossing and they are done. We’ve now done two ocean crossings and many long passages. Yes it can be tough, yes it’s little fun when the sea is throwing us all over the place, yes we can feel seasick. But give us a day with fair winds and good seas and it’s just the most wonderful feeling, Adina’s bows slicing through the seas, a fish out the back waiting to be hauled in. Sheer sensory pleasure.

People always ask us about security. It’s no different to any other travel – there are risks and we do all we can to eliminate them. We research and we avoid trouble spots. If we’re unsure of an anchorage we lock everything up and we have bright deck lights and a siren to scare off the baddies. We engage with the local communities we anchor near. If it’s not your day, it’s just not your day – just work on reducing the risk.

All of this we can handle – been there, know there will be more, it’s part of the package, it makes it all more rewarding. Nothing beats arriving in a new spot having worked hard on all the aspects of getting there and that gin and tonic sundowner tastes so much better.

There are always new friends to be made…

So what about those road signs? ‘Sail via the Red Sea and Mediterranean’ is what we had always hoped to do. There are countries we’d love to visit in the Red Sea. When we left home in 2013 the Somalian pirates had ruled out this route and we hoped (as did the likes of Jimmy Cornell) that come 2016 this route would be open and safe again. Last year several yachts went this way, in the last two years there have been no incidents involving yachts. It’s likely more will try this route this coming year. But it’s still risky, some go with armed escorts. We always remember talking to Lu Heikell who writes cruising guides and we discussed travelling to remote destinations. She said 90% of the time you will be fine, but if it goes wrong, it can go horribly wrong.

‘Ship using Sevenstar Yacht Transport from Thailand to Turkey and then sail home’. This was always our original plan if piracy was still an issue. Sadly it means no true circumnavigation – we’d probably do enough miles but it’s still not the same. The risks are certainly lower but the rewards for us having sailed the Mediterranean are also less. On the upside, it would be great to host family and friends as we wind our way homeward. It would get us home quicker and is probably the safest option.

Adina in action doing what she loves most

‘Sail around the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa’ is the toughest option but it has the highest reward factor. Since the Somalian piracy issue has arisen many have chosen to go around the bottom of Africa. Initially they did it as fast as possible and many described it as a ‘delivery leg’. Now more are exploring a different route. Thailand/Malaysia to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Chagos and then on to either the Seychelles or Mauritius and Reunion, down to Madagascar and on to South Africa. Yachts doing this new route are pooling efforts, sharing information, sailing in company and even have Facebook groups to support each other in their endeavours. The numbers are increasing, last year it was estimated 40-50 set off to do this route, more are expected this year. The sailing is tougher, it would be the toughest part of our trip so that means having your boat in good order. Security has to be thought through too. South Africa in particular has known crime issues but it’s largely a local thing and not aimed at tourists; like anywhere else, think about what you are doing, and avoid trouble.

So right now we stand looking up at those signs, we talk to each other, we research, we talk to other people, we test ourselves. Take the easy route home or take on a bit more adventure. The clock is ticking.