Boating it from Barcelona to Antigua

It wasn't all plain sailing across the Atlantic for GAIL MacALLISTERand her young boys but it was the adventure of a lifetime and full of surprises

WE'RE BACK from the adventure of a lifetime, having sailed 4,000 nautical miles over two-and-a-half months. Barcelona to Gibraltar, along the African coast to Gran Canaria, then across the Atlantic to Antigua on board Cypraeaour 23.5-metre sailing boat.

My first sailing adventure was at the age of 25 – I had no sailing experience and decided to hitch across the Atlantic, then around the Caribbean. It changed my life and gave me the drive to bring the joy of sailing to many others. My husband, Niall MacAllister, and I set up West Cork Sailing Powerboating Centre, on the Beara Peninsula in 1998 and have been providing sail training in dinghies, keelboats and yachts for sailors aged five to 85 over the years.

In 2010 we decided to put our necks out and borrow to buy Cypraea, a large sail training vessel. Her first challenge was to sail the Atlantic with my family, so we could share that amazing sense of freedom and achievement that I had felt many moons ago.

Our challenge was to get organised. I sat up in bed many a night making list after list of supplies needed to be safe and happy: emergency medical needs like adrenalin, antibiotics and sutures; food (enough lentils for eight people for over two months – that’s a lot of lentils); and Santa’s visit – the most important list of all.

Cypraeais a big boat, so we were going to need help sailing her. I posted a message on Facebook asking friends if anyone would like to join us on our adventure. Within an hour we had four ex-customers reply to say they were up for it. A crew of eight were ready for the challenge: my boys, Rory (11) and Oisin (9), myself, Niall (my husband and skipper), Fionnuala Harvey, Noel Phair, Fiona Harrington and Krzysztof Drobinski. We had a good strong crew.

Cypraeawas berthed in Barcelona and we all flew out to buy the lists that got longer and longer each day and prepare for our great adventure. The search for a variety of long life options in Spain wasn't easy: the choices for powdered milk were baby milk or Kerrygold. We went for Kerrygold, which made the thought of having to use powdered milk more comforting!

Messages we received before departure ranged from “good luck” and “wish I was coming” to “I’ll pray for you everyday” and “are you being irresponsible?” We felt as safe crossing the Atlantic as we do motoring along today’s busy roads. The support from family and friends was fantastic and gave us faith in our decision to go. The principal at my boys’ school was extremely supportive and presented the lads with sketch pads and pencils to keep a diary of their adventure.

School books were scanned, copy books packed and pencils sharpened for school work at sea. The boys took the adventure in their stride: their only worry was “mum’s going to teach us, what does she know?” I will admit the long division did take some delving back into the deepest depths of my memory, but it came back and we were soon making up calculations for the fun of the puzzle.

Biology was an easy one as we took a good look at the intestines of a mid-Atlantic fish catch – Rory wasn’t too keen on eating fish that night! Geography? Well, taking a log every three hours for two months and plotting it on the charts was enough to learn about latitude and longitude that’s for sure. Currencies, languages, customs and cultures that we experienced along the way all added to the wealth of their education – and mine.

The layout of Cypraeabelow decks provided a spacious living environment for everyone, so there was always a corner to find on your own and spacious dining areas below and above decks to enjoy team dinners.

The galley is enormous, but cooking at a 45-degree angle in a rolling Atlantic swell was something of a challenge as you are flung from one side of the galley to the other. When Rory decided to bake a cake the angle of sailing that day meant a rather lopsided cake – yummy all the same though.

As fresh fruit, vegetables and meats ran out after the first week, we became incredibly creative with lentils, saucisson and sweetcorn. It was hard to make it look appetising, but it always tasted delicious and tinned peaches became a precious commodity on board. We caught a few fish on the way and they were a welcome break from the mundane diet of tins and dried goods. Not to mention the sheer excitement of the hunt, we did lose a few big ones as our lines were not strong enough.

Christmas Day was a great success and Santa even managed to find us out in the mid-Atlantic, much to the boys’ delight. In preparation for his arrival they learnt to sew and made their own stockings in anticipation of them being filled with goodies. Roast turkey wasn’t possible on the day, but a jar of cranberry sauce to liven up the salami and packet of cheesy nibbles made up for it. Our Christmas tree was drawn on bits of paper and pinned up for the boys to draw the decorations on and gifts appeared below our “tree” that night. However, the swell in the night sent them all flying round the cabin. I remember lying in my bunk trying to catch a few hours sleep and listening to the pile of gifts flying from one side of the main saloon to the other.

With 1,000 nautical miles to go, the scorching sun was making it hard to think and the wind died down to nothing, so it was time to take a deep water dip. We tied fenders on two lines to the pushpit (the rails at the back of the boat) and threw them off the stern. This was for safety so everyone had something to hold on to if needed. Oisin dived in without hesitation: it seemed to take an eternity for his little body to bob back up from the deep blue – my heart paused, I’m sure. To them this swim was the highlight of the crossing – the fear of over 4km of water beneath them and no land for over 1,000 miles gave them a huge adrenalin high and an immense sense of freedom. I will always remember their faces as they came back on deck. They grew up so much in those few seconds.

Marine life was all around us every day and we never tired of sighting fish, mammals or sea birds. When the dolphins joined us to play on the bow it felt like they were coming to entertain us, as they flipped and swirled on the bow for hours at a time.

We were also lucky to have a family of minke whales follow us for much of the journey. Screams of delight spread across the decks each time they joined us, playing with the swell on our stern and swimming under the boat. They would swim alongside and roll over on their sides to look at us – it was wonderful.

Shimmering schools – or are they flocks? – of flying fish would skim across the ocean. Some unlucky ones landing on the deck at night. Imagine: I would be on night watch, with a sky full of stars for company, and suddenly a fish with wings flies through the air to land with a thud next to me flipping and flapping to find water again. I would have to suppress my screech to avoid waking the others below.

One night I was lying in my bunk and could hear new noises I didn’t recognise and, suffering from sleep deprivation, my mind started to question why I was here in the mid-Atlantic, miles from civilisation and any form of help with my baby boys. I looked down on the floor where they were sleeping – it was more comfortable for them there due to the constant rocking – and I stared at the length of their legs. They are too short, I thought to myself, they have to grow longer, they must become men, I shouldn’t have brought them, why am I here? The panic that I was out here with my precious boys rushed through me and had me physically shaking.

I reminded myself how safe Cypraeawas and convinced myself that the new noise was probably always there. I touched the side of her hull and felt her strength with the sea on the other side and this brought security. I was overtired and fell back to sleep.

Waking up for the 6am shift, watching the sun rise and fill the horizon, saying good morning to that day’s pod of dolphin visitors and then seeing my little men come on deck with sleepy smiles all settled my worries and they didn’t return again.

This adventure sail involved disturbed sleeping patterns, new discoveries, stamina, patience, hard grind, understanding of others and so much more. On our return to Ireland and all the creature comforts of home – running water, wow! – I have discovered that the boys have changed. They are more independent, stronger (mentally and physically), more tolerant of new situations and of each other and more helpful. The adventure has brought the boys so much more than the excitement of dolphins, whales and big seas. It has opened up their minds to the world around them and they appreciate it more now.

- Cypraeais a 23.5-metre steel sloop and is available for sail training around Ireland this summer. Prices for five days sail training for teenagers in July are €350, and €450 for adults in August. Groups can also book Cypraea.

- westcorksailing.com or see facebook.com/sailtrainingireland or sailtraininginireland.blogspot.com