Bridging the Gap From Land to Sea
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Woody taking the family into the Caves of Gozo in Malta
“A fragrant breeze wandered up from the quiet sea, trailed along the beach, and drifted back to the sea again. Wondering where to go next, on a mad impulse, it went up to the beach again. It drifted back to the sea.”
Woody’s Story
On the way home from work one day I stopped on a bridge overlooking the Leeds to Liverpool canal. It was 2002 and I was in my thirties. The internet was still in its infancy and years before the era of smartphones and social media. I had a cool, well paid, city centre job as a computer games artist with a funky metropolitan apartment to go with it. But for some reason I felt an inexpressible undercurrent of anxiety. Life just felt predictable, formulaic and well.. a bit boring.
As I was wallowing in my melancholy, a canal boat passed beneath. In the cockpit was a guy, no older than me, with a mug in one hand and tiller under his arm. He was able to slip his lines and move his self-sufficient, independent life on any time he chose without even spilling his tea.
I love the fact that the French call an orgasm, ‘La petite mort’ or ‘the little death’, because that’s exactly what a change of state is - a thrilling little death. And there is no contradiction in the fact that Kali, the Hindu goddess of destruction is also the goddess of change and the bestower of liberation.
That evening in the afterglow of my epiphytic, ‘little death’, I realised while I had consciously tried to build my entire life and career around certainty and stability, while my restless unconscious nature had been sabotaging steady jobs and relationships in the background in an effort to creative change and seek adventure.
The following week I quit. With a big mortgage, no job, no income, and no other master plan other than to do something different, I plunged into the unknown. It wasn’t with a sense of joy or frivolity either, it was with a liberating sense of determination to do something unusual with my life.
With no sailing experience, I took out a bank loan and signed up for a zero-to-hero sailing course.
Even then, my plans stretched only as far as the canal. I had no idea that one day, that canal would lead me down to the sea, over the horizon and around the world.. without ever spilling my tea!
Irenka’s Story
Irenka hard at work adjusting the sails onboard S/V Mothership
In the heart of London, amidst the rhythms of urban life, I found myself at a crossroads.
As a seasoned traveler, I had already explored and worked in the far corners of the globe, from Bhutan and Hong Kong to China and the Philippines, but had moved into drama and movement therapy on my return to the UK. I worked in hospitals and prisons across the city but my wanderlust simmered incessantly beneath the surface.
I had moved into a shared house with my then-boyfriend before doing what all sensible couples did at the time: buying a rundown old house and renovating it. But the walls of the old house, the corridors of hospitals and confines of prisons, while rich with human stories, were a stark departure from the open road. I yearned for freedom, travel and adventure again.
One evening, as the sun dipped low over the Thames, I stood on the South Bank, grappling with my internal dichotomy. Ships and barges glided along the river, sparking a dormant flame within me once again. The decision to forsake my established career was not one of recklessness but a response to the persistent call of the unknown.
With a heart alive with the spirit of adventure again, I quit my job, ended my relationship and, like an emigre of old, found a sailboat heading across the Atlantic to the Americas.
As the sails caught the wind and the boat glided over waves, I rediscovered the exhilaration of movement once again, echoing the rhythms of my wanderlust. Except this time, the open sea was my new frontier.
The decision to learn the art of sailing, mirrored the spontaneity of my earlier travels. I sailed the Atlantic three times before I found a sailing school on the south coast that would take me, offering a zero-to-hero course that unfolded like a new chapter in my ever-evolving life.
Sailing brought together the structured healing of the therapist and the boundless curiosity of the traveler. The open sea, expansive and ever-changing, mirrored the essence of my wanderlust, reminding me that the unconscious spirit of adventure never diminishes, regardless of what conscious path you choose in life.
This Week’s Suggestions
Each week we’ll also be offering three little suggestion to nudge you along your journey. We know having family means you have a busy life, so we’ve kept them sweet, simple and easily actionable.
Think about what truly matters to you and what you want to prioritise in your life. Determine if travel and adventure align with your core values and goals.
Connect with a community of like-minded families or couples who can provide valuable insights and support about your journey. There are many online.
Begin looking around your home with a minimalist mindset. How could you streamline your possessions and let go of unnecessary belongings?
That’s it for this week, next week we’ll be looking at how Irenka and I got together and turned your individual dreams into a collective reality.
See you next time.
“A Fragrant Breeze..”
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