One of life’s pleasures is to support others as they tackle their dreams and remotely sweep you aboard to share both triumph and disaster.

For some reason I seem to attract dreamers and so have a gaggle of what we call ‘our chickens’ across the globe. All inspiring and motivating in equal measure.

Last year Adriano and Marissa sailed into Fowey on their new Garcia 45 Exploration. They had been in constant contact as they prepared for delivery and had come to one of our Garcia Blue Water seminars.

On delivery of their boat I spent a day on board covering all aspects of bluewater cruising before an afternoon’s masterclass on the water. Opting for a free-flying Parasailor, I realised they hadn’t ordered a spinnaker pole. It’s not for me to insist, but in this instance I was pretty forthright.

Too late to be supplied in France, I shook my contacts down and managed to design and pull together a system which was fitted in Fowey. On a dark November evening I quickly ran through deployment and benefits of a poled-out headsail; stable, low centre of effort and easy sail reduction from the cockpit.

The following morning they set sail for distant horizons, quickly falling in love with the system as they settled into ocean sailing.

Thanks to Starlink we were able to stay in touch and it was great to watch them blossom. With time and miles the tone of our communications evolved from advice to following their adventure, which seemed to have no ceiling. In Fowey they were talking about the Northwest Passage with bright-eyed naivety, but this soon fell away to be replaced by a steely determination that focused on bridging knowledge gaps.

Incredibly, a year after that cuppa in Fowey they crossed the Atlantic and sailed up the eastern seaboard to Newfoundland where they were joined by another couple. Completely invested, I watched them set sail for Greenland and take on the menacing vagaries of the NW passage.

Overcoming all barriers Voyager became the 186th yacht to sail the NW passage since Amundsen’s historic breakthrough in 1903-06.

Along the way they watched a narwhal give birth alongside, tracked polar bears, wrestled with ice as they tried to push through a number of choke points and added their name to what must be one of the remotest visitors’ books that started with Amundsen and captured other luminaries, such as Skip Novak.

They endured and enjoyed severe cold, fog and wind for 6,186 miles from Newfoundland to Kodiak, rising to a multitude of challenges from pack ice to a bloom of jellyfish that blocked the engine inlet. All the time sharing this remarkable experience through multimedia and continual WhatsApp messages.

Their amazing adventure concluded with winterising Voyager in Alaska and a flight home to family and friends. In a year, from being shown how to pole out a headsail in Fowey, they have sailed 16,000 miles.

On returning to Europe we had the pleasure of hosting them at this year’s Blue Water Seminar where they inspired and educated the next batch of chickens about to be let out of the coop in their quest to discover what works for them.

That to me is the point, for there is no right or wrong when it comes to the absolute freedom of bluewater sailing. The template is yours to set, and so it is fascinating to watch completely differing approaches evolve, all delivering the life affirming experience that Tracey and I found during our two and half years on Pearl of Penzance.

A case in point, at the other end of the spectrum, is another couple who find somewhere that they are attracted to and immerse themselves into the local community for months at a time. In three years they have sailed up to Norway to overwinter, crossed to Scotland to once again overwinter and are now strapping down in Falmouth for their third winter.

They started as novices and discovered their own approach. You couldn’t find a happier and more fulfilled pair of couples if you tried.

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