Cancer survivors to sail around Britain in 4 month marathon effort

Alan & Geraldine Sinfield at Croabh Haven near Oban © Alan & Geraldine Sinfield

Alan & Geraldine Sinfield at St Helier © Alan & Geraldine Sinfield

A Northamptonshire couple who were recently diagnosed with cancer are planning to sail around Britain to raise money for charity.

Alan Sinfield and his wife Geraldine, from Polebrook, near Oundle intend to pilot their 34-foot Bavaria yacht called Tante Helena around the mainland, which is expected to take approximately four months.

The pair hope to raise £10,000 for The Urology Foundation, the only charity in the UK that covers all urological conditions, including prostate, bladder, testicular and kidney cancer.

The Foundation funds research to develop better diagnoses and treatments of urological diseases and trains surgeons in the latest techniques such as robotic laparoscopy.

It is a charity dear to their hearts as Alan was diagnosed with prostate cancer and testicular cancer in 2013. Earlier this year Geraldine was diagnosed with bladder cancer.

Their diagnoses were all the more upsetting as Alan lost his first wife Wendy to cancer in 2002 and Geraldine's first husband Ian also died from the disease four years later.

The boat will leave Shotley Marina, near Ipswich, on 3rd June.

Alan, 71, said: "I took up sailing in my early 60s and love it because of the incredible sense of freedom. When you put the sails up and turn the engine off all you have is the sound of water trickling past the hull and an amazing feeling of calmness, of peace.

"I wanted to do something big before I pack up sailing and have a real adventure in my own boat. There are so many beautiful places in the UK that we have not visited and when you approach them from the sea it is so different. Sailing means you can explore the island in a very special and unique way."

The 2,000 mile journey will see the boat, which sails at about five miles an hour, stop at approximately 40 different places.

Alan and Geraldine have sailed to Holland and the Channel Islands in the boat but nothing close to this distance.

They will cook, eat and sleep on their vessel but hope to explore some of the beautiful places they visit.

Alan said: "This trip will test my navigation skills to their limit. We will be going to many places we've not been before, doing our best to avoid rocks, sand and mud banks. There are a couple of long legs of 24 hours or more including a 140 mile crossing over the Irish Sea. I am looking forward to that as well as being aware of the dangers of an open sea crossing."

The past 18 months have been challenging for the couple, following their cancer diagnoses.

Alan discovered he had prostate cancer after noticing blood in his urine a few days before Christmas in 2012.

"I thought 'Whoa, what is that?'" he said. "I was extremely worried. I had examinations and scans before the doctor broke the news to me. Geraldine was with me and we were both expecting it but it was still a shock and very upsetting to be told: 'You have cancer.'

"My main concern was for Geraldine, not myself, because she had been through it all before with Ian, who fought non hodgkins lymphoma for 12 years. We had only been married for three years and there were so many things we wanted to do. It didn't seem fair.

"Of course it also brought back memories of my first wife Wendy. She was 57 when she died and we had been married for 37 years – our daughter Rebecca was 21 and half way through university when her mum died. It was a desperately difficult time for all of us. I was worried about telling Rebecca my news but I knew I had to do it straight away."

Alan had a radical prostatectomy which proved successful and went on holiday to Greece with Geraldine to celebrate. But in October he found a lump in his left testicle.

"I couldn't believe it," said Alan. "I felt really angry and I didn't know what to expect. The reality was not as bad as the initial thoughts of what might change though."

Alan had an operation followed by chemotherapy. Treatment was successful and the couple thought they had put their ordeal behind them.

Then, in January this year, Geraldine was diagnosed with bladder cancer after spotting blood in her urine – a very common symptom.

Alan said: "She told me that she had found blood and that she was scared. Tests revealed she had a tumour in her bladder. It felt like one thing after another. We both wondered 'how much time do we have left together?'"

Geraldine had surgery and one dose of chemotherapy. Both will now be checked regularly to be sure the cancers have not returned. The couple say their ordeals have brought them even closer together.

Alan and Geraldine first met when they were married to their late spouses and the foursome became great friends.

When Wendy died it was Geraldine and Ian who helped Alan through some of his darkest days.

He said: "I knew what she was going through when Ian died and I tried to help her through it. Eventually our friendship turned into something more."

Geraldine will accompany Alan for about two out of the four months. On the first part of the journey, the 500 miles up to Inverness, he will be joined by his friend Mike Maconochie. Geraldine and Mike's wife Myra will then join the boat. At times he will also be joined by James Hancox, the boat's previous owner.

Alan said: "The research and training The Urology Foundation funds are absolutely vital. Its work also includes helping doctors communicate effectively with patients – the surgeon who dealt with me was not only one of the best there is but also has a real ability to communicate, not just with the patient but also family. The charity is funding research into exactly what happened to Geraldine and I – there could be no charity more relevant to us. These cancers, while difficult for many people to talk about, affect many thousands in the UK every year, continued research and training in the latest surgical techniques is critical."

The boat will sail from Ipswich to Inverness before travelling through the Caledonian Canal to Fort William and the West Coast Islands of Scotland. From there it will cross to the East Coast of Ireland and down to Waterford where depending on the weather it will either go to West Wales and St David's or the Scilly Isles.

Other likely stops include places such as Great Yarmouth, Whitby, Hartlepool, Amble, Holy Island, Montrose, Aberdeen, Lossiemouth, Oban, Mull, Skye, Belfast, Dublin, Falmouth, Cowes, Plymouth, Dartmouth, Poole, Portsmouth, Eastbourne and Ramsgate. The boat will complete its journey back at its home base, Shotley marina near Ipswich.

To make a donation or follow the boat's progress go to http://www.tantehelena.com/

To find out more about The Urology Foundation go to http://www.theurologyfoundation.org/ or call 0207 713 9538.