Heading towards the top
by John Curnow, Editor, Sail-WorldCruising.com 10 May 2019 09:00 BST
Whales in Iceland © Andrew Bedwell
A little while back in Still here, promise we got to meet Andrew Bedwell. He captured our imagination for a couple of reasons. He had already sailed up to Iceland, and he was doing it all because his young daughter was inspiring him in ways he found more than compelling. He was also doing it in a Mini Transat, which was not a boat we would normally have selected for such an arduous journey.
Still, having already made it around Britain in the boat - see the video here - we knew he would be good for it, despite the setbacks of his previous attempt when he had significant gear failure. Significant! Anyway, time marches on, and he is now off to make more money for his daughter's school, which is another admirable aspect to the campaign.
Prior to departure he gave a safety and preparation presentation to the kids - see that video here. Despite a schedule, he made time to send us a note: "Just keeping you in the loop. I am still planning on leaving this Saturday, May 11. I am in contact with the Icelandic Coastguard, as there are lots of 'Bergy bits (they are mini icebergs the size of houses) currently in the waters off the north-western side of Iceland. So as I am sailing solo without radar, we are monitoring this quite closely, and if the conditions dictate that its too dangerous, I will be sailing to Reykjavik."
"I will have many photos from the trip, and I also do a daily log that I publish afterwards. I have people here who will be updating my 'arb offshore sailing' Facebook page with weather conditions, distance covered etc. It will also have my SPOT tracker link on it for people to track my progress," said Bedwell.
Undoubtedly, I have been taken by his infectious desire, incredible frankness, spirit of adventure, appreciation of the will to test oneself, and love for his family. Throughout his journey life has got in the way, as it is known to do, but this has not prevented him from continuing on, and in many cases, empowered him more. Would I like to freeze, have prune hands, and get just 20 minutes of sleep for weeks? Well no, but it does not mean I cannot appreciate his desire, and have genuine empathy from my own experiences.
Quick little snapshot to part with and Sanctuary Cove certainly looks to be a bumper year. Hot on the heels of delivering all the product ordered during the administration period, Ensign Ship Brokers have the largest Bavaria display at the show for 10 years. We have been on many, and our review of the C45 continues to do exceptionally well. Cannot wait to have a go at her bigger sister, the C57. Combining both sail and power they will have these Bavarias for us to look at:
Today you will find that we have information for you about the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 319 at Sanctuary Cove, end-to-end and environmentally conscious boat building with MarineShift360, fishes, corals and reefs, the various ARC events, Jeanne Socrates continues, Tasmania with some of those perpetual cruisers - Jack and Jude, Pacific islands, shipwrecks, Antarctica, Perini Navi at Versilia, Women in Sailing (NWSA conference), as well as much more.
So you see, there are stories, lessons, inspirations and history to regale yourself with. Please do savour... We're really enjoying bringing you the best stories from all over the globe. If you want to add to that, then please make contact with us via email.
Remember too, if you want to see what is happening in the other Hemisphere, go to the top of the Sail-WorldCruising home page and the drag down menu on the right, select the other half of the globe and, voila, it's all there for you.
In the meantime, do you love being on the ocean? Well remember to love them back too. They need our help. Now more than ever! Until next time...
John Curnow
Editor, Sail-WorldCruising.com