An ocean adventure

A former Lonehill resident, along with his wife and two sons who have emigrated to England, are taking on the adventure of a lifetime as they plan to sail around the globe.

Shawn Taylor, his wife Clair and their sons Dylan (12) and Nathan (9) have left their normal lives in Surrey, United Kingdom, to live extraordinary ones. The family has sold most of their belongings and boarded a Lagoon 400 S2 sailing catamaran called Mokara, on which they will circumnavigate the globe over the next three and a half years.

“We decided to do this as we felt life was passing by too quickly,” Shawn told Fourways Review via email just after the family left Spanish island Ibiza. “The boys are growing up so fast and we were focused on the typical things in life like work, mortgage, school, etc. We feel this adventure is important for us to have as a family.”

Their epic adventure began in early September when the family set sail from Almerimar in Spain, and their planned route will likely take them to the Canary Islands in October, the Caribbean just in time for Christmas, across the Pacific in May, New Zealand and Australia by the end of 2020, Mauritius by December 2121, a quick visit home in January 2022 before they plan out the rest of their route.

“Preparing for this adventure has taken up a considerable amount of time. It took a year just to find the boat. We made sure we contacted other owners of the same make of yacht who had completed circumnavigations and asked them their opinions and if they would do it again in the same boat.

“Once we had agreed on Mokara we started scheduling in our training [yachtmaster theory etc] that we wanted to do… Claire had excellent first aid training which was important as we will be in remote places where medical services will be non-existent.”

After selling many of their possessions including their house, Shawn said they would have some money for their journey and will save by anchoring somewhere besides a marina for which you must pay a fee.

“Our research into the cost of doing an adventure like this proved one thing, you can spend as much or as little as you like. Sailors are on vastly different budgets.”

He added that Claire was continuing to work for her graphic design business remotely, while the boys were continuing their studies. Dylan had been signed up to Oxford Home Schooling and will be taught by teachers over the phone or via Skype, while Nathan will be taught by him and his wife.

“We will no doubt be faced with a lot of challenges. I think the biggest one that is always in the back of my mind is the weather and navigating areas where the charts are not accurate. To help us with the weather, we use a few weather sites and don’t rely on just the one.

“Preparing ourselves for a man overboard situation or possible sinking has played a very important part of our training and we have had a fantastic training and purchased excellent equipment to deal with these situations.”

The family will be updating their website periodically and also have an Instagram account so that others can keep up with their adventures. It’s a big change, but absolutely something that the Taylors believe is worth it.

“We only live once. I hope that all four of us will learn that family, adventure and more importantly, living, are far more important things than the latest mobile phone, car or a bigger house.”

Details: www.sailingmokara.com; @sailingmokara on Instagram

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