December 04, 2019
From the very first moment I heard about my Granny crossing the Atlantic on a little wooden sailboat – in an age when women didn’t generally travel alone, let alone run away to sea – I was hooked. Always an inspiration to me, it was said she answered an ad in her local paper on a whim and found herself sailing the “wrong way” across the Atlantic with a skipper she barely knew. Together, they braved violent storms and towering waves thousands of miles offshore. 
We Left Everything Behind To Sail Round The World
The thought of such an adventure filled me with awe and terror and longing. I wasn’t old enough to understand what sailing the Atlantic meant, I just knew that she had seen things and done things that I could only dream of.
Little did I know that many years later I would be on a life-changing adventure of my own, sailing the oceans in a 38ft sailboat, witnessing violent storms at sea, going for days at a time without stepping foot on land and battling with the wind through gigantic waves-just like the one on my Gran’s dining room wall.
When I first met Adam two years ago and he told me his crazy plan to buy a sailboat and sail around the world, I should have run a mile. I had a teaching job I loved and a little house in the town I grew up in. I was successful, and I was comfortable – but I was also unhappy. Although I spent the summers travelling, I always wanted more, a real adventure. I loved trekking and sought any excuse to hike, I’d tried out climbing – though my fear of heights somewhat limited me – and I’d given up on my childhood dream of learning to sail after a week-long course on the Solent in the snow, with a grumpy skipper.So his plan quickly became my plan too. I couldn’t believe my luck to have found someone that wanted an adventure as badly as I did, and we spent long summer evenings scheming our escape. The trouble was, we simply couldn’t afford it. As time went on we let our plans become dreams, and we know dreams don’t really come true. 
We settled into life in our 30s – that is, we were overworked and tired and living for the weekend. Days went by in a blur as I spent my evenings working hard for a promotion I had applied for until one morning I called Adam in tears: I didn’t get the job. I needed a long bath and a good cry, but I returned home that evening to a bottle of bubbly and a very giddy boyfriend. 
“We’re celebrating,” he declared as I looked at him, confused. Had he not been listening? “To the beginning of our adventure,” he said. We would never be financially stable, travel would always be a risk. We just needed a push, and this was it.
A year later we had quit work, bought a sailing yacht in Sicily, and said goodbye to the life we had always known. It was exhilarating, uncertain, terrifying and totally worth every sleepless night, every argument and every tear.  
So there we were, on a Kadey Krogen 38 sailing yacht called Hot Chocolate, with very little sailing experience and very little money. I did some tutoring for some of the liveaboard kids in the marina, which just about covered our food costs, while Adam searched for a longer-term financial solution. Remote work is becoming more and more feasible, but we had absolutely no idea if we would have adequate internet connections while we were out sailing, and even less of an idea if we would be able to maintain any sort of ‘normal’ working day.We met a solo sailing instructor who, wanting some help with passage to Greece, taught us to sail on the two-week journey. At the end of it we both took our ICC qualifications, making us qualified skippers. I will never forget the morning that we let loose the mooring lines and took to sea on our own for the first time ever. The freedom we both felt when we left the marina and sailed out into the ocean, letting the wind guide us, and knowing that finally everything we had worked towards was really happening. 
Since then, we have sailed over 1,000 nautical miles on our very own sailing yacht, living on a budget of some £600 a month. Once you’ve watched the land disappear – and your phone signal – you realise you are quite alone. I remember how bright the stars were on that first night, I remember how warming cups of tea were, and how silent the world was. I will always remember that night – not because it was a long and dangerous passage (in fact it was beautifully calm) but because of how hard we fought to get to that point and how much courage it had taken to get there.
We set out on this adventure with an empty sailboat and a whole lot of questions we didn’t know the answer to. Since then we have become qualified sailors, successful plumbers and electricians and managed days without a shower. We have watched dolphins play in our waves and eaten tuna pulled straight from the sea. We have watched the sunset every evening and swam through bioluminescent algae on moonless nights. We have hiked mountains to explore castle ruins, and travelled miles and miles by wind alone.  I have learned that chasing dreams is easy.  That’s an odd thing to say, but it’s true – I only wish that had been pointed out to me sooner.  Sacrificing things along the way is the hard bit. Making the decision to give up things you have worked hard for or leaving behind family and friends, those are the things that make taking steps towards your dream seem impossible.  Anyone can buy a sailboat and learn to sail the world, just as we have. We didn’t have a lot of money and we didn’t have any experience. We gave up our careers, our homes and the lives we had built in an attempt to make our dreams come true, and although we have got this far we have no way of knowing how long we will make it work for.
People often tell me that I’m brave, but that’s not true at all. I have battled with anxiety for most of my life, and I continue to battle with it now.  What this adventure has taught me is that our fears and worries about what might happen don’t need to affect what does happen.  I will feel anxious when I’m sat at home in front of the TV, and I will feel anxious when I’m sat on my sailboat in the middle of a thunderstorm.  The only difference is that now I don’t feel anxious about missing out on a life I would rather be living. 
Now that I am living my dream I often wonder what’s next, what goal should I be working towards now? But instead of wondering what the future holds, I find I am happy to go with the wind. Perhaps one day we will even make the Atlantic crossing, and I will find the answers to all the questions I wish I had asked my Granny many years ago.
Follow Emily and Adam’s journey at twogetlost.com and on Instagram at @twogetlost More from HuffPost UK Personal I Lost Everything In My Break-Up. Here's Why I Wouldn't Change A Thing When Cancer Threatened My Life, Social Media Gave Me The Strength To Fight When You’re A Woman Of Colour, Infertility Comes With Extra Stigma
Related Stories
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Ruby Franke’s Husband REVEALS Alleged Rules He Had to Follow at Home | E! News
March 28, 2024
_mU-3lE2QwI
#KenanThompson speaks out following the #QuietonSet documentary. (🎥: Tamron Hall Show) #shorts
March 28, 2024
8AGP-Gfw_Ek
King Charles Shares "Great Sadness" at Missing Royal Appearance | E! News
March 28, 2024
lyizFqf1kQY
Martha Reeves Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 27, 2024
QzyezumEPtQ
Eminem, 50 Cent & Snoop Dogg Present Dr. Dre with a Star on the Walk of Fame
March 19, 2024
4bNLs1hxVp8
Opening Remarks for the Variety Summit October 20th, 2023 Jay Penske
March 18, 2024
c6Z707iLq8E
Montell Jordan Dishes On Young MC Wedding, 'This Is How Date Night' Plans | TMZ
March 28, 2024
G3SMExj-qio
Davina Potratz Says TV Not Helping 'Selling Sunset' Relationship Woes | TMZ
March 28, 2024
D4piy4GNm4k
Logan Paul Rips Graham Bensinger Over Documentary, You Promised Apple TV+ | TMZ Live
March 28, 2024
NiSDpZhZklQ
Prince William pinned royal medal to Spice Girl Mel B’s boobs #shorts
March 28, 2024
O1cQ0UW9pco
Jennifer Garner shares ‘hard’ part of raising her and Ben Affleck’s kids
March 28, 2024
3Q7mZaVUdgc
50 Cent's ex Daphne Joy named as an alleged sex worker in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs lawsuit #shorts
March 28, 2024
yhLFI8DG9rM
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
PSG W - Hacken W
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Barcelona W - SK Brann W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Chelsea W - Ajax W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Lyon W - SL Benfica W
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.