Journey of a lifetime

NOTHING PREPARED adventurous Sarah Aynesworth for the sea sickness she suffered on her maiden voyage.

The plucky 22-year-old university student spent 24 hours pinned to the deck of the ship praying for calm and wishing she was anywhere but where she was after being caught up in a violent storm in the English Channel.

The experience was enough to put off even the hardiest of sailors, but Sarah, who admits it was "horrific", is made of sterner stuff.

Just weeks after her first time at sea, she joined the crew attempting to sail around the world in under 80 days - a record.

As the youngest member of the 14-strong crew of the 115ft Cable and Wireless Adventurer - which had been specially built for the 26,000-mile attempt - she had a lot to learn, but no-one could have been more enthusiastic.

Sarah, a former Skipton Girls High School pupil, first heard about the record-breaking sea voyage in the monohull powerboat after catching an item on the radio appealing for novices to take part.

The only sailing she had done before was a family boating holiday in Loch Ness.

But she was picked for the amazing challenge following a gruelling selection procedure which revealed her talents for being a "great team player".

In the months after passing the initial selection procedure, Sarah's training for the voyage included escaping from a cockpit underwater, climbing Snowdon, learning to fight on-board fires, using a radio and mastering the art of navigation.

Sarah, of Hartlington, near Burnsall, had already proved she had an adventurous streak, taking part in a month-long Yorkshire Schools Exploring Society trip to China, and two months working in a leper colony in Pakistan.

But the round-the-world record attempt was by far her biggest challenge.

Sarah, who is studying media at Bristol University, recalled her first outing on the open sea: "It was during a training session for the world record attempt. There was a storm in the English Channel and I suffered horrific seasick. It did put me off a little bit but not to the extent that I was worried."

Under skipper Ian Bosworth, 53, from Falmouth, the powerboat set off from Gibraltar on April 19 and visited 13 ports in 11 countries.

Sarah's main job during the trip was to run an Internet website, sending out extracts from crew members' diaries and information about the voyage.

Half the crew members would be on watch while the rest slept, but gaining enough sleep was a constant problem.

"We had bunks made of grey plastic sheeting and the trouble was that because we were sailing close to the equator it was incredibly hot and you would stick to the plastic sheeting.

"It was quite difficult to keep sane at times. You stood up in the cockpit, there was no seating, so it was quite uncomfortable."

"The boat was joined on each leg by a person originating from the country we were sailing to, and I met some really wonderful people.

"It got to the point where you knew everyone's life story inside out. It did get boring from time to time, but we always had a new port to look forward to."

There was plenty of high adventure at sea. During their voyage, the crew had to contend with engine failure, high seas, soaring temperatures and illness, with one crew member contracting a virus and having to be replaced in Hong Kong.

The vessel visited Monte Carlo, Port Said, the Maldives, Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo before setting out across the Pacific. Sarah and the crew went via Honolulu and San Diego before visiting Jamaica, Miami and New York, and then set out on the last leg across the Atlantic, ending their epic journey in Gibraltar.

Her favourite destination on the whistle-stop tour of the world was the Maldives in the Indian Ocean.

"It is only a very small place but it seemed everybody came out to greet us, everyone was given a half day off from the shops and offices. It was tremendous. The people actually built a jetty for us and we went snorkelling and then had a candlelit dinner on the beach.

"We also upheld all the seagoing traditions. We had a dunking ceremony when we crossed the equator and because we were going round the world putting our clocks back, it got to a point where we had put them back 24 hours so we ended up having two Thursdays, which was really strange.

"We packed in as much as we could, but I would love to go back to the Maldives and Monte Carlo."

Sarah said the crew knew they were in with a good chance of breaking the record, but it was a nail-biting finish.

"On the crossing from New York to Gibraltar things kept going wrong. We were so close and yet so far and everyone was a little tense. After we left New York we had to turn back after we discovered water in the engine oil, and six hours were spent trying to fix the boat. You should have seen all the long faces - there was a very solemn atmosphere on board."

But despite the setbacks, the crew smashed the record for the fastest-powered circumnavigation of the world...by nine days. The world-record breaking voyage was completed in 74 days, 20 hours and 58 minutes.

Sarah added: "It was really good coming into Gibraltar, there were big crowds and a band playing. I was looking to see my parents and I heard a whistle behind me and there they were. They had hired a launch and followed us over the finishing line."

The previous record set in 1960 by the American nuclear submarine USS Triton was 83 days nine hours and 54 minutes.

Sarah added: "For all the crew it was a journey of a lifetime. Breaking the world record was definitely the highlight for me.

"I just can't believe that I have done it. This time last year I wouldn't have dreamt that I would have done something like this."

Sarah is currently busy helping to edit a TV documentary and a personal video diary for the BBC and is enjoying reliving the epic voyage at her own leisure.

Excerpts from Sarah's log...

April 19, 1998

The days dawned beautifully in Gibraltar, perfect conditions for the start of the Cable & Wireless Adventure. As the sun rose final preparations were well under way and soon we were slipping our lines and positioning the boat for the start. The Mediterranean stretched out in front of us and from behind us came the sounds of cheering crowds and a marching band. Before I knew it we were off....

April 26

Today Cable and Wireless Adventurer has been practising for the high jump. We've been through a force eight gale but seem to be past the worst of it now. A few members of the crew have been seasick - including myself (although not all as badly as on sea trials). Before we went through the Straits of Mesina I was dying for some action, and quite disappointed when we thought we'd missed it. But after three days of force seven plus, I think we've all had quite enough.

May 11

We are now on our way to Singapore after a fantastic rest in the Maldives. We were all touched by the welcoming we received at Male. In between enjoying myself and showing people around the vessel, including the president's son Ho Ho, the ground crew worked very hard on the boat. We now have air conditioning which makes such a difference to the energy levels of the crew.

June 15

It was difficult to sleep on board and when we got into port I was so excited. Jamaica was fun, the captain and I were on Jamaican morning TV - Smile Jamaica, I suppose this is their equivalent to Richard and Judy. Miami was good too apart from the disastrous haircut. I cheered myself up by spending the rest of the day on the South Beach, where I befriended a group of well-toned bodies who spent all their time demonstrating Brazilian Martial arts for me. We are on our way to New York which is quite sad as it is our final stop before Gibraltar. Morale is good and we are all feeling like we are going "home", but I do feel sad that such an excellent project is nearly at an end.

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