Confessions of an unlikely sailor
If there was a high school award for Least Likely to Become a Sailor, Anna Kirtlan probably would have won it.
The communications adviser, who describes herself as “famously uncoordinated, having absolutely no sense of direction and knowing nothing about boats”, was as surprised as anyone to find herself completing a Boatmasters certificate and sailing around the South Pacific.
The decision to blog about her experiences at sea turned out to be a wise decision and the entries have been turned into a book, Which Way is Starboard Again?
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Kirtlan’s transformation from landlubber to sailor began when she met a man who lived on a boat in the Wellington marina.
“Before I met Paddy and [his boat] Wildflower my idea of rough sailing was taking the Cook Strait ferry with a hangover. Other than attempting to row my grandpop’s dinghy at Houhora Harbour on holidays (which usually ended with my sister and I trying to row in two separate directions) my sailing experience had been zip.”
That changed pretty quickly when the couple decided to sail to around the South Pacific.
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They spent eight months away from home and six months sailing to Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and back to New Zealand, visiting a lot of the outlying islands of those countries.
“Counting the sail from Wellington to Opua and back we covered around 6000 nautical miles. There were around 15 boats that left at the same time as us, via the Island Cruising Association, but that fluctuated from country to country as some of us went our separate ways.”
For someone relatively new to sailing, the biggest challenges and greatest rewards were often the sailing itself.
“There’s nothing like going through a bit of hardship to get somewhere to make you appreciate being there that little bit more. When you spend a bit of time sick, wet and a little bit scared, warm soft sand and friendly faces take on a whole new meaning.”
One of the coolest and craziest experiences of the voyage involved climbing up the side of an active volcano in Vanuatu while it spat chunks of lava the size of cars at them.
“Mt Yasur volcano on Tanna Island is one of the world’s most accessible volcanos and staring straight into the earth’s innards is an experience I will never forget.”
Funnily enough, Kirtlan planned to use the trip as time to write a book – but not the book she actually produced.
“It was a trashy romantic comedy called 100 Cats and a Shotgun which I am still working on. I started writing the blog as way of explaining to my confused family and friends (and perhaps my confused self) why I was going on this mad sailing adventure when even driving somewhere I had never been before gave me the heebee geebees.
“Soon writing the blog became compulsive and I would get twitchy when I couldn’t post. To alleviate this I kept a handwritten journal while we were sailing that included a lot that never made it into the blog. When we got back I realised I had enough material for an entirely different book than the one I’d originally set out to write so I decided to give it a go.”
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Which Way is Starboard Again? isn’t just a book about an epic sailing voyage, it’s also a book about fear, says Kirtlan.
“Another reason I am an unlikely sailor is that I live with anxiety disorder. I was diagnosed as a teenager with obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety and depression and, while I have managed to kick most of it, the anxiety often reappears, unfortunately, as more than your garden variety nerves.
“I wasn’t going to mention it in the book at all but on returning I realised it really did play a big part in how I reacted to certain situations at sea. I also realised that completing a trip that would make anyone a little nervous under those circumstances was something that I should actually be proud of. I decided to be honest about my struggles with anxiety in the book as a way of letting other people who live with anxiety know that what may seem impossible and completely insane can be done and be hugely rewarding. If I can bumble my way around the South Pacific, you can do anything!”
For those who want to undertake an ocean adventure but aren’t sure where to start, Kirtlan suggests talking to yachties.
“Try your local yacht club or marina, do a sailing course – it’s a great way to meet people. Study the theory. The NZ Coastguard does some great courses. The classes are also great places meet other beginners. Read everything you can get your hands on. There are some great practical books out there and personal stories of people who have been there and done that. Most of all though, talk to people who have done it, that’s where you get the best advice.”
Which Way is Starboard Again? is available in book stores from April 1 and via the David Bateman Publishing website as a physical or an e-book.
You can keep up with the Which Way is Starboard Again? blog, on Twitter as @SeaMunchkin or Facebook.
