For 15 days, 10 hours and 40 seconds, life onboard the ‘Can Do Too’ was all Adam Byrne knew.
“Once you’re out at sea you’re in your own bubble,” he shared. “The boat is effectively your world.”
Sailing across the Atlantic with four crew members – and trusted friends – was a personal challenge the 60-year-old took on to mark recent milestones in his life.
But as they departed from Gran Canaria on November 24 they had no idea what they would encounter on their way to Saint Lucia – almost 3,000 miles away.
Adam Byrne takes on Atlantic challenge
The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) has taken place every November since 1986 with hundreds of boats setting sail from Las Palmas for the Caribbean.
For most vessels, the journey will take between 18 and 24 days.
Adam, who works as operations director at CAN Offshore Ltd, started planning for the race a year ago.
“I’d had it in my mind for a while,” he said. “My wife, Michelle, was really encouraging so I took the leap of faith.
“I went online and paid the entrance fee and then I was committed.
“What better way to celebrate my 30th work anniversary and 60th birthday?”
The Can Do Too crew was completed by Keith Caldwell, Adam Davenport, Gavin Cameron and Finlay Cooper, who all know each other through CAN.
“The meticulous planning took weekly meetings so everyone knew their role,” he added.
“We’ve got different levels of experience and have sailed together before so that trust was there.”
‘It becomes real very quickly’
The straight route between Gran Canaria to Saint Lucia is about 2,700 miles but as they have to follow the wind the route can be longer.
The night before the race started, the Can Do Too crew had all their fellow sailors jumping along to their rendition of “No Scotland, No Party”.
But once they set sail, the reality of the challenge quickly set in.
“Once you’re away in the water, you might see a boat every four or five days in the horizon,” Adam said.
“All you can sea is sky and water, you can see the curvature of the earth.”
The Can Do Too crew was forced to deal with some mechanical issues and their sail ripping during the journey.
“When you’re so far away if something breaks you might need to turn back. You may be a thousand miles away but it’s closer then the end,” Adam said.
En route, they were also made aware of a boat being sunk after taking on water and a man being presumed dead after going overboard in the Atlantic.
Adam shared: “When you hear that, it becomes very real very quickly.”
‘It’s not the destination, it’s the journey’
The first week of the sail was more “worrying” for Adam as he waited to hear news about the arrival of his third grandchild.
“My 60th birthday was November 28 and then the next day my beautiful granddaughter, Eloise, was born,” he said.
“Once I found out mum and baby were safe and well I was able to relax. I was able to switch off from worrying and switch on to make the most of this magnificent experience.”
Being able to have contact with loved ones at home, and the support of each other, helped the crew get through their challenging journey.
Halfway across the Atlantic, Adam scattered some of his father-in-law’s ashes, who had hoped to sail to ARC with him before he passed.
Together, the fivesome felt “elation and emotion” as they arrived in Saint Lucia ahead of schedule on Tuesday – finishing 16th overall and fourth in their division.
“When you’re coming in you go, ‘wow, we’ve just achieved something, we’re in a club that only a small proportion of the world are in’,” Adam said.
“We’ve done it in a record time but if it was longer we would have still felt that emotion.
“It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”
Conversation