But things don’t always go to plan. Only a few days after beginning on the process of learning, an opportunity popped up. A boat in the South China Sea that needed to be delivered to eastern Indonesia – ‘the job’s yours if you want it.’ With thousands of remote islands and endless perfect surf between origin and destination, the decision seemed simple. ‘Why wouldn’t we? Only one small problem – we don’t know how to sail yet…’
When Torren and Aiyana borrowed the 35ft sailing boat Calypte and departed from the east coast of Thailand in early 2022, they had a combined sailing experience of only a few days. The one requirement of their charter was to eventually deliver the boat to Eastern Indonesia. They could learn as they went, get a few friends with sailing experience to help through the tricky bits and pick up as much as possible from them along the way.
With this plan, the pair embarked onto the South China Sea, headed up through the Strait of Malacca and around the tip of Sumatra; out into the Indian Ocean on a year-long expedition in search of waves. What seemed like an idyllic journey doesn’t come easy, sleepless nights, the endless rolling and tossing of the boat, the breakdowns, the relentless maintenance and confined space. But adventures always seem sweeter if it really feels like you had to work to get there.
‘Calypte – a sailing and surfing journey’ is a story of taking risks and embarking on new challenges. It’s about learning to become a sailor and being shaped by the sea. The sort of experiences that can only be gained by throwing yourself in the deep end and having a crack.