In 2017, we embarked on a circumnavigation onboard our sailboat Mothership. Our mission was to immerse our three kids in a life of culture, exploration, and adventure.

Our video is intended to reflect the beauty and wonder of the ocean environment and the people who we have met along the way; the individuals who have taught us the interconnectedness between land and sea that defines our coastal ecosystems.

Our adventures haven’t been without moments of despair as we’ve witnessing remote shorelines littered with plastic waste, and a myriad of other threats to coastal biodiversity.

But we have found some comfort in action. From organising beach clean-ups to spreading the message of experts on the coal face of transformative environmental action.
As our journey brings us closer to home, we return with a deeper respect and understanding of the ocean environment.

Each piece of coral we plant, plastic we collect or knowledge we share helps in a small way towards preserving these fragile ecosystems for the future.
So our message of inspiration is, every ripple helps.

Irenka , Alan, Rowan, Darroch & Yewan Wood

“We are Irenka and Alan Wood who set sail from Greece in 2017 with our three kids (Rowan, Darry and Yewan) to travel the world by sea, much of which is documented on our Mothership adrift Youtube channel.

“So far, our 1997 53’ Amel Super Maramu has taken us from the Mediterranean over the Atlantic and on to Vanuatu in the South Pacific where we’re preparing to leave for the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. We plan to complete our circumnavigation in 2024 via the Red Sea route back into the Mediterranean.

“A background as RYA instructors, flotilla skippers and RNLI crew only partly prepared us for the challenges of a live-aboard life which we share (warts and all) via video blogs through our Youtube channels ‘Mothership Adrfit’ and ‘Mothership Maintenance’.

“Rowan (17) returned to the UK to complete her education last year but otherwise our competition entry, ‘Every Ripple Helps’, was a collective family effort with Yewan (11) doing the narration and Darroch (14) doing the editing and drone piloting.”

Read all about the Brian Black Memorial Award for environmental journalism.

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