Wanderlust

(This is a column first published in November, 1992. Geoff and Margaret returned and did some work on their boat a few years after this. They again went back to Australia and left the boat at the marina. Some time ago, I can't remember exactly when, they returned again and put the Skookum back in the water. They sailed away and I don't know where they are now.)


I think we all have a little bit of wanderlust in us. It's a desire for adventure and a yearning for travel. It's a feeling of freedom, of going where you want, of living your life the way you want, not the way society expects you to live. Sometimes it takes very little for this wanderlust to surface especially in these stressful times. It was rekindled in me recently when I met Geoff Payne and Margaret Hough.

This young Australian couple sailed into Saint John Marina one sunny day in late October. Before they knew it the 40 foot yacht that had been their home for the last four years as they sailed half way around the world, was out of the water and on land. "This is our home. It's not just a boat." said a laughing Margaret, "This is all we've got. For somebody to lift it out of the water and put it on land is quite frightening really."

Over a cup of soup in the cozy cabin I shared in their adventure. Geoff told me how it started, how he decided to build this boat out of steel using his uncles plans. He built it in Kamloops, British Columbia and called it "Skookum" which means good and strong in west coast Indian language. Then he sent a telegram to Margaret in Australia saying: "Boat launched... exhausted... Geoff."

Together they began a four year sailing odyssey. The Skookum took them all along the BC coast, down to the Galapagos Islands, Easter Island, then around Cape Horn to the Falkland Islands and eventually to Antarctica. They would sail for a few weeks and then go ashore to
explore, meet the people and if possible work. "In the Falkland Islands I turned to drafting, roofing and finishing boats." said Geoff, "Margaret was a bar maid, fence painter, waitress and
agricultural laboratist."

Their lifestyle on board the boat was kept simple. "There's a lot of things you just cut loose when you do a trip like this." said Geoff. "No automobile, entertainment, rent, phones. No tv. All those things are gone. We live a simple life. Keeping the food up is all we need."

Every day is an adventure for Margaret and Geoff. They never know where the wind will take them. They could be out at sea for weeks at a time, isolated from even radio contact with the mainland. If something happened they don't expect anyone to come looking. They have to be self sufficient. They've survived wild seas and successfully maneuvered through an ocean of icebergs in the fog without radar.

t's not the life for everyone. It takes a special kind of person. "The hardest thing is getting up and going." said Geoff, "There was every temptation with a good job earning a good salary to stay on. Buy more, get involved with a house and a mortgage. That's the time you have to make the decision to go."

The wind and the waves brought Geoff and Margaret to our part of the world and here the sea bound portion of their adventure ends for a while. The Skookum is high and dry and will be cared for over the winter by the marina staff while Geoff and Margaret continue the adventure over land. They've picked up an old car and plan to drive back to B.C. where the expedition started four years ago. But they'll be back. After all their home is here. They look forward to
continuing their round the world voyage but not before experiencing the joys of sailing the St. John River.

I finished my soup and looked at the last few pictures of their travels. I had to get back to work, back to the reality of everyday life. But for a few minutes I was sharing in their adventure. It's comforting to know that in this complicated world in which we live it's still possible for two people like Geoff Payne and Margaret Hough to set sail in a small boat and go wherever the wind takes them.

That's wanderlust. That's freedom.