World Trip In Yacht Dream Come True

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30940, 22 December 1965, Page 2

World Trip In Yacht Dream Come True

For more than a year a 27-year-old lawyer, Mrs Jill Spruce, her dentist husband, Mr Brian Spruce, and their two children have been leading an exciting life as nomadic seafarers on their 42ft ocean-going yacht.

They arrived in the Widgeon at Lyttelton on Saturday, from Sydney and will be here for Christmas before sailing to Tahiti.

Mr and Mrs Spruce are Australians who went to England six years ago. Mrs Spruce took her law degree at King’s College, London, and two years and a half ago their first child, Carla Jane, was born.

Mr Spruce had long dreamed of buying a yacht and sailing round the world. "It was a pipe dream that came true,” said Mrs Spruce, yesterday.

They searched for a long time before they found the right boat, a 32ft sloop, the Askadil, in which they sailed across the Atlantic, to the West Indies, about a year ago. Mrs Spruce said she weighed up the pros and cons of taking a young child on a long voyage. “I would never have entertained the idea if I thought it would be harmful to her,” she said. It is quite obvious that Carla is thriving on a life at sea. The continuous presence of adults has given her poise seldom seen in a child of her age. If her mother is busy, Carla is quite capable of entertaining visitors and keeping an eye on her seven-months-old brother Philip. She likes to help with the chores, too. Napkin Washing Life at sea with children was a little more difficult

mainly because of the extra washing involved, said Mrs Spruce. Because there was not enough fresh water clothes were washed in sea water. Mrs Spruce solved the napkin problem by tying them to a line, tossing them over the stern and lets the water do the major part of cleaning. All the same, she would give her eye-teeth for a washing machine: “That’s what I miss most of all.” A minor drawback is that Carla has no playmates of her own age, but when the family returns to England shortly she will go to kindergarten. Mr* Spruce sees no adjustment problems—"children are adaptable.” She feels, too, that when a child reaches school age it needs companions, because It still has to learn to live in a community. Since she joined the crew, Carla has become very surefooted, but also timid. On deck she wears a life jacket and harness but prefers to keep away from the edges. “Seasickness” When they were in the West Indies, Mrs Spruce found she was pregnant. “I get seasick and I never thought anything about it when it became worse. I went to a doctor and asked him to do something to cure it, but he told me it was too late and explained why,” laughed Mrs Spruce. All the same, Mrs Spruce

stayed on board until just before Philip was born. She flew back to Sydney for the birth. "I just made it back, as I was delayed for a couple of weeks in Tahiti,” she said. Philip is also proving to be a good sailor. Although he is teething at the moment, he is little bother. When he is not sleeping, Philip spends a lot of time in his baby bouncer. This is similar to a coat hangar with a belt attached by eords. A steel chain runs from the top and is hung on a hook, and Philip can bounce away happily. The Askadil was too small for a growing family, so it was sold and shortly after, they bought the Widgeon which has a design similar to the Saorise which sailed round the world via Cape Horn in 1923. Sunken Bath The Widgeon has most home comforts, including a small refrigerator. But the piece de resistance is a large pink Sunken bath. Mrs Spruce has stocked the yacht with a year’s supply of canned food, mainly meat, fruit, butter and cheese. The crew eats fresh food in ports, but Mrs Spruce makes sure her tinned stock is kept up. When the Widgeon leaves New Zealand she will make for Tahiti and Honolulu where the crew will get in some surfing. From there she will sail to British Colombia, where she will be sold. Mrs Spruce wants to sail from New York to London on the Queen Elizabeth so that she can lie back and do nothing. She and her husband would like to buy back their former boat. “We became so attached to her.” Bad Weather So far, they have not met up with any real danger. “So long as you realise that there will be hazards, you are prepared to cope and take things tn their stride. We have been through bad weather, but I never thought we would die. We have gained a healthy respect for the sea. It is important to know you have the best possible equipment and to maintain it,” she said. Sailing across the Tasman, the Widgeon struck bad weather. The contents of the refrigerator were washed out and the books came out of their case. It was quite a sight to see books, custard, and mayonaise floating around the cabin in water shin-deep. When the family return to England, Mr Spruce will resume his work as a dentist, while Mrs Spruce intends to take a post-graduate course in law. She hopes ultimately to lecture in a university.