Mike Saunders - The Walkabouts - sailed from S Africa

[tim_ber]

Anyone know what happened after he wrote about their passage to the UK. Often there are people here who have first hand experience; you may know the chap.

His excellent book ends with "until the next voyage"

They seemed like a sensible, intelligent family and I'd love to know what happened to them, what they did next, etc, but Google turns up zilch.

 

[Bajansailor]

I do not know what happened to the Saunders family, but Walkabout is still sailing happily - she has been owned by my pal Clive for about the past 35 years (I think he bought her from Mike).
Walkabout was here winter-before-last - here is a thread I posted on the Classic Boat forum then about her : http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148456&

Clive then took her back to England singlehanded where he spent the summer doing a mini-refit, and then headed south again before winter set in.
Walkabout was here again in January this year, and I think she is probably back in Britain again now.

 

[tim_ber]

Amazing.

Thanks

Doesn't the boat look good now.

 

[Wansworth]

I worked at Emsworth shipyard for a while and I recall one of the shipwrights buying Walkabout and "they" lived on a fishing boat.About 3 years later they rented the house I vacated about 1974.M S wrote a series of articles about fitting out and he had a 45 foot concrete boat built

 

[tim_ber]

Thanks Mogy.

The book gives the impression that they all gained so much from their 2 year voyage that it would be good to know how their experiences affected their decisions on what to do at the end of the voyage. Educational and maybe inspirational too.
Good to hear they got afloat again.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Tim

 

[Mark-S]

I can shed some light on what happened after we arrived in England. Another voyage was planned and Walkabout II was designed by my father and Alan Buchanan. The intention was to do an "Ice to Ice" voyage, sailing from the Arctic to the Antarctic circle. Walkabout II was much larger (45') and more comfortable than Walkabout and also was a cutter rather than a ketch which made her faster and better performing to windward. She was built by my father and family (I was on boat building duty every school holiday) and was eventually launched in 1980. Sadly my parents split up and Walkabout II was sold before the voyage was started and though Walkabout II is still going strong, the sale was the death knell to our sailing interests. My father died of cancer in 1999 at the age of 59 and although I have the odd daydream of sailing again, the opportunity has never come up . . . . maybe now I've moved to Bristol the sea air will inspire me.
Mark Saunders

 

[Danny Jo]

I can shed some light on what happened after we arrived in England. Another voyage was planned and Walkabout II was designed by my father and Alan Buchanan. The intention was to do an "Ice to Ice" voyage, sailing from the Arctic to the Antarctic circle. Walkabout II was much larger (45') and more comfortable than Walkabout and also was a cutter rather than a ketch which made her faster and better performing to windward. She was built by my father and family (I was on boat building duty every school holiday) and was eventually launched in 1980. Sadly my parents split up and Walkabout II was sold before the voyage was started and though Walkabout II is still going strong, the sale was the death knell to our sailing interests. My father died of cancer in 1999 at the age of 59 and although I have the odd daydream of sailing again, the opportunity has never come up . . . . maybe now I've moved to Bristol the sea air will inspire me.
Mark Saunders

Mark - thank you for bringing us up to date with this fascinating, although ultimately sad, story. You are probably well aware how much pleasure the book about Walkabout gave to its readers - but I suppose it'll do no harm to restate it. For me it was a very enjoyable way of keeping the magic of sailing alive during my "wilderness" years away from the sea (looking after career and non-boaty family). If you want to sail again, I'm sure you'll find plenty of skippers who would be delighted to welcome a child of Walkabout on board.

Mark Walker

 

[chicasails]

Mark - thank you for bringing us up to date with this fascinating, although ultimately sad, story. You are probably well aware how much pleasure the book about Walkabout gave to its readers - but I suppose it'll do no harm to restate it. For me it was a very enjoyable way of keeping the magic of sailing alive during my "wilderness" years away from the sea (looking after career and non-boaty family). If you want to sail again, I'm sure you'll find plenty of skippers who would be delighted to welcome a child of Walkabout on board.

Mark Walker

Hi, I found this forum when i too had Googled "Saunders'/Walkabout". i just finished reading their book and wanted to be updated on the family and boat. I felt sad to hear about the separation and uncompleted journey on Walkabout 11. i also had figured the children would be these famous and highly accomplished sailors in their own right as adults... I myself singlehanded a Tartan 27 from 1996-2001 from Florida Keys to Trinidad. continuing with professional skippering and crewing and cruising with a partner until 2011. I found the journey with the Saunders a trip down memory lane but also interesting to note differences in technology and the world of cruising itself and the marine industry in the years in between my travels and theirs.. thanks to Mike for his reply and all the best. Heather

 

[Jock89]

Hi Mark,
Can't figure out how I missed this thread & your 1st post, some years ago now.!
I too Googled Walkabout & the name Saunders to try & find out what happened to you all, after I was given a copy of your Dads book. I got nothing, & have always wondered.

When I read it, I was especially interested to see where Walkabout was lying & where you all subsequently worked on her prior to the trip, as I was a regular visitor to Bartholomew Dias at that time. I regularly drove along the beach at low-tide from Inhassoro to BD (20-25Km) to spearfish, & don't know how I managed to miss you all. I wish I'd known you were all there.!!!
Sorry to read about your Dads passing....
Jeff

 

[Bajansailor]

Clive sold Walkabout a couple of years ago, and she now lives in Emsworth.
http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais...o:0/mmsi:235024493/vessel:WALKABOUT OF PERTH/

 

[mike1942]

Hi Mark...I meet you all in the 70s when you were all living on your MFV Marie Leach in Emsworth Marina,i bought Marie Leach from your parents, in 1975, i am sorry to hear the sad end,in your lives.

 

[mike1942]

Hi Bajansailer.......So Walkabout is back where Clive bought her from all those years ago.....

 

[Kelpie]

A friend recently lent me a copy of this book, which I had never heard of before. Absolutley fantastic and inspiring, especially the struggle to get the boat seaworthy given all the difficulties they faced.

 

[Uricanejack]

A very old thread but. I recall reading and enjoying the book about 30 years ago. Interesting to find out a bit about their lives after.
I suppose it was Mark Saunders only post.

 

[ip485]

What a lovely name - if I was naming a boat I would now call her just "Walkabout", must have a bit of Aussie in me - G'dye mate.

 

[Tiddy Oggy]

Wonderful to hear that Walkabout is still going strong after all these years. I was in Durban when the Driscoll brothers brought her over from Australia in the 1950s and sold her to a local sailor called Doc Standing. She was a beauty then and seems still to be a tribute to her builders.

 

[Bajansailor]

Hi Bajansailer.......So Walkabout is back where Clive bought her from all those years ago.....

Yes, and I am sure that she is being maintained in the same immaculate fashion as when Clive was her Custodian.

I had posted some of my photos of her on her Marinetraffic page, along with this photo that I found on line somewhere of sailing in Mozambique - maybe Mark is one of those on board?
http://photos.marinetraffic.com/ais/showphoto.aspx?photoid=1992052

 

[mike1942]

Hi Bajansailer... Thank you for that, it seems a different life away those quiet days in Emsworth in the 70s , catching red mullet in the marina in my tender and sharing the catch around. with folk who lived on their boats.

 

[Spuddy]

There's a Walkabout in Ramsgate harbour. Cutter rigged with 3 foresters and self tacking staysail. Rich crimson discovers, tiller steering. Just says Walkabout....no numbers. Looks marvellous, classic lines and brightwork all fettled

 

[Spuddy]

Substitute forestays and sail covers