There’s an old ocean superstition that I’ve tended to live my life to: when things happen in three, listen and take heed. So, if one morning you’ve a torn sail, broken a winch and the head is clogged, stay in port. If you’ve come across a cracking bunch of lads, a grand adventure and fair winds, get the hell out there and ride the wave of exploration. Just such a trio of events happened for Benthik‘s journey north. Benthik luck, I like to call it.
A phone call a few months before had brought Barry and myself together. In our very first conversation, we both talked about a search mission to the Outer Hebrides, and he ran with it. Very soon we had our three ambassadors, Shane Meehan (a bodyboarder that’s willing to drop into anything and chef-extraordinaire), Christian McCleod (photographer and inquisitive mind), and Barry Mottershead (big wave surfer and journeyman) onboard. We quickly added Paul O’Kane (the legend), Pete Martin (our cinematographer, who will go anywhere with his camera, provided he has a rolly and a sambo) and Steve Kilfeather (ripper and jester).
So, we were heading north in October. This was one of those trips that old sea dogs respond to with an inquisitive look, followed by a nod wishing you well with your madness. The lifeboat lads’ reaction added that sense of foreboding. They were right. We sailed often with winds over 40kts and which gusted 50+. One dawn when we were entering Tobermory, Shane and myself were on watch and the weather blew the hail so hard it seemed like it was piercing our skin. We were blessed however; we got the wind abaft and abeam for the whole trip…unheard of. Again, there’s that Benthik luck.
While we didn’t score the biggest swells, we found incredible coves with fun waves, and potential firecrackers for the right swells. We found fresh food, made all the more delicious by our in-boat chef. We found some of the most hearty fabric in the history of our Atlantic archipelago. And most importantly, we discovered what we shared as our true passion: adventure and exploration.
