Lonely adventure realises husband's lifetime dream

by Genevieve Helliwell | 13th November 2009

After five months at sea, the first comment David Simmons' wife said to him was "Oh my, you've lost a bit of weight".

The reply was, "I'm fat now, you should have seen me a few months ago."

The 56-year-old has spent the past five months sailing home from the British Virgin Islands on his 43-foot yacht Zia, accompanied by various companions along the way.

Mr Simmons' family watched the boat as it entered the harbour, and as the Dufour 433 yacht approached the marina, Mr Simmons' wife Catherine told the Bay of Plenty Times she could not wait for her husband to return.

"It's been five months and it's probably going to be a bit strange having him back but I'm very excited," she said.

Hugs and kisses were shared by all when Mr Simmons finally docked, but the biggest welcome came from his dog Jack.

Mr Simmons left the British Virgin Islands in early June and travelled via San Blas islands, through the Panama Canal, Galapagos Islands, Marquesas, French Polynesia, the Cook Islands and Tonga.

While managing to avoid any pirate attacks, Mr Simmons said he was  cautious not to sail into any "unwanted situations". He experienced a pirate invasion about five years ago in Indonesia, so put extra precautions in place for his latest journey.

"We didn't have any guns on board, just in case we were attacked, but we figured we'd be really careful," he said.

Without pirate worries, Mr Simmons said one of the biggest challenges he and his crew faced was in Panama. They were not cleared into the canal and when it came time to leave, police insisted they pay a canal transit fee of US$891 ($1217).

Colon, Panama, was another eye-opener.

"It's a bit of an outlaw town and we saw police riding around on motorbikes with shotguns and M16s. It was pretty frightening really," Mr Simmons said.

Calm weather and moderate seas made the journey relatively easy for Mr Simmons, as well as some "spectacular sights" including  dolphins, whales, marine iguanas and 300-year-old tortoises.

The most amazing thing he said he saw was penguins near the Galapago Islands.

"In a place near the middle of the equator, you wouldn't expect to see penguins. But it's because there is a current of cold water near Ecuador," he said.

Only once did he get homesick, while  sailing the 4828km trip from the Galapagos Islands to Marquesas. In between the two islands, the boat was 2414km  from anywhere - "the furthermost place any person can be from land anywhere in the world". To overcome his loneliness, Mr Simmons  rang his wife on  a satellite phone.

Throughout the crossing, the sailors ate a basic diet of rice and pasta with the occasional meal on land.  Mr Simmons said the moment he returned home, he had a long shower followed by a couple of beers.

As exhausted as he was, Mr Simmons said a good night's sleep was out of the question.

"During the long passage across the Pacific, there were only two of us so we did three-hour shifts - three hours on watch, three hours sleeping. I think I'm in a routine now and I don't think I'll be able to sleep the whole night through," he said.

Mr Simmons' love for sailing began 30 years ago and since then he has sailed 24,140km.

He said it had always been his dream to do a long voyage and with the support of his family, this year he finally got his wish.