“Maintaining a sense of humour is very important,” Brian admits. Joking played a big part in Brian and Helena staying positive during their troubles in the North Atlantic. “When there’s two people, I think humour is quite key, just to remain upbeat and fun,” says Brian. Remain upbeat – and help others stay positive too You just have to believe that you will get there.” 3. Concentrate on sailing slowly for a little while. Or, as Brian puts it: “Get through one storm. It’s like a kid waiting for Christmas in February: it seems so far away.” Instead, think about achievable milestones: get up at the same time each day, plan your meals, get an hour’s exercise outside if you can. “Try not to think of the whole period you’ll be away,” Brian advises. Always look at the opportunities available.” As winds changed direction, the couple mapped for possible courses to Spain or France. “We focused on the overall goal, which was to get back safely,” says Brian, “but you have to be flexible too. In the end, it would be nearly a month before they got back to England. For Brian it meant making rudimentary repairs to the boat and taking things day-by-day. In terms of the coronavirus, this could be planning your weekly meals, washing your hands frequently or keeping your living space tidy. You just need to do everything you can to prepare and mitigate problems as much as you can.” “If there’s a big storm coming there’s nothing you can do about it. “You need to control the controllable,” says Brian. They didn’t know how long it would be before they reached dry land – or if they would make it back at all. They started limping, rather gingerly, back towards England. They were at the mercy of any big storms and had little control over the boat: when the wind blew in the wrong direction, they would have to activate the parachute sea anchor just to hold their position. The beam started to disconnect from the main hull and the sail was about to fold up. Control the controllableīrian Thompson and his girlfriend at the time Helena Darvelid, were five days into sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in a spindly, uninsurable plywood trimaran when disaster struck: the boat began falling apart. Who better to ask for isolation tips than a sailor who has circumnavigated the globe solo? © vuk8691 / Getty Images 1.
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