MORE than 30 years ago, an English family’s decision to leave behind a white picket fence lifestyle resulted in the recreation of a voyage undertaken by one of Britain’s most revered explorers — Captain James Cook.
Despite not having any direct ties with the famous British discoverer, Gordon Cook whisked wife Mary, daughter Suzanne and son Jonathan on an expedition similar to Captain Cook’s third and last voyage in 1776.
Cook, a physics and mathematics teacher with an interest in sailing, bought and then modified a 70-foot schooner named Wavewalker before setting sail to South America in 1976.
This week, his daughter Suzanne Heywood returned to Fiji to retrace the steps of their beloved Wavewalker after it was left behind in Lautoka more than 20 years ago.
MRS Heywood said her most memorable times as a voyager included days she spent in Fiji.
“I grew up in England until I was seven and that was when my father decided that he wanted to recreate Captain Cook’s third voyage around the world,” the 46-year-old says.
“I set sail on Wavewalker with my parents and my younger brother from England to South America and then to South Africa.”
While en route to Australia, the family escaped death after a storm and a 60ft wave nearly decimated the vessel.
Mrs Heywood says this was one of the “worst trips” she was ever on because they were shipwrecked on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean, Isle Amsterdam, after the schooner was damaged in the storm.
With most of the crew and her family escaping the nightmare with a few cuts and bruises, she had to have multiple head operations to cure a broken skull. This failed to deter her from continuing the voyage with her family.
“We then repaired Wavewalker in Australia before making our way up the Pacific to Hawaii in time for the 200th anniversary of his (Captain Cook’s) death.”
Despite the harrowing experience during the storm, the family’s initial three-year voyage stretched another seven years.
“We spent time in the Pacific with my parents sailing on Wavewalker while I educated myself through a correspondence program.
“Eventually I did well enough at that to get a place at Oxford University to study zoology, which was inspired by all the whales and dolphins I had seen in Fiji and the other Pacific Islands, and I then did a PhD in that field at Cambridge University.”
Growing on board a schooner might have been considered unconventional but for Mrs Heywood and her brother, it was a way of interacting with people from different communities and being exposed to a world of cultures.
This includes her time in Fiji.
“We visited many of the remote islands. We also spent time watching whales and dolphins and playing with Fijian children.
“At one stage, I briefly attended a Fijian school on Vatoa Island. I loved learning about different cultures when I was growing up and particularly loved the Fijian culture where things are shared within the village in a very open way.
“The Fijian people were always incredibly welcoming to me and my family when we were sailing in the islands.”
In December, 1990, things changed when Wavewalker was involved in an accident. According to Mrs Heywood, the vessel was badly damaged during Cyclone Sina when she was anchored at Musket Cove.
“By that time, I was back in England but my parents were still sailing her. It was a terrible storm and many boats, including Wavewalker, were driven on to the reef.
“This was Wavewalker’s third cyclone. We had one in the Indian Ocean (when we were on Isle Amsterdam after we were shipwrecked), one when we were sailing near New Caledonia and then Cyclone Sina.
“Wavewalker was badly damaged so my parents decided to go back to England to earn money to repair her. They left her, I understand, somewhere near Lautoka.
“It was buried in sand and much of her equipment was kindly stored either by the local harbourmaster or by the police. However, my parents have now forgotten many of the details,” she said.
After this, the family did not continue their sailing adventures but Mrs Heywood is not deterred.
Now, she is nursing dreams of returning to sail the seas alongside her family. And she is one step closer to achieving this after she gained her yacht master qualifications recently.
A consultant at present, she is now in the process of penning down her experiences on board Wavewalker. This is similar to her father Gordon, who has written a few books about his days as a voyager.
Mrs Heywood says she will focus her novel on her experience of growing up as a child on Wavewalker.
“The book will focus on how we survived being shipwrecked, the wonderful places like Fiji that we visited and how I managed to then educate myself to go to university. Much of the story is set in Fiji as it is the place that we sailed to possibly most of all the Pacific Islands.”
While in the country, Mrs Heywood is also hoping to meet people who will have information about Wavewalker.
“I hope that I can find someone who can tell me what happened to Wavewalker. I really hope that I have the chance to see her again as I was never able to say goodbye after she was my home for so long.
“If anyone knows anything about Wavewalker, please do contact me on suzanneheywood634@gmail.com.”
