Start with a simple “why not?” the project of a 6,500 kilometer sailing trip (i.e. 3,500 nautical miles) across six countries and six months long. They are ready to cast off James Dunning29 years old, born and raised in Verona with a Veronese mother and British father, and Smilla Savorelli24 years old from Bussolengo, in the province of Verona. They met at Aberdeen Universityin Scotland, where Smilla graduated in Zoology and James completed a doctorate in Marine Biology, after years across the Channel, they made the decision together to close this chapter of their lives and return to Italy.
The idea and the boat
«Two years ago, fantasizing about the end of our studies, almost as a joke, I asked her if she would like to go home sailing and Smilla, unexpectedly, he responded to my provocation with a “why not?”, thus transforming a crazy idea into a real possibility” explains James. Both passionate about sailing, they began to think about the feasibility of the operation, both from the point of view of skills and from a logistical and financial point of view, until they no longer found reasons not to do it. «At least that’s how it seems – laughs James -. We purchased a 1978 boat that is 30 feet long (i.e. 9 meters): a Moody 30 “Medousa”, as one of the three Gorgons of Greek mythology. Her name, in ancient Greek, means “protector”. She can accommodate up to six people, but there will be room for two of us comfortably, taking turns at the helm.”
The travel plan
Weather permitting, the departure was scheduled for April 26th. «The first thing we will do will be cut Scotland in the middle, passing the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness. After that we will head towards Ireland and Wales, up to Brest, in Brittany, where we will stop for a month.” A journey in which the route alternates with work commitments to complete. «I work for the Scottish Government, in the research and consultation department in marine biology – he explains – I have resigned, but I am not leaving before completing my study on the impact of wind turbines. We will leave again in July and we will face the most challenging crossing in the Bay of Biscaywhere there are usually uncomfortable waves and stormy seas, we will aim for Spain and Portugal, stopping only in Gibraltar, where we will take the opportunity to find my sister Francesca, 33 years old, who is a paramedic there.” Passing the Strait of Gibraltar marks the entrance into the Mediterranean, «we will proceed along the cSpanish coast and the Balearic Islands, cutting down towards the Sardinia, Sicily, with a stop in the Egadi and the Aeolian Islandsthen we will enter the strait of Messinawe will circumnavigate the Calabria and Pugliawe will target the Croatian coast, which is safer from a nautical point of view, and then arriving in Venice in November. At least that’s the plan.”
Funding and scientific collaborations
To follow their journey and support them, James and Smilla created the website www.sailinghome.eu, «every euro donated corresponds to one kilometer – says Savorelli – we are also looking for sponsors to help us, in case we need to absorb some blows». Sailing will not be the only activity planned on board: «We collaborate with the University of Milan-Bicocca and to various international projects to ensure that our journey around Europe has an important scientific impact – continues James -. We will collect water samples for chemical and environmental DNA analysis (called eDNA from the English “environmental DNA”). eDNA is a new technique that allows us to confirm the presence of marine species in an area. Traces of their DNA are in fact present and can be identified suspended in the waters close to their passage. THE samples of water that we will collect they will be filtered and stowed on board before being shipped to the relevant laboratories for analysis. Furthermore, we will record all sightings of cetaceans and sea turtles, which will be deposited in multinational databases. We plan to collect two forms of data on the plankton: filtered and dehydrated samples, and quantitative images. These quantitative photos of the microbiome will be taken with the PlanktoScope, a high-definition, high-throughput microscope.”
The art note
Not only that, because the artistic side is added to the purely scientific aspect Smilla: «I will paint oil paintings, postcards and nautical charts using local water, which I am browsing, to then sell them online, again from our site. Art is a passion that combines with the love of animals: I would like, through art and science, to raise people’s awareness of the issue of safeguarding the seas and the environment.” Once they arrive on land, their future will be all to be written: «I would like to work at the Parco Natura Viva in Pastrengo” confesses Smilla, while Dunning evaluates multiple paths, from working with Italian universities or research centers, to becoming a professional skipper or a coast guard. «The director Ezio Aldoni contacted us Why he would like to make a film about our adventure – concludes Smilla -, but for now it is only a hypothesis. The only certainty for now is that we will set sail in a few days. There’s very little left.”
