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Former Bentley area resident relishing life on the high seas

A central Alberta woman is relishing the adventure of a lifetime via a global sailing adventure.
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Photo submitted

A central Alberta woman is relishing the adventure of a lifetime via a global sailing adventure.

Cally Duncan, who was raised near Bentley, first learned about ‘liveaboard sailing’ when she was on a solo backpacking trip in Central America back in 2012.

“Word of mouth about the sailing/backpacking, multi-day adventure made its way to me and since I love the water, I had to do it,” she explained.

At the time, she had no idea people lived this way. But something struck a chord with her about the free-spirited nature of such an adventurous approach to life.

“I love snorkeling, traveling with the wind, spearfishing dinner, and cooking it on uninhabited islands,” she said. “It also helps that the Kuna Yala (San Blas) islands of Panama where I did this trip is a bucket list place for many liveaboard sailors. They really expressed the safety considerations and practical nature of repairs and weather routing and choosing a sailing partner so it was always on my ‘maybe someday’ list.”

After relocating to Australia and meeting a fellow who was doing that exact thing, the couple eventually bought a sailboat in Rhode Island, U.S.A.

“He was a commercial boat captain, marine engineer, and dive instructor and the perfect person for me to learn everything I needed to know,” recalled Duncan.

“Unfortunately, the relationship did not last, but we did fix up a boat and sail through the Atlantic and Caribbean together seeing 11 countries together over the course of a year. We sold that boat in Grenada near South America.”

Duncan said she tried to return to land life in Australia, but something just wasn’t right.

“I sailed with friends in the Pacific and Atlantic and that only reaffirmed that I am happiest living on a boat,” she said. So in 2021, she bought a sailboat in Connecticut and started charting a whole new ‘course’.

In October of that year, she set off sailing solo.

To date, she has covered nearly 5,000 nm and been to 12 countries on a similar route to her first journey.

This life on the seas is indeed a world away from her growing up years on a grain and dairy farm near Bentley.

”We were a water family who loved the lake and waterskiing, and we all worked as lifeguards growing up - but I had never sailed or spent much time in the ocean in my childhood other than the occasional family holiday,” she recalled.

As to sailing, there is so much that makes it the most fitting way of life for her.

For one thing, there is that constant connection to nature.

Then there is the fishing for one’s own food, traveling with the wind, powering one’s life with the sun, waking up to a swim in the ocean, and enjoying those glorious sunsets each evening.

Calling a boat ‘home’ also has its many advantages.

”I have my fridge and stove and pantry with me in a beautiful galley,” she pointed out. “I also have the clothes I need, my own bed and all of those ‘creature comforts’ with me at all times.

“It’s like RVing - except I do not have to stop for water because I can make fresh drinking water out of salt water. And also because the sails power the boat, fueling up is a rare event.”

There are of course challenges that run the gamut from the breakdowns, the cultural and language barriers to the long distances from family and friends.

“But the satisfaction and validation you get from solving those problems and the incredible experiences that the lifestyle offers far outweigh the struggles for those of us who stay out here long-term.”

In the meantime, Duncan already has many incredible memories from her adventures.

“I have so many memorable stories - dragging anchor in a storm in New Jersey, and the first time entering a new country under sail.”

Then there was the crossing of the Pacific Ocean on a friend’s boat only to have COVID-19 close the borders while they were at sea. Duncan was later medically evacuated upon arrival to Nuka Hiva, French Polynesia.

Another memory is her first time out solo sailing after she bought her current boat in Connecticut. She remembers sailing the East River through New York City and past the Statue of Liberty.

These days, she is currently in Grenada with her newly-adopted dog, Cypher.

And looking ahead, her friend Rob will be moving onboard in March and they will be heading north to explore the Windward and Leeward Islands before hurricane season moves in (July to October).

Reflecting on the many ways sailing has greatly enriched her life, Duncan noted that it has taught her she can do pretty much anything she sets her mind to.

“People around the world are so self-sufficient - working remotely, traveling, sailing, living off of nature and so much more,” she said. “Now the sky is the limit and I am only restricted to how creative my imagination is for what is possible in life.”

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Photo submitted


Mark Weber

About the Author: Mark Weber

I've been a part of the Black Press Media family for about a dozen years now, with stints at the Red Deer Express, the Stettler Independent, and now the Lacombe Express.
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