Napan travels world in sailboat adventure

Napa resident Sabine Hirsohn and her brother Louis Goor play Gaelic music in a village on the San Blas Islands — one of their stops during a 16-month sailing adventure.

Napa resident Sabine Hirsohn helped sail the Irene IV during a 16-month journey as part of the Oyster World Rally.

Napa resident Sabine Hirsohn at the helm of Irene IV, which she helped sail around the world as part of the Oyster World Rally.

On a blustery day, on Jan. 9, 2022, Napa resident Sabine Hirsohn and her brother Louis Goor set sail from the Caribbean Island of Antigua on the voyage of a lifetime.

A lifelong ambition to live on a boat and sail wherever the winds may blow was finally being realized. Sabine and Louis come from a long line of sailors on both maternal and paternal sides of the family.

Growing up in Ireland, where Louis still lives, the duo have sailed the turbulent seas of the Atlantic Ocean since they were babes in arms.

With much pomp and ceremony, and a loud cannon blast, 28 Oyster sailboats crossed the starting line from English Harbor, Antigua, at the start of the Oyster World Rally. The boats in the rally fleet, ranging in size from 50-72 feet, were all British designed and built by the luxury blue water cruising boat builders, Oyster Yachts. The Oyster World Rally (OWR) is a 16-month circumnavigation with counsel and support from a tireless staff based in Southampton, England.

Brother and sister were fortunate to call Oyster 655, Irene IV, home for almost two years as they journeyed from Kinsale on the southwest coast of Ireland to Antigua for the start of the rally and then around the world back to Antigua again for the end of the rally on April 4, 2023.

Irene IV is named after their maternal grandmother who loved to sail and whose brother Vernon was the inspiration for this trip. Uncle Vernon, a jolly Irishman, with a loud laugh and an enveloping hug, sailed with his family from England to Antigua in 1949 after the war.

He had planned to keep on going to Australia but fell in love with the friendly Antiguan culture and never left. He, with his two sons, established Nicholson Yacht Charters and Services, which put Antigua on the map as the major sailing destination it still remains to this day.

Life aboard a sailboat is often magical. In a blog entry by Sabine: “We sat on the bow this morning mesmerized by the dancing dolphins pirouetting with such joyful abandon. The waves crashed against the hull with a cacophonous cadence. We watched, legs dangling, in captivated silence. The dolphins darted back and forth like the violins in a symphony orchestra, ascending and descending the crests and troughs of a Vivaldi concerto. Their music, the squeaks and gentle popping splash as sleek bodies glided effortlessly, in a perfect arc, in and out of the water.”

But the journey equally can be traumatic. In a blog entry by Louis’ 15-year-old son, George: “In the last hour the wind picked up very high, gusting to 37 knots. The bay was very choppy, possibly the worst sea state of any bay we had visited. We all got on the deck in the dark, windy, and rollie conditions and let all 90 meters of anchor chain out. We wore life jackets and clipped on in case of falling off the boat. I was working on putting the anchor snubber on to take the pressure off the windlass. Suddenly, the black rope holding the snubber got caught in the windlass and we were unable to get it out. Dad continued to try as I went back to get Rob for help. As we got back to the deck, we found Dad screaming in agony. He had accidentally kneeled on the anchor 'in' button while he tried to get the black rope out of the windlass. The anchor had trapped his left hand's middle three fingers between the windlass and the anchor chain. He managed to get them out, but he was severely bleeding.”

Louis and Sabine decided to dedicate this sabbatical journey to learning how to make a difference — a difference in the way we conduct our everyday lives in the hopes of safeguarding future generations; a difference in the lives of those communities that they visited along the way; and a difference in how our businesses promote sustainable and best practices.

As the owner of a business in the plastics industry, Louis feels a heightened responsibility to forge the way for his family and friends, and for his employees.

They aligned with the Oceanic Society as an ambassador vessel promoting the Blue Habits Program, a program that is “motivating lasting pro-ocean behaviors.” Declining ocean health is a worldwide problem whose causes — including overfishing, plastic pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change — are diverse and difficult to quantify.

All along the way, Irene IV sported the Oceanic Society Blue Habits Ambassador flag and instigated many beach cleans all over the world.

Among other undertakings, the siblings brought eyeglasses and solar lights from the humanitarian organization, Sea Mercy and performed eye clinics in remote villages all over the world. Additionally, they brought school supplies as gifts in thanks for allowing them to explore the many beautiful islands and ports along the way.

Sabine, as a past director of Sunrise Montessori of Napa Valley, kept in touch with the elementary students in the school, sending books, postcards and project ideas. The students were inspired to help those less fortunate than themselves and have donated books and clothing and have raised money to send school supplies to far-flung villages in Vanuatu, Fiji, and South Africa.

The motto for this voyage was “Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints.”

With the help of the Oceanic Society’s Blue Habits Program suggestions, the crew of Irene IV, endeavored to live sustainably and simply.

This was “often tricky”, says Sabine, “but always worth the extra effort.”

Hear about Napa resident Sabine Hirsohn's travels during a special presentation on July 12 at the Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington St. The event, hosted by World Affairs Napa Valley Chapter, begins at 5:30 p.m. Info: https://bit.ly/world-affairs

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