Mothership Adrift Podcast

What does it really take to sail around the world with kids for eight years?In the first episode of the Mothership Adrift podcast, Woody and Irenka sit down in their half-built home studio to talk honestly about life after circumnavigation. After eight years living aboard a sailboat, homeschooling at sea, crossing oceans, and raising three children afloat, they’re back on land, writing a book, fielding media attention, and reading thousands of public comments about their choices.This episode explores the questions people always ask — and the fears they project. Education. Money. Socialisation. Risk. Are children “missing out” when you sail the world? Is family sailing only for the wealthy? And what actually happens when you come home after a life of long passages, night watches, and life aboard?They discuss the Telegraph article that sparked hundreds of comments, what surprised them most about public reaction, and why those criticisms became the backbone of their book. There’s also a look behind the scenes at the Adventure in Wonder documentary, the reality of reintegrating into life on land, and why this podcast exists alongside their YouTube sailing channel.Mothership Adrift is a behind-the-scenes podcast about family sailing, homeschooling at sea, worldschooling, long-term cruising, and what it really costs — emotionally and financially — to step away from the conventional path. It’s about freedom, doubt, optimism, and figuring things out as you go, whether you’re at sea or back ashore.

We're the Wood family - Woody, Irenka, Rowan, Darry & Yewan. 8 years circumnavigating on a sailboat with 3 kids • ~40,000 miles • ~40 countries & territories• BOOK RELEASE MAY 2026: "Mothership Adrift: A Parent's Guide to Escaping the Rat Race and Living a Life of Freedom, Travel and Adventure on the Sea with Your Kids"--🎬 AS FEATURED IN:▷Amazon Prime's "Adventure in Wonder" - Sizzle Reel: https://youtu.be/0YJSjKO4js8 - Trailer: https://youtu.be/7OfAmECKj7E▷The Telegraph: We quit rat race for eight-year sailing adventureRead Through: https://youtu.be/5NnprymsWC0Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activity-and-adventure/eight-year-sailing-adventure/▷The Telegraph: We spent 8-year sailing around the world. This was the scariest part- Read Through: https://youtu.be/w7tgipworFE- Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/trips-of-a-lifetime/red-sea-around-the-world-sailing/▷BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3ep8w192yno▷BBC South East Today: https://youtu.be/BuJe4VtLLmQ▷GB News: https://youtu.be/KN5yhpD1csA▷Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/we-are-raising-kids-sea-during-covid19-1530315▷Yachting Monthly Award Winner: https://youtu.be/Y1icRewwML8▷Lonely Planet: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/families-living-on-the-sea▷Full press: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/about--MORE MOTHERSHIP CONTENT:📺 Share this channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/mothershipadrift🔧 Learn how we fix our boat: https://www.youtube.com/c/Mothershipmaintenance📧 Free book chapter: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/mothershipadriftbook🎙️ Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@MothershipAdriftPodcast💙 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift🌐 Website: https://www.mothershipadrift.com📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mothershipadrift👥 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mothershipadrift--Everyone asks about the social life.It's the third most common objection in the 600+ comments on our Telegraph article, and honestly, it's the one I understand the most. School isn't just lessons. It's the corridor, the canteen, the complicated social machinery that shapes kids whether they realise it or not.So what happens when you take that away and replace it with an anchorage? In this episode I talk about what socialisation actually looks like at sea, the Colombian jungle hike with nineteen kids, the walkie-talkie Guardia Civil operation in a Spanish boatyard, and the Mormon families through Central America who somehow didn't object to sailing with us heathens.I also talk about what our three kids, Rowan (19), Darroch (16) and Yewan (13),  are like now, back on land. The honest version!The Cost of Freedom addresses the real questions people ask when you tell them you spent eight years sailing around the world with your kids. One objection at a time.📖 Everything covered here is in the book in more detail. Captain's Table members on Patreon get early access to chapters: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift⁠🎬 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Bn1PUpGKR-g---💙 SUPPORT OUR CHANNELS:A big THANK-YOU to our MOTHERSHIP PATREON family who make these videos possible. What is a Patreon? A Patreon is a regular person like you, who helps content creators like us, to make entertaining and useful stuff like this! If you'd like to help towards the filming, editing and data costs of our Mothership Adrift channels, please: ▷ Click the SUPER THANKS button below the video ▷ Follow the Paypal link: https://paypal.me/Mothershipadrift ▷ Follow the Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift---KEYWORDS: family sailing vlog, sailing around the world, sailing with kids, homeschooling at sea, worldschooling, liveaboard kids, boat kids social life, family cruising sailboat, raising kids on a boat, offshore sailing family--- #sailingfamily #worldschooling #boatkids #homeschooling #circumnavigation

We're the Wood family - Woody, Irenka, Rowan, Darry & Yewan. 8 years circumnavigating on a sailboat with 3 kids • ~40,000 miles • ~40 countries & territories• BOOK RELEASE MAY 2026: "Mothership Adrift: A Parent's Guide to Escaping the Rat Race and Living a Life of Freedom, Travel and Adventure on the Sea with Your Kids"--🎬 AS FEATURED IN:▷Amazon Prime's "Adventure in Wonder" - Sizzle Reel: https://youtu.be/0YJSjKO4js8 - Trailer: https://youtu.be/7OfAmECKj7E▷The Telegraph: We quit rat race for eight-year sailing adventureRead Through: https://youtu.be/5NnprymsWC0Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activity-and-adventure/eight-year-sailing-adventure/▷The Telegraph: We spent 8-year sailing around the world. This was the scariest part- Read Through: https://youtu.be/w7tgipworFE- Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/trips-of-a-lifetime/red-sea-around-the-world-sailing/▷BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3ep8w192yno▷BBC South East Today: https://youtu.be/BuJe4VtLLmQ▷GB News: https://youtu.be/KN5yhpD1csA▷Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/we-are-raising-kids-sea-during-covid19-1530315▷Yachting Monthly Award Winner: https://youtu.be/Y1icRewwML8▷Lonely Planet: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/families-living-on-the-sea▷Full press: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/about--MORE MOTHERSHIP CONTENT:📺 Share this channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/mothershipadrift🔧 Learn how we fix our boat: https://www.youtube.com/c/Mothershipmaintenance📧 Free book chapter: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/mothershipadriftbook🎙️ Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@MothershipAdriftPodcast💙 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift🌐 Website: https://www.mothershipadrift.com📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mothershipadrift👥 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mothershipadrift--Everyone has an opinion about educating children at sea. Most of them are wrong.This episode tackles the most common objection from the 600+ comments on our Telegraph article: that pulling your kids out of school for eight years is educational neglect dressed up as adventure.I talk about how we tried to replicate a classroom on a moving boat, how badly that went, what we did instead, and where our three kids, Rowan, Darroch and Yewan, ended up. One turned down a university scholarship. One became an amateur entomologist. One is thirteen and still finding her feet on land.The Cost of Freedom addresses the real questions people ask when you tell them you spent eight years sailing around the world with your kids. One objection at a time.📖 Everything covered here is in the book in more detail. Captain's Table members on Patreon get early access to chapters: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift🎬 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Bn1PUpGKR-g---💙 SUPPORT OUR CHANNELS:A big THANK-YOU to our MOTHERSHIP PATREON family who make these videos possible. What is a Patreon? A Patreon is a regular person like you, who helps content creators like us, to make entertaining and useful stuff like this! If you'd like to help towards the filming, editing and data costs of our Mothership Adrift channels, please: ▷ Click the SUPER THANKS button below the video ▷ Follow the Paypal link: https://paypal.me/Mothershipadrift ▷ Follow the Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift---KEYWORDS: family sailing vlog, sailing around the world, homeschooling at sea, worldschooling, sailing with kids, family cruising sailboat, long passage sailing, offshore sailing, liveaboard sailing life--- #worldschooling #boatschooling #sailingfamily #homeschooling #familysailing #alternativeeducation

We're the Wood family - Woody, Irenka, Rowan, Darroch & Yewan. 8 years circumnavigating on a sailboat with 3 kids • ~40,000 miles • ~40 countries & territories• BOOK RELEASE MAY 2026: "Mothership Adrift: A Parent's Guide to Escaping the Rat Race and Living a Life of Freedom, Travel and Adventure on the Sea with Your Kids"--🎬 AS FEATURED IN:▷Amazon Prime's "Adventure in Wonder" - Sizzle Reel: https://youtu.be/0YJSjKO4js8 - Trailer: https://youtu.be/7OfAmECKj7E▷The Telegraph: We quit rat race for eight-year sailing adventureRead Through: https://youtu.be/5NnprymsWC0Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activity-and-adventure/eight-year-sailing-adventure/▷The Telegraph: We spent 8-year sailing around the world. This was the scariest part- Read Through: https://youtu.be/w7tgipworFE- Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/trips-of-a-lifetime/red-sea-around-the-world-sailing/▷BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3ep8w192yno▷BBC South East Today: https://youtu.be/BuJe4VtLLmQ▷GB News: https://youtu.be/KN5yhpD1csA▷Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/we-are-raising-kids-sea-during-covid19-1530315▷Yachting Monthly Award Winner: https://youtu.be/Y1icRewwML8▷Lonely Planet: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/families-living-on-the-sea▷Full press: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/about--MORE MOTHERSHIP CONTENT:📺 Share this channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/mothershipadrift🔧 Learn how we fix our boat: https://www.youtube.com/c/Mothershipmaintenance📧 Free book chapter: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/mothershipadriftbook🎙️ Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@MothershipAdriftPodcast💙 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift🌐 Website: https://www.mothershipadrift.com📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mothershipadrift👥 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mothershipadrift--The Cost of Freedom 01 - Money: What It Actually Cost our Family to Sail Around the World for 8 YearsAfter our recent media coverage, we were flooded with one question: "How did you afford it?" In this episode, I'm breaking down the real numbers behind our 8-year sailing adventure with our family of five.What You'll Learn:• Our total working budget: £175,000 ($222,000 USD / €205,000)• Monthly living costs once we found our rhythm• How we funded the trip (no trust fund, no inheritance)• The systems that saved us thousands• Why we chose to self-insure• How rental income kept us stable• The real cost comparison vs. median household incomeKey Takeaways:We lived on less than the median household income of any Western countryThe boat cost £130,000 from selling our sailing school and holiday unitFinal years averaged £2,000/month ($2,500 USD / €2,300)Solar, lithium batteries, and a watermaker were game-changersDIY maintenance isn't optional - it's essentialThis isn't about being wealthy. It's about converting what you have into what you need. Converting assets into freedom.Next Episode: The education question - what we actually did about school for eight years.📖 Everything covered here is in the book in more detail. Captain's Table members on Patreon get early access to chapters.---💙 SUPPORT OUR CHANNELS:A big THANK-YOU to our MOTHERSHIP PATREON family who make these videos possible. What is a Patreon? A Patreon is a regular person like you, who helps content creators like us, to make entertaining and useful stuff like this! If you'd like to help towards the filming, editing and data costs of our Mothership Adrift channels, please: ▷ Click the SUPER THANKS button below the video ▷ Follow the Paypal link: https://paypal.me/Mothershipadrift ▷ Follow the Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift--KEYWORDS: family sailing vlog, sailing around the world, homeschooling at sea, worldschooling, sailing with kids, family cruising sailboat, long passage sailing, offshore sailing, liveaboard sailing life--#SailingFamily #Circumnavigation #WorldSchooling #FamilyTravel #MothershipAdrift

▷We're the Wood family - Woody, Irenka, Rowan, Darroch & Yewan▷8 years circumnavigating on a sailboat with 3 kids • ~40,000 miles • ~40 countries & territories• BOOK RELEASE MAY 2026: "Mothership Adrift: A Parent's Guide to Escaping the Rat Race and Living a Life of Freedom, Travel and Adventure on the Sea with Your Kids"--🎬 AS FEATURED IN:▷Amazon Prime's "Adventure in Wonder" - Sizzle Reel: https://youtu.be/0YJSjKO4js8 - Trailer: https://youtu.be/7OfAmECKj7E▷The Telegraph: - Read Through: https://youtu.be/5NnprymsWC0 - Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activity-and-adventure/eight-year-sailing-adventure/▷BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3ep8w192yno▷BBC South East Today: https://youtu.be/BuJe4VtLLmQ▷GB News: https://youtu.be/KN5yhpD1csA▷Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/we-are-raising-kids-sea-during-covid19-1530315▷Yachting Monthly Award Winner: https://youtu.be/Y1icRewwML8▷Lonely Planet: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/families-living-on-the-sea▷Full press: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/about--MORE MOTHERSHIP CONTENT:📺 Share this channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/mothershipadrift🔧 Learn how we fix our boat: https://www.youtube.com/c/Mothershipmaintenance📧 Free book chapter: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/mothershipadriftbook🎙️ Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@MothershipAdriftPodcast💙 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift🌐 Website: https://www.mothershipadrift.com📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mothershipadrift👥 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mothershipadrift---Behind the Scenes: Writing the Book - Solo EpisodeIrenka's away this week, so I'm taking you behind the scenes of the book writing process. With just 3 months until launch (May 2026), I share where the book actually is, working with editor Martina Tyrrell (a cruiser based in Spain who specialises in sailing family books), the challenge of keeping an authentic voice, and why addressing real objections matters more than just telling our story.This is the honest version; late nights, tight deadlines, Zoom calls with my editor in Spain, training AI protocols, commissioned writing (my Red Sea article drops in The Telegraph on 9th Feb!), and the pressure of making it work. The contrast between our basic life afloat eight years ago and the professional setup now is... quite something.Captain's Table members get early chapter access: patreon.com/mothershipadrift---💙 SUPPORT OUR CHANNELS:A big THANK-YOU to our MOTHERSHIP PATREON family who make these videos possible. What is a Patreon? A Patreon is a regular person like you, who helps content creators like us, to make entertaining and useful stuff like this! If you'd like to help towards the filming, editing and data costs of our Mothership Adrift channels, please: ▷ Click the SUPER THANKS button below the video ▷ Follow the Paypal link: https://paypal.me/Mothershipadrift ▷ Follow the Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift---KEYWORDS: family sailing vlog, sailing around the world, homeschooling at sea, worldschooling, sailing with kids, family cruising sailboat, long passage sailing, offshore sailing, night watch at sea, sail trim, liveaboard sailing life, sailing morale, crew dynamics on a sailboat, Amel Super Maramu --- #SailingFamily #Circumnavigation #WorldSchooling #FamilyTravel #MothershipAdrift

We're the Wood family - Woody, Irenka, Rowan, Darroch & Yewan. 8 years circumnavigating on a sailboat with 3 kids • ~40,000 miles • ~40 countries & territories• BOOK RELEASE MAY 2026: "Mothership Adrift: A Parent's Guide to Escaping the Rat Race and Living a Life of Freedom, Travel and Adventure on the Sea with Your Kids"--🎬 AS FEATURED IN:▷Amazon Prime's "Adventure in Wonder" - Sizzle Reel: https://youtu.be/0YJSjKO4js8 - Trailer: https://youtu.be/7OfAmECKj7E▷The Telegraph: We quit rat race for eight-year sailing adventure- Read Through: https://youtu.be/5NnprymsWC0 - Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activity-and-adventure/eight-year-sailing-adventure/▷The Telegraph: We spent 8-year sailing around the world. This was the scariest part- Read Through: https://youtu.be/w7tgipworFE- Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/trips-of-a-lifetime/red-sea-around-the-world-sailing/▷BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3ep8w192yno▷BBC South East Today: https://youtu.be/BuJe4VtLLmQ▷GB News: https://youtu.be/KN5yhpD1csA▷Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/we-are-raising-kids-sea-during-covid19-1530315▷Yachting Monthly Award Winner: https://youtu.be/Y1icRewwML8▷Lonely Planet: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/families-living-on-the-sea▷Full press: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/about--MORE MOTHERSHIP CONTENT:🎙️ Share this Podcast channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MothershipAdriftPodcast📺 Travel and Sailing channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/mothershipadrift🔧 Learn how we fix our boat: https://www.youtube.com/c/Mothershipmaintenance📧 Free book chapter: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/mothershipadriftbook💙 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift🌐 Website: https://www.mothershipadrift.com📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mothershipadrift👥 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mothershipadrift---Everyone warned us about storms. And pirates. And sharks.They weren't wrong, exactly. But in eight years and forty thousand miles, none of those things came close to killing us. What actually did? A jet ski in Moorea. Semi-domesticated dogs in a dozen countries. An oyster shell in Fiji. And one very unconvincing coastguard off the coast of Sudan with a semi-automatic rifle and no uniform.This episode is about safety - the real kind, not the disaster-movie kind. The risks nobody thinks to mention, the protocols that kept us mostly intact, and the one time it got genuinely serious.I also finally finished the pallet wood wall. If you're watching on YouTube, you're welcome.---💙 SUPPORT OUR CHANNELS:A big THANK-YOU to our MOTHERSHIP PATREON family who make these videos possible. What is a Patreon? A Patreon is a regular person like you, who helps content creators like us, to make entertaining and useful stuff like this! If you'd like to help towards the filming, editing and data costs of our Mothership Adrift channels, please: ▷ Click the SUPER THANKS button below the video ▷ Follow the Paypal link: https://paypal.me/Mothershipadrift ▷ Follow the Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift---KEYWORDS: family sailing vlog, sailing around the world, sailing with kids, family cruising sailboat, liveaboard sailing life, offshore sailing, Amel Super Maramu, is sailing dangerous, sailing safety tips, piracy sailing, Red Sea sailing dangers, sailing with children safety, cruising safety, boat kids, dangers of sailing, sailing risk management, lightning at sea, man overboard sailing, anchoring safety, jet ski dangers, sailing Sudan, circumnavigation safety---#familysailing #sailingfamily #sailingpodcast #liveaboard #boatkids #sailingwithdkids