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.

The problem was never inspiration. It was hesitation. Procrastination. That fatal gap between deciding and actually doing.This is the episode where we admit how close we came to stopping. The maintenance disasters in Colombia, Malaysia and Australia. The canal crossings where turning back was still an option. The businesses we folded, the friends we didn't expect to miss, and the identity each of us had to give up to leave. We also disagree about whether Starlink and remote work have made the modern version of this too easy.Next episode we start taking apart the real reasons people don't go, beginning with the kids' education.Cockpit Sessions is the podcast where we work through the book behind our eight-year family circumnavigation, one conversation at a time.Cockpit Sessions Ep.06 — out now on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.—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 July 2026 (working title): "Mothership Adrift: A Dad's Guide to Escaping the Rat Race"▷ FREE SAMPLE: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/mothershipadriftbook

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 July 2026: "Mothership Adrift: A Dad's Guide to Escaping the Rat Race and Living a Life of Freedom, Travel and Adventure on the Sea with Your Kids"▷FREE SAMPLE: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/mothershipadriftbook--🎬 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:▷BOOK: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/mothershipadriftbook▷PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift ▷YOUTUBE MOTHERSHIP MAINTENANCE: https://www.youtube.com/c/mothershipmaintenance ▷YOUTUBE MOTHERSHIP ADRIFT: https://www.youtube.com/c/mothershipadrift ▷YOUTUBE PODCASTS: https://www.youtube.com/@MothershipAdriftPodcast▷SPOTIFY PODCASTS: https://open.spotify.com/show/7uv5MGLkCP1xsr9Thc0MYi?si=8a4326c9bef34c86▷INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mothershipadrift▷FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/mothershipadrift▷WEBSITE: https://www.mothershipadrift.com ---There are 2 ways to start. Woody's spreadsheet method or Irenka one-way ticket method.Both ended up sailing around the world for eight years.This episode covers what the first step looked like for 2 completely different people, the families they met out there who started with even less, and why the question is never where to start or how to start. It's just.. start.Along the way: a Russian family from Siberia who bought a concrete boat and are still sailing. An Israeli family who bought a boat during COVID and learned as they went. An American who binge-watched YouTube for a year and is now completing his circumnavigation. Why interpersonal skills and a good pot of stew will get you further than a Yachtmaster certificate. Why your boat will never be ready. And why secondary port calculations are the nautical equivalent of learning to ride a horse in case your car breaks down.---💙 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: Cockpit Sessions, Mothership Adrift, go chase whales, adversity and resilience, sailing circumnavigation, family sailing, liveaboard sailing, blue water sailing, sailing podcast, escape the rat race, sailing with kids, sperm whale research, whale darting, Indian Ocean sailing, confirmation bias, safe spaces, conformity and independence, sailing lifestyle, adventure lifestyle, how to live differently, sailing couple--- #EscapeTheRatRace #FinancialFreedom #AlternativeLifestyle #LifeDesign #FamilyAdventure

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 July 2026: "Mothership Adrift: A Dad's Guide to Escaping the Rat Race and Living a Life of Freedom, Travel and Adventure on the Sea with Your Kids"▷FREE SAMPLE: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/mothershipadriftbook--🎬 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:▷BOOK: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/mothershipadriftbook▷PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift ▷YOUTUBE MOTHERSHIP MAINTENANCE: https://www.youtube.com/c/mothershipmaintenance ▷YOUTUBE MOTHERSHIP ADRIFT: https://www.youtube.com/c/mothershipadrift ▷YOUTUBE PODCASTS: https://www.youtube.com/@MothershipAdriftPodcast▷SPOTIFY PODCASTS: https://open.spotify.com/show/7uv5MGLkCP1xsr9Thc0MYi?si=8a4326c9bef34c86▷INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mothershipadrift▷FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/mothershipadrift▷WEBSITE: https://www.mothershipadrift.com ---Life is a book and it's shorter than you think. This episode is about the people who write a better one.Woody grew up in a mining village in northern England where you got in the trades. Irenka was a latchkey kid in a blended Czech-English family, They both ended up sailing around the world by refusing to follow the preset path. This is how that happens.Why adversity builds resilience rather than damage. What happens to your brain when everything is made safe and why it's the same thing that happens to an astronaut's legs! The moment Irenka encountered the concept of safe spaces and was entirely unconvinced. Why people born into a religion or a culture tend to stay there, and what it takes to break out. And why Woody once jumped into the Indian Ocean with a blood-tipped dart, an angry sperm whale below him and sharks in the water, waiting ten minutes for the boat to come back.---💙 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: Cockpit Sessions, Mothership Adrift, go chase whales, adversity and resilience, sailing circumnavigation, family sailing, liveaboard sailing, blue water sailing, sailing podcast, escape the rat race, sailing with kids, sperm whale research, whale darting, Indian Ocean sailing, confirmation bias, safe spaces, conformity and independence, sailing lifestyle, adventure lifestyle, how to live differently, sailing couple--- #EscapeTheRatRace #FinancialFreedom #AlternativeLifestyle #LifeDesign #FamilyAdventure

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 July 2026: "Mothership Adrift: A Dad's Guide to Escaping the Rat Race and Living a Life of Freedom, Travel and Adventure on the Sea with Your Kids"▷FREE SAMPLE: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/mothershipadriftbook--🎬 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:▷BOOK: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/mothershipadriftbook▷PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift ▷YOUTUBE MOTHERSHIP MAINTENANCE: https://www.youtube.com/c/mothershipmaintenance ▷YOUTUBE MOTHERSHIP ADRIFT: https://www.youtube.com/c/mothershipadrift ▷YOUTUBE PODCASTS: https://www.youtube.com/@MothershipAdriftPodcast▷SPOTIFY PODCASTS: https://open.spotify.com/show/7uv5MGLkCP1xsr9Thc0MYi?si=8a4326c9bef34c86▷INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mothershipadrift▷FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/mothershipadrift▷WEBSITE: https://www.mothershipadrift.com ---What does freedom actually mean day to day? That is the question this episode tries to answer. It starts in a boatyard in Spain during the strictest COVID lockdown in Europe, with a family who had quit everything to be free, stuck on a boat - no sanitation and 3 kids. It ends with Orwell, a quiet walk to the pub, and the realisation that the definition of freedom tends to get smaller and more honest the more of it you actually pursue.In between: the sound of an anchor chain, an engine cutting out, sailing into a bay in Vanuatu with a small beach bar. The freedom from maintenance versus the freedom to just sit and think. Tofu versus steak. Why the opposite of freedom might be responsibility. And why the people with the least money sometimes understand it best. Cockpit Sessions is the series in which Woody and Irenka work through the book behind the circumnavigation, one conversation at a time.---💙 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: Cockpit Sessions, Mothership Adrift, what is freedom, sailing circumnavigation, family sailing, liveaboard sailing, blue water sailing, sailing podcast, escape the rat race, sailing with kids, freedom philosophy, COVID lockdown sailing, sailing lifestyle, adventure lifestyle, sailing couple, Vanuatu sailing, sailing around the world, meaning of freedom, sailing family life, life after circumnavigation--- #EscapeTheRatRace #FinancialFreedom #AlternativeLifestyle #BlueWaterSailing #FamilySailing