How we met: ‘I knew we would sail the world together one day’

In the summer of 2004, Manuela had been living in London for more than a decade, and loved her life in the city. “I was on my own in a flat and working in an administrative role at the BBC,” she says.

As part of her job, she organised a first aid course for staff. “When I got there, the security guard asked when my course was starting because someone had already arrived,” she says. It was Ian, an engineering manager who went sailing in his spare time. “I’d woken up early that day and gone straight to the training session,” he says. They didn’t speak that morning, but during the lunch break, he asked Manuela about good places to eat nearby.

As they were chatting, Manuela noticed Ian was wearing a T-shirt advertising the Fastnet sailing race.

“I knew it was quite a difficult race because, many years before, I’d done a bit of sailing, so I asked him about it,” she says. Delighted that she had showed interest in his passion, Ian suggested she join him on a trip. “I told her I had a boat and was always looking for crew,” he laughs.

Manuela was “suitably impressed” and decided it might be a good opportunity to get back into sailing. They met up a few more times as friends before she took him up on his offer.

Ian then signed them up for the Fastnet race in 2005, sailing from Cowes along the south coast to Land’s End, around the Fastnet rock off the south coast of Ireland and back into Plymouth. They saw each other frequently for practice throughout the year. “There was a spark, but we were both coming out of relationships so nothing happened between us for a long time,” says Manuela.

By June 2005, they were single, and admitted that they had feelings for each other. “It was while we were cleaning the boat after a race,” remembers Ian. “When you’re running the boat, having a relationship with a crew member is a bit like a manager dating a team member. But the rest of the crew knew we had an affection for each other and were very understanding. We decided to give things a go.”

Manuela says that sailing together “creates strong bonds”, which helped her realise that Ian was right for her. “I knew we would sail the world one day.” By the end of the year, they had moved in together and begun working towards that dream. While Ian continued in his job as an engineer, Manuela moved into a project management role for clinical research. “We went on nice holidays and out to theatres, galleries and exhibitions,” says Manuela. “I’m from France originally so I’m forever a tourist in London and was always dragging him to places.”

By 2015, they had saved up enough to buy a boat for their round-the-world trip. The following year, Ian was made redundant, which gave them the “kick” they needed to rent out their home and go travelling.

They finished preparing the boat, then sailed from the Canaries to the Caribbean that November. “After that, we sailed through the Panama Canal and across the Pacific, which was an incredible experience,” says Ian. When their travels were disrupted by Covid, they lived on the boat in New Zealand until 2023, spending just a few months on dry land.

“While we were in Indonesia, I noticed a lump in my breast,” says Manuela. She went to see a doctor in Mauritius, who confirmed it was breast cancer. “We lifted the boat out of the water and moved into a house,” she says. During her treatment, they had the chance to discover the island. “Ian was the best support ever – even the doctors were commenting on how lucky I was.”

Once Manuela’s treatment was finished, the pair were able to begin the next leg of their journey, slowly making their way back to the UK with the help of a friend. “It’s taken much longer than we ever anticipated, but we should be back by June,” says Ian.

Manuela loves her partner’s steadfastness. “One of his favourite sayings is ‘keep your eyes on the prize’. Despite me having cancer, we’ve had so much fun together while we’ve been here in Mauritius.”

Ian describes himself as a “typical engineer”. “I deal with what’s in front of me, while Manuela generates the experiences that enrich my life. She’s very strong-willed and I love her goofiness. There’s no one I’d rather have covering my back.”

This article was amended on 18 December 2024. An earlier version said that the Fastnet race course went around Ireland instead of saying that it went around the Fastnet Rock off the southern coast of Ireland.