When Maurice and Maralyn Bailey decided to build a boat and sail to the other side of the world, it was not on a whim. The couple from Derby had long hankered for adventures that would lift them out of their dreary suburban existence. Over six years, they diligently studied boat designs, routes, timetables and supplies. They gave up their jobs, sold their bungalow and the bulk of their belongings, and oversaw the building of a boat they called “Auralyn”, a composite of their first names. Auralyn would have no radio transmitter as Maurice was keen “to preserve their freedom from outside interference”.
By the time they set off for New Zealand in the summer of 1972, Maurice and Maralyn were confident sailors who had considered every eventuality. But even they couldn’t have anticipated a 40ft sperm whale, injured and in distress, smashing into their boat 250 miles north of Ecuador and ripping a hole the size of a briefcase beneath the waterline. Their attempts to pump water out of the boat proved hopeless, as did their efforts to plug the hole. Realising what needed to be done, they spent 10 wordless minutes wading around gathering essentials, after which they climbed into a tiny motorless dinghy, with an attached inflatable raft, and watched their beloved Auralyn sink into the inky depths.
