P.E.I. man 'devastated' sail around the world cut short
'I've had a period of reflection and I've accepted the way things are'
Summerside sailor Alan Mulholland says he is ending his solo round-the-world boat trip.
On Jan. 12, a wave flipped his 26-foot sailboat over on its side, which sent water rushing into the boat, damaging both the boat and some essential equipment.
He said he also suffered two cracked ribs while enduring some rough waves last Thursday night. He said he was advised by a doctor that it would take about six weeks for his ribs to heal.
"You know at first I was devastated, I was really disappointed, you know I wanted to figure out a way to make this work," he said.
"I've had a period of reflection and I've accepted the way things are."
He began his sailing adventure last summer, with the intention of spending two years on his boat Wave Rover.
'A big adventure'
"To stay within the safe boundaries I just can't continue across the Indian Ocean on the schedule that I had laid out."
He sailed into the Caribbean island of Martinique on Sunday to see if he could repair his boat at a shipyard.
You win some, you lose some. But in this case, I think I'm breaking even.— Alan Mulholland
He said he was disappointed when officials told him it would likely be two months before they could fit Wave Rover into their schedule.
Mulholland said to transit the Indian Ocean and the Horn of Africa safely he would have to add another year to his already two-year trip — something he said he and his wife aren't able to manage financially or emotionally.
"It's been a big adventure and that's why I'm thinking, you win some, you lose some. But in this case, I think I'm breaking even," he said.
Mulholland said he will repair the boat enough to sail back home to P.E.I. in mid-May.
While he is disappointed, he said he now has memories he will treasure.