'Our eight-year action-packed sailing adventure'

Alan Wood, with his wife Irenka and sons Darroch and Yewan in the Maldives

A Brighton family has returned home after spending eight years sailing the globe, with tales of escaping from armed pirates off the Sudanese coast, smuggling fuel through the Suez canal, and saving a rare aquatic mammal in Indonesia.

Alan Wood, his wife Irenka Wood and their children Rowan, Darroch and Yewan, sailed to more than 40 countries and territories on a 53ft (16m) boat called the Mothership in pursuit of "freedom and finding the true meaning of life".

The 56-year-old said he and his wife set out on the voyage as they had "grown tired of the rat race".

"After losing our business in the financial crash in 2008, we realised the system we'd bought into really didn't work for us," he added.

Irenka Wood snorkelling in the Maldives

Mr Wood said the family had always dreamt of sailing around the world.

When the couple's youngest son Yewan was born en caul - a rare occurrence when a baby is born still inside an intact amniotic sac - they believed it was a sign that they should embark on their adventure.

Mr Wood said according to folklore these babies were deemed lucky and sailors believed them to be a talisman.

To fund their trip, the couple started saving and rented out part of their home.

Mr and Mrs Wood hiking in Socotra in Yemen

It was not all smooth sailing as their voyage came with many unexpected encounters.

Mr Wood described sailing in the Red Sea as a "travel documentary combined with an awful action film".

In May 2025, the family was confronted by armed men who were "waving AK-47s at them" while attempting to stop them off the coast of Sudan.

The family visited a street market in Sudan

"We fled under cover of darkness with a bad engine, but fortunately their own engine gave up on them!" Mr Wood said.

While they were at the Suez Canal, Mr Wood said they had to "bribe their way through", often smuggling fuel and spare parts for the boat or risk paying a hefty price for the privilege.

Further escapades included dealing with a tired water pump, rationing fuel, water and food, swerving hidden reefs and cargo ships, and battling the forces of nature - all while trying to "boat school" the children.

Darroch catching a fish while the family were off the coast of Egypt

This culminated in using online resources, textbooks, bribery, and the "occasional guilt trip".

Thirteen-year-old Yewan said, "I learnt about many different cultures, visited many places, they were all amazing experiences.

"You can't get that from textbooks."

A goat standing on an abandoned tank in Socotra, Yemen

There were beautiful memories from the trip, alongside the danger.

"We hiked up a mountain in Socotra in Yemen to watch the sunrise," Mr Wood said.

"We also met a displaced family from Sudan who had nothing but smiles and optimism in the midst of the civil war."

Other highlights included rescuing a dugong calf in Indonesia from becoming a tourist amusement, watching children play tag with seals in the Galapagos Islands and the scenic views of Vanuatu in the South Pacific.

Now having returned to East Sussex, Mr Wood: "We survived it all.

"There is relief coming home, but we have taken with us so many treasured and unforgettable memories in our hearts."