Darius charts sea path of Columba

When four millimetres of plywood is all that separates you from the vast Atlantic Ocean, you really have to want to be there.

 

That's why Darius Namdaran is charting a course from the northern tip of Ireland to Scotland's most sacred island in his 10-foot mirror dinghy Phoenix.

 

Darius, who has been visiting the Portban Sailing Club, Kilberry, every summer since 2005, says he is realising a long-held dream to sail the Columba Way from Antrim to Iona - one that was impossible for most of his life because he could not sail.

 

Darius said: 'I was a summer sailor and would have said I was completely incompetent. But year on year I learned, I improved, and from my home in East Lothian I've taken on some sailings in the North Sea to places like the Isle of May. This has been good preparation for what I'm planning to do.'

 

Scheduled to set off on September 6 from near Ballycastle, Darius plans to round Rathlin Island to the west, sail over to Islay, and then choose which side of Jura to sail through.

 

Stop-offs on Colonsay and Ross of Mull will then set up Darius and his two crewmates, Ruben Welsh and Tim Cocking, for the sail to Iona, where they will land on its southern tip, as Columba once did in the 6th Century AD. Darius plans to complete his odyssey in four or five days, weather permitting.

 

Darius felt strongly that this was no jolly on the water, rather the result of months and years of preparation.

 

He explained: 'For the past two years I've prepared for offshore sailing. I would not be taking this on if I didn't think I was ready.

 

'The mirror dinghy has two-fold propulsion, through sail and oar, but we have kit to make repairs to the sail should we need to, and we are taking all the food and water we will need.

 

'We will carry handheld VHF radios, we have GPS trackers to plot our positions and navigate, with portable chargers, and have paper charts as well.

 

'Having different means of navigation is important because there is a lot of tidal activity in this area, especially through the Sound of Jura, so we will either travel 74 miles in total, or 90 miles, by going east of Jura and by the Corryvreckan whirlpool.

 

'Is it a given that we'll make it? No - but we're not going out in a rough sea state, in a Force 6 or 7 gale.

 

'The one advantage we do have over traditional yachts is that the mirror dinghy has little draught, meaning the hull is flatter, and that allows us to find safe havens like beaches to land on. It's more like a kayak with a sail.

 

'It's going to be very tough and physically taxing but I feel ready for it. It will be incredible to travel as the Celtic saints when they first arrived in Scotland.'

 

Nick Jones, commodore at the sailing club, said: 'We wish Darius and his crew all the best on their sea voyage.

 

'It's fantastic to see someone who learned to sail at Port Ban SC taking on a journey like this and we're all right behind him.'

 

"attachment_762385" "" "300"] Darius Namdaran is preparing to sail the route once taken by Saint Columba. AA32Darius02