This Mother’s Day, we are sharing the inspiring story of Brooke Darling, a talented photographer, who embarked on a 5-year sailing adventure around the Greek islands with her young family.
We asked Brooke about her experience navigating this journey as a photographer and a mum on the open seas.
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Can you describe a typical day for you and your daughter while sailing?
On a typical day we'd wake up by our body clocks, our catamaran gently swinging at anchor off a peaceful Greek Island. My daughter Ella would help to make our morning iced frappes and together we'd enjoy breakfast with a view on the bow of the boat.
We'd next take a morning dip in the crystal-clear Mediterranean Sea. Depending on the day, we'd head ashore in the dinghy to explore the island's sights, beachcomb, mingle with the locals or hunt down supplies.
On transit days, we'd depart early and sail to the next island which could take anywhere from a few hours to a full day. Night would be dinner cooked aboard together or a casual taverna ashore where Ella loves to play with the local kids until late. With the sun setting closer to 9pm mid-summer, there are plenty of late nights and no set bedtime routine.
What were some unique challenges you faced with having your daughter on board?
I would say the most unique challenge with our daughter was solitude from other children. There is a very small portion of families living on boats in the Mediterranean, maybe 1 in 30 boats or less.
It's a lifestyle mostly reserved for retirees. She would happily interact with local children in villages, but we had to hunt down other English-speaking kid boats travelling in the same areas. They might be only a few islands over, but coordinating catch ups can be difficult when navigating weather, routing plans and slow-moving vessels.
We home schooled - only a few hours of book work needed each week, and whilst she was wonderful at entertaining herself, having only a small space for toys and no TV meant we often needed to get creative to curb boredom-led frustration.
Sailing with our daughter was more challenging than our previous liveaboard experience on my dad's boat (pre-kids) but given the priceless and fully present time spent with her, I wouldn't change it for the world.
What was the most unexpected joy you experienced with the sailing adventure you had with your daughter?
Overall, the greatest joy has been watching her personality evolve and perspectives be shaped. Such as her resilience to change or her confidence to approach and start conversation with new people.
She's overcome fear of rough seas and adverse weather conditions to jumping from heights. She's showed curiosity to learn new words of each country we visited, an eagerness to learn new skills, discuss impacts of the weather or help with maintenance tasks around the boat.
My brother once told me how he'd underestimated his daughter's ability to understand complex explanations, so we always have adult level conversations that she can rise up to meet. Whilst my husband and I have plenty of experience sailing and living aboard fulltime, we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into with a small child.
Ella not only survived but thrived and we take great joy regularly talking about past experiences to keep those memories alive, all whilst planning our next adventures together.
How do you feel this experience shaped your daughter's perspective on the world?
While she has experienced sailing and travelling with us now as a young four, five and six year old, it warms my heart how much she already grasps about the vast world beyond our shores.
Her favourite books at home include the Lonely Planet for Kids, she often grabs our world globe to locate something on the map and has a growing bunting of flags to identify the countries she's visited.
We've shared real-life history, culture and social lessons from exploring ANZAC Cove at Gallipoli to Greek Orthodox monasteries and archaeological sites, Florence art museums to standing face-to-face with disadvantaged Gypsy children her same age.
My dad instilled a love of travel and adventure in me as a young adult which has changed the trajectory of my life. I hope we can instil the same curiosity, empathy and calculated risk-taking in her.
How did having your daughter with you influence your work? Did it change your subject matter or creative approach?
I love knowing she was often just out of frame in many of the images I've captured. I could produce another swag of candid photos or videos where she was there enjoying the same scene. For me personally, it brings such a deeper meaning and storytelling ability to my photography.
I could recall what we did before or after that scene was captured, the story behind the location or the challenges we overcame to get there. Yes, sometimes it meant I needed to work quickly or juggle the cries of hunger or help at the most inopportune time, but that's mum life!
Our walls at home are filled with my framed art prints. They constantly transport us back to those magical locations and moments. I hope they can evoke the same sense of wonder for those who purchase the prints for their own homes or special spaces.
