A voyage of discovery with guns and Amy Winehouse

Published on Tuesday 27 July 2010 12:07

WHEN her husband promised her a sailing holiday, Anne Campion never imagined she would end up running the gauntlet of Somali pirates, appearing on Arabic television, or bumping into Amy Winehouse in a restaurant toilet.

In the course of an epic two-year voyage, the landlubbing mother-of-two - a self-proclaimed "shoes and handbags girl" - braved stormy seas, war-ravaged regions and even crossed paths with the controversial songstress.

With husband Gordon, she traversed ten seas, three oceans and visited more than 40 nations in a titanic trip across the globe.

Both recently retired, the South Queensferry couple embarked on the trip of a lifetime on their 38ft yacht Equinox in June 2008, first heading west to Ireland before plotting course for Europe and then embarking on a voyage across the Atlantic to St Lucia.

In the two-year voyage they grew used to gun-wielding fishermen while savouring beautiful sights and forging great friendships on the way.

Despite plenty of hair-raising moments on their journey, Anne calls a brawl between bouncers and revellers in the Temple Bar district of Dublin "the scariest experience of the whole trip".

For veteran yachtsman Gordon, 59, the weather posed their greatest danger to safety.

He said: "Our biggest hazard was battling the elements. Off the coast of Colombia we were in 45 knot winds and that was really quite hairy, with waves coming over the boat."

Anne, 60, said: "When you get back people say 'I would have died in that situation', but when you are 100 miles from land there's nothing you can do. You develop a numb calmness and go into survival mode. Although I did have my moments when you are doing a solitary watch at night and there's lightning flashing all around and the yacht is rocking in the sea. You start thinking 'what am I doing here?'"

Only twice did Anne's sea legs desert her in the trip. She flew across the Atlantic meeting the crew at St Lucia and again en route to Australia.

It was while biding her time in the Caribbean that the former nurse bumped into and exchanged a few words with troubled soul diva Amy Winehouse in the toilet of a restaurant. She also enjoyed a meeting with the Prime Minister of St Lucia - though not in a lavatory.

Months later, and in constant communication with security forces, the couple sailed among a 19-strong convoy through 'Pirate Alley', between Oman and Yemen. Upon arrival, Anne was appointed official spokesman for the flotilla and was interviewed on Yemeni news alongside the country's director of security and tourism.Some months before, the couple upped sails and revved their yacht's inboard engine to escape an erratic fishing boat that had been trailing them near Borneo.

"When you have 12 people who look like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean shadowing you it can be a bit scary and it was worrying that as soon as they realised they could not catch us they tailed off," said sea dog Gordon, who refused an offer to buy an AK47 for $600 soon after.

Twice more were guns aimed at the travellers. Sailing from Sudan to Egypt, they strayed into disputed waters and had to be led away by the Egyptian navy while several armed men with Kalashnikovs stared them down from the beach. Another time, in Panama, a Kuna Indian in dug-out canoe drew alongside the anchored Equinox pointing a gun at Gordon.

"We thought all our worst nightmares had come true, until the guy explained that he needed two screws to fix it," said Anne.

The pair came home in June, and Gordon - who calculates only 150 people attempt the round-the-world challenge each year - now sports two tattoos to mark the voyage.

The adventure has made a lasting impression on Anne too. She said: "I've come back with a real sense of what's important. In this economic climate, everyone looks miserable but we have come from a world where people have absolutely nothing except for family. That's what will stay with me."