Two years ago 9&10 News shared a story about a sailing across the Atlantic. Now that journey has come full circle with a trip back to Northport.
Luke and Jessie Yeates thought a trip across the Atlantic would be a good test to their relationship, but they never thought they would be tested in other ways as well.
Jessie says the trip was physically and emotionally difficult.
The 15,000 nautical mile trip took two years to complete. The couple ran into issues like icebergs, to one point Jessie being thrown overboard.
“During our swap-over shift, I actually thought I saw a cloud on the horizon, it was really confusing,” she says. “And next thing you know, it was probably the size of your standard Holiday Inn Hotel iceberg.”
Her husband, Luke, says if they would have hit the iceberg they would have had to abandon the boat and wait at least five hours in the bitter cold of the Atlantic for help.
Fortunately the couple made it across to England and got married in Scotland soon after.
“We decided that if we made it and if we still liked each other when we got to the other side we would get married and so it worked out,” Luke says.
Despite the dangers they faced on their journey there, Luke and Jessie plotted a course for home. But nothing could have foreshadowed what the couple would experience next.
“On our last night before getting to our destination in southern Portugal, we had some nasty weather that we were aware it was coming, it was forecasted, but it was easily doubled what was forecasted,” Jessie says.
At 2 a.m. a wave hit and threw Jessie from the boat.
Luke says he remembers, “Just flying and hitting the water and then being under the water. You know Jessie got washed overboard, at this point I managed to stay just about the boat.”
Jessie says, “When it was all done, when we were safe on land, I just started crying… but that didn’t hit me until officially we were fine, the boats fine.”
Now Jessie and Luke are thankful to be back in fresh water.
“It was the icing on top an already really tough passage,” said Jessie. “We were either incredibly lucky or incredibly unlucky depending on who you ask.”
The couple is already planning on their next big adventure. You can read more about their journey on Jessie and Luke’s blog,
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