Jack Laurence

I kind of find that, as you said, exciting, though, as well with not having a plan, because I think a lot of people have that fantasy of turning up at the airport and just, you know, randomly going with whatever flight that's there, you know, just not having a plan and just going with it.

But no one's actually got the balls to do it because they're like, well, but what happens if or what if this or what if that?

Whereas there seems there was no what ifs.

It was just like, ah, we'll work it out.

It was cracked the whole way along.

The family now found themselves held up in the town of Falmouth, which is a port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall in the United Kingdom.

It would be some time before the family could actually finally set off on their adventure as they waited patiently for the winds to change.

The wind had unusually been blowing from the south for about two months, which meant no sailing ships could get out, as it would just blow them straight back into port.

So there they waited for an all-important northerly wind.

While they waited, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Dougal may use this time to get his inexperienced crew up to speed on the workings of the Lucette and sailing in general.

But, Douglas says, they didn't so much as go for a jaunt around the bay.

Obviously, Dougal never had any doubts about taking his family on this big adventure.

So when people talk about killer whales, there's one fact that always comes up.

But Douglas says his mother had plenty.

Despite the name, there are no confirmed cases of a wild orca killing a human in the ocean.

It's repeated so often that it feels reassuring, as if it settles the question entirely, as if it means there's nothing to fear.

But that statistic leaves something out.

Because while attacks on people are virtually unheard of, interactions with boats are a very different story.

Around the world there has been growing reports of orcas, particularly killer whales, ramming, biting and disabling yachts.

In some cases boats have been damaged, in others they've been sunk, rudders torn away, hulls breached, crews left drifting waiting for rescue.