When the Murcott family of six purchased there Bénétau Océanis 423 they embarked on an adventure of a lifetime. The family bought ‘All The Colours’ new and shortly after it was purchased it was named by the youngest member of their family, Alistair. ‘All the colours means a bit of everything’ explained Alistair’s father Chas. It came about when young Alistair was asked ‘How was school?’ He responded: “All the colours”. It is a very appropriate name for their boat as they new ‘All The Colours’ would bring them a bit of everything- good times and bad, scary moments and plenty of fantastic experiences.
The Iles du Soleil rally is the midpoint of a five year journey for the Murcott family from the Mediterranean back to their home down under in Western Australia.
The Murcott family spent two years sailing in the Mediterranean preparing their boat and themselves for the long trip home. They first herd about the Iles du Soleil rally during the East Med Yacht Rally. “We thought about the ARC”, said Rowena, ‘but this appealed more. Going to places like Dakar certainly meant stepping out of our comfort zone!’
The family praise the organizers for there efforts, waiting up through the night to guide arriving boats into new anchorages and sorting out visas for everyone. Although neither Chas nor Rowena spoke French everything ran very smoothly, ‘There are English radio schedules on the radio and information sheets are translated. The briefings are all repeated in English’.
The Murcotts found there journey a life changing and wonderful experience and recommend it ‘for people who want to do something different and maybe stretch themselves a bit,’ said Chas.
The family is eager to embark on a new journey in 2008 to the Caribbean, then through the Panama Canal and across the Pacific in 2009 or 2010