The voyage from Chernobyl

The crew of the Golden Apple had no idea what lay ahead when the Cork-based Chernobyl Children's Project launched the 26,000-mile boat trip around the world. The four brothers and a sister from Cork had vague ideas about weather problems, the threat of sharks and pirates and how uncomfortable it could be living in a sitting-down space smaller than the average kitchen.

However, the goal of the trip was bigger than such mundane matters. They were aiming to increase awareness of the Chernobyl Children's Project, a charity designed to save the lives of the children irradiated in the nuclear disaster. They were also hoping to raise £1 million for the charity.

With careful planning and cheery attitudes, the crew left their homes and settled into life at sea. They thought themselves prepared for almost anything.

Sadly, it was the unforseeable death of Hugh Coveney, the former Fine Gael minister, which ultimately sidelined the Golden Apple. He fell to his death at Robert's Cove in Cork Harbour while out walking his dog.

When the news reached them, Rebecca (20), Rory (24), twins Andrew and Tony (21), and Simon (26) pulled down the sails and flew home. The trip would have to wait.

Wait it did, for almost two months. In May the crew decided, after much debate, to continue the voyage with one change: Simon would hand over skipper duties to Rory and stay home to look after the family farm.

"The Sail Chernobyl Project was a dream for us all, our father included," said Rebecca in May. "The first five months of the trip gave us all such confidence - everything ran very smoothly. We still have that confidence and I think Rory will make a fine leader."

Simon went on to announce his candidacy for his father's seat, ultimately winning it in a Cork South Central by-election.

In a recent interview, the founder of the Chernobyl project, Adi Roche, said that Sail Chernobyl was "a noble voyage" but that she would have respected a decision by the Coveney family to stay home. "That they went to sea again speaks volumes about their strength, courage and vision," she said. Roche has called the resumption of the journey "the finest tribute the Coveneys can pay to their father."

To date Sail Chernobyl has raised about £250,000 for the charity. "I guarantee you that the Coveneys have saved lives by what they have done already," Roche said. Some of the money has already been spent by the project with the crew's blessing on the Novinki mental asylum in Belarus.

The money paid for 40 skilled labourers from Waterford to fly to Belarus and refurbish the asylum. The workers installed toilets, showers and other amenities over a fortnight, working 18 hours a day without pay. The money also paid for properly trained staff to take care of the patients there.

After leaving Cork in October, 1997, and sailing to the Canaries, the Caribbean, the Galapagos Islands, Fiji, Australia and Singapore, today the Golden Apple has docked off a small island near Krabi on Thailand's west coast. The boat is due in Cork again next June, the original ending date. While the crew was away, friends took the boat along the charted course.

The Coveneys are about two-thirds through the trip and preparing themselves for a 600-person fund-raising party in Phuket, Thailand, next month.

The crew is learning Thai, between encounters with the local wildlife such as manta rays, snakes and stranded birds. They plan to move on to Malaysia for Christmas, where they will meet up with their mother and family members. The next stop will be Sri Lanka in the new year

Speaking by satellite phone, Andrew Coveney says that he is a bit frustrated that they can't move on to Sri Lanka earlier. The crew decided to wait due to monsoon season.

"I like to be on the move, which means getting closer to home," he says. "Since we've come back it's been more of a mission to get on with it and finish the project." The trip is still very enjoyable, he adds. He likes seeing places that are so completely different from home.

Rebecca agrees: "You never know what it will be like until you get there and often it's quite different than you expect."

Sailing duties are evenly divided, according to Rebecca, since everyone knows how the boat works and how to sail. Andrew is the main navigator, Rory makes the final decisions as skipper and Tony and Rebecca cook and are qualified in first aid.

Having four members instead of five has reduced sleeping time for each member, so life on board is a little harder. They miss Simon, but everyone is delighted with his election win. And, of course, they miss their father.

In many ways, his death has made them more determined to help the children of the Chernobyl disaster. "You never know what's going to happen next for them," says Rebecca.

The Golden Apple, the Coveneys' 17-year-old 51-foot teak sailing ketch, is holding up well, although the sails have become somewhat tattered due to the sun wearing away the stitching. "It's looking better than ever before," Andrew says. Regular upkeep includes painting and varnishing the wood.

The boat was made for this kind of voyage, having been commissioned in 1980 by an owner itching for his own around-the-world trek. Sadly, that owner died before making it.

The Coveneys bought the boat in 1991 and renovated it, adding extra navigation and safety equipment. The family funded the improvements to the boat and has since paid for all of the costs of the voyage.

A major problem for the crew is getting the Golden Apple through customs and immigration checks at ports of call. Although the trip from Singapore to Thailand was uneventful, it took an entire day to get permission to dock.

Students from around the world have been following the boat's progress, regularly sending emails to the crew and logging into their website. About 6,000 "hits" a month have been recorded recently, and those numbers are expected to soar now that schools are in session full-time, according to Adi Roche.

Updates from the crew are posted on the site as well as a photo journal and biographies of each of the crew members. Visitors can pledge money or post a message of support.

Several schools have organised fund-raising events such as cake sales, penalty shoot outs and concerts for the project. Some have arranged to meet the crew when they arrive back in Cork next year.

The Golden Apple crew is planning on visiting a few schools when they return to Cork, according to Mimi Doran, the project manager for Sail Chernobyl.

The Sail Chernobyl website is at http:// www.aardvark.ie/ccp/sailchernobyl

Donations can be sent to an account at AIB, South Mall, Cork - account number 11100050.