Family's epic 6,000 mile journey to Brazil in dad's homemade catamaran

Family's epic 6,000 mile journey to Brazil in dad's homemade catamaran Tanya Gleed, 60, who lives in south Wales, was just 12 when she sailed 6,000 miles to Brazil with her parents View 7 Images A family from Wales sailed across the world on this catamaran A family embarked on a 6,000-mile voyage to Brazil with four children, a dog and minimal navigation equipment - aboard a 46ft boat their father constructed in the back garden. ‌ Tanya Gleed was merely 12 when she boarded the remarkable catamaran alongside her parents, Christopher and Antonia Wheller, and three brothers, aged eight, nine and 14. ‌ They departed from Bideford in Devon in September 1978 and eventually arrived in Brazil in January 1979 after covering approximately 6,000 miles. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here. ‌ Without GPS, modern navigation systems or a seasoned sailing crew, Mr Wheller, an electrical engineer, charted their course using only a plastic sextant, paper charts and the sun and moon. During their journey, the family encountered numerous challenges, including severe weather, military inspections, and close encounters with whales and sharks in open waters. They called at various ports across Europe, including Spain and Portugal, and Cape Verde in Africa, before arriving at their final destination in Brazil. ‌ Upon reaching Mrs Wheller's hometown of Porto Alegre and docking at a yacht club, journalists and locals flocked to hear about their expedition, offering food and hospitality. However, reflecting on the voyage nearly 50 years later, Mrs Wheller and daughter Tanya, who lives in south Wales, believed they were "protected by something", acknowledging it was a "dangerous" undertaking. View 7 Images Christopher and Antonia Wheller ‌ Tanya, 60, from south Wales, recalled: "It was an adventure that I'd never forget and I used to love stopping at every port because I'd make friends. "But I would never put my children through that if I had to. "I wouldn't do that again myself in the conditions that we went - on a DIY boat, second-hand motor and no experience of navigation whatsoever. ‌ "I look back on it as if we were protected by something because, for a family of six, it was a dangerous thing to do." Mrs Wheller, 81, from Twyford, disclosed that she continues to have "nightmares" about the voyage. Speaking with Sell Us Your Story, she recalled: "I wanted a bigger kitchen and my husband said, 'Well, I want a boat'. ‌ "I didn't think much of it, but he said, 'I will make a big one, and then we all go back to Brazil ', and I said, 'all right'. "Next thing I see is the lorry full of wood, and they started building it. I ended up working on the boat as well. "I did all the painting, and so I was a great help to them." ‌ View 7 Images The story made the news back in the late 1970s She encountered her husband while he was employed in Porto Alegre for Standard Cables. They wed in England, though travelled extensively afterwards. For several years during the 1960s, they returned to Brazil where Tanya and one of her brothers were born. ‌ However, in 1971 they came back to the UK and established their home in Cosham, Wiltshire. It was in 1975 that Mr Wheller conceived the idea to construct the boat so they could visit their family in Brazil. Following two years of building the vessel, they ensured they had plenty of food, plasters and medicine to sustain them throughout their adventure. Shortly after departing England, they faced a ferocious storm near Ilfracombe and barely escaped colliding with rocks. ‌ Additional storms pursued them at Barry Island and France, while at one stage a massive vessel seemed to be bearing straight towards them. The family possessed minimal modern navigation equipment. Their father relied on a rudimentary plastic sextant to determine their location by taking measurements from the sun and moon. View 7 Images The vessel was built in the late 1970s ‌ Tanya said: "Dad would look through the sextant, which would locate the horizon and the sun. "He would align the horizon and the sun, and then he would ask the time, we would write down the time and the position of the sun and the horizon. "He had his charts, and he would put those details on the chart - I don't know how he did that part - and that's how he managed to find out where we were. ‌ "But I always helped him with the navigation side of things." She added: "In the beginning, I felt really sick, and you just had to keep looking at the horizon. "My brothers would always feel sick. If you stayed outside of the boat, you could see more of the horizon and the sea doesn't affect you." ‌ The family journeyed through Portugal, passing Lisbon, Porto and Leixões. They navigated beneath the imposing bridge spanning the River Douro and received an invitation from local fishermen to tour a fish yard, where they were treated to caldeirada, a traditional Portuguese fish stew. At each port of call, Antonia faced the practical responsibility of maintaining the family's provisions. She was responsible for purchasing provisions, laundering garments and organising water supplies for the journey. ‌ View 7 Images Tanya with her family The engine, meanwhile, proved troublesome throughout. In Spain, the vessel's engine would fail upon entering harbour, forcing the family to depend on local fishermen to tow them in. ‌ Despite these setbacks, Tanya recalls finding the adventure enjoyable. She said: "Everywhere that we went, people were curious. "Some kids in Spain were shouting 'come here ', and I didn't know what they were going on about. ‌ "I just went on the dinghy and met these kids. I didn't understand them, but I really enjoyed my stay in Spain." The family pressed on southwards to Tenerife, Madeira and Cape Verde, where locals presented them with food and bananas. One person even attempted to gift Mrs Wheller a live chicken. ‌ The Atlantic crossing presented fresh obstacles. On one occasion, the catamaran became stranded near the equator and stayed there for nearly a week, with insufficient wind to propel it onwards. The family also came across whales during the passage. After dark, they could hear the creatures breathing near the vessel in the blackness. ‌ Mrs Wheller grew so anxious about the whales that she tested using a strong lamp on the deck. Following its activation at night, the whales ceased appearing around the craft. Mrs Wheller said: "During the night they were still following us, and so I was petrified - those big heads - then they disappeared and we didn't know where they were." ‌ The family eventually arrived in Recife, where they were welcomed by a family of 15 who provided them with food and clothing and supported them throughout their stay. Departing from Recife, the family made their way down the Brazilian coastline towards Espírito Santo and ultimately Rio Grande do Sul. Throughout the journey, they encountered dolphins, whales and sharks. View 7 Images The Wheller family embark on their trip ‌ However, food supplies began to dwindle. Tanya recalls surviving on stock cubes for their salt content, acutely conscious that their provisions were running dangerously low. Eventually, they arrived in Porto Alegre, where their appearance drew the attention of journalists and curious onlookers. ‌ A local resident offered the family the use of a spare property, which they subsequently rented. Their father secured employment, and the family ultimately settled in Gravataí. The handcrafted catamaran, which had carried them thousands of miles across the ocean, was transported from Porto Alegre to Gravataí in Rio Grande do Sul with the assistance of two government lorries. The family eventually moored the vessel on a plot of land and made it their home. ‌ View 7 Images The catamaran was hand crafted For Tanya, the recollections remain those of an extraordinary childhood. "I look back on it as if we were protected by something," she said. ‌ "For a family of six with no experience of navigation – dad didn't have any navigation experience – I see it as an adventure. "My mum was not afraid, she dealt with everything as it came." Yet her mother recalls the experience in an entirely different light. ‌ "For me it's a nightmare," Mrs Wheler said. While her husband focused on navigation, she took charge of four children, preparing meals, laundry and securing provisions. She was also required to handle officials and bargain for what the family required, occasionally because she possessed greater fluency in the languages. "I had to teach them to behave," she said. ‌ She also ensured her children grasped the perils of life at sea. If one of them tumbled overboard, she explained to them, they could simply vanish into the current. Decades on, Antonia still finds the journey challenging to reflect upon. Article continues below "I have nightmares about the voyage. I don't like talking much about it." Tanya revealed she would be keen to pen a book about the adventure and also pay tribute to her father, Mr Wheller, who died in September 2023 aged 83.