The first few paragraphs of the article do give you a bit of an idea that he is definitely doing it with very little
money.
From the Article:
Every now and again you meet someone who manages to alter your perceptions, re-align your values and generally give your heart a good shake-up. Back in 2015 we sailed South West from Chagos, to Rodrigues in the southern Indian Ocean, a strenuous 6 day passage that tested our capabilities. After a thorough bashing we finally raced in to the tiny harbour on the island of Rodrigues, on a day when even the local schools had been closed due to high wind strengths. Frankly, I've never been so happy to arrive anywhere.
Next day, a small sailboat came in off that same angry ocean, with just one young man on board. It had no
roller furling sails, not even an
engine. There was no
generator, no
refrigeration, no fancy
autopilot systems, no
electric toilets and certainly few comforts below decks. The boat was simple, minimalist, in fact so basic I was shocked. It was not in great condition, but it got him there.
Sean D'Epagnier had just crossed the southern
Indian Ocean in that boat, on his own, through some dreadful
weather. Having no
engine, he sculled his way into harbour with a
single large sculling oar, settled in and lit a
wood fire in a pot on
deck,
heating a meal of seafood he'd caught. Squid lay on the
deck, drying in the sun - his means of preserving
fish he caught by line or by
diving.
There in Rodrigues we helped Shaun with some fasteners and glue, and a chunk of timber to make a new sculling oar. Then, over the next two years, we bumped into Sean a couple of times, first in the BVI's after crossing the Atlantic and then again in Charleston, South Carolina. Each time I looked at the approaching sailboat and instantly said to myself - that just has to be Sean.
He's an intriguing character, doing it his own way. By his own words he's interested in the
weather, climate, mathematical algorithms and graphics. Very importantly, most cruising sailors already benefit from Sean's
work - he's a
member of the development team that produce
Open CPN, the superb freeware chart plotting program (
check it out here). So there is a lot more to Sean than initial appearances might suggest. Behind this crusty and unusually tough adventurer are a million stories.
He purchased his boat, a Bristol 27 built in 1973, for $1,000. She's named Alexandra. Departing
California in 2011, he crossed the Pacific and arrived in
New Zealand in 2012. There he became the subject of a search by local authorities, as his
family in the
USA hadn't heard from him for some months - it turns out Sean was fine, busily working his way around the
New Zealand coast. Of course he didn't understand the fuss.
....he commented online about the cruising
equipment that he considers essential - his list included spare
sails, a sculling oar, a sailing
kayak, a
wood stove and squid lures. It's fair to say that most of these items are not on my list...