The new Sparxsea music video “Little Wooden Boat”, the first single on Sparxsea’s upcoming debut full-length album, is entirely composed of footage from Holly Martin’s solo-sailing journey around the world in her 27 foot sailboat. Sailing is in Holly’s blood, and she spent more than half her life living on a boat. We met her.
Holly, you born… on board! Please let us know something about your youth.
I wasn’t born on board, but my parents moved back onto their boat within the first 24 hours of my life. I was born in New Zealand on the bedroom floor of a friend’s house. My parents moved my brother and I back onto their 25 foot boat the next morning.
How did you find Gecko, your first sailboat?
I found Gecko when I was recovering from a broken arm in Maine. She was listed for sale in Salem Massachusetts. My dad and I drove down to take a look at her, and it was love at first sight. We sailed her back up to Maine with a chart plotter hardwired onto a spare battery my dad brought (the boat had no functional batteries at the time). We used suction cup battery-operated running lights, and a flashlight for the compass. It took us two days and a night, and it remains one of my favorite sails to date.
What about your next trips?
I’m currently in the Las Perlas Islands. They’re an archipelago off the Pacific coast of Panama. I’m planning on making the passage to French Polynesia at the end of May. The Pacific is finally starting to open up again from the COVID scare. I’ll hopefully get to New Zealand by October, where I will officially finish the circumnavigation that was started when I was born. My long-term plan is to circumnavigate solo. So far, I’ve done all my sailing from Maine to here solo, and I’m excited to continue the trend.
