By Devan Mighton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Tilbury Times Reporter
Stoney Point resident Mitch Snaden has been on a journey. A former radio host in Essex and Kent counties with CHUM Group and Blackburn Media, he was last heard on the airwaves with Kara Ro on Windsor’s Country.
Thirty-five years ago, he started to get serious about sail boating, and when a friend of his purchased at 24-ft. C&C, they shared sailing times together for years.
This January, Snaden made the journey of a lifetime, sailing from Thailand to Sri Lanka for two months as a part of a crew.
“There were major changes happening in my life when I came across a post on Facebook from the people, Shawn Dear and Ally Cochrane, I ended up sailing with,” explains Snaden. “Their story intrigued me as they are circumnavigating and were, and still are, looking for crew to experience this trip with them. Every month is a leg and up to six people can join them each month to be part of the adventure. I chose to meet them in Phuket, Thailand and stay for two months, January and February. I departed from the ship in Galle, Sri Lanka.”
As he recalls his odyssey across Indochina, Snaden described his trip as one of soul-searching, of self-discovery. He says that the ship was biggest highlight of the trip to him, riding upon a 42-ft. Catamaran in the open ocean.
“We had a crew of six on the first leg from Phuket to the Andaman Islands,” he describes. “Shawn and Ally, of course, owners of the boat, myself, a young lady from New Zealand and a married couple who were from Holland and Russia – but call Bulgaria home.”
He says that each leg lasted 25 days, and at the end of each leg, the crew departs while the owners prep for the next go. After five layover days, a new crew boards for the first of the month.
It was a magical adventure. Snaden saw pilot whales and their ship was often frequented by dolphins. They island hopped while in Thailand and the Andaman Islands, dropping anchor to snorkel and see the copious coral life. He says that there were numerous secluded white sand beaches and the beautiful blue waters reached as far as the eyes could see.
“Sunsets and sunrises, as well moon rises and sets, were spectacular and when there was no moon, the stars filled the skies,” he recalls. “Being on the helm at 2 a.m. on a two-hour night watch is a humbling experience, as you realize just how insignificant you are in this universe.”
He met many fascinating people on his voyage.
“On the second leg of my trip, from the Andaman Islands to Sri Lanka, our crew saw the arrival of a couple from South Africa and Italy who met in their 20’s when they were in France on ski holidays, dated for awhile, and then separated for 30 years. Then, because life is filled with circumstances, they reunited and now are together again.”
Before leaving, they spent a day familiarizing themselves with the boat and learning the ground rules for surviving 25 days together in close quarters.
“Our open-water trips lasted for three days and four nights from Thailand to the Andaman Islands,” he recalls. “We landed in their major town called Port Blair, which had both Allied and Japanese occupation during World War 2. There are remnants of those occupations through the archipelago of islands around Port Blair. The port is a major naval base for the Indian Navy, so there is a lot of official boat traffic. We were boarded numerous times by various authorities in the short time we were anchored in Port Blair. Certainly not a highlight of the trip.”
He says that the trip from Port Blair to Sri Lanka took almost eight nights.
“We dropped anchor just as the sun was setting on the eighth evening,” says Snaden. “[There were] full days where all you could see was water. No other boats on the seas until the last day, as we approached Sri Lanka. It’s an amazing feeling to look out and see no other humans.”
As every country has different rules and customs, the crew were not allowed to roam around the Sri Lankan coast looking for secluded spots, so they had to tie up to the jetty at the main harbour in Galle.
He says that the journey brought him peace and a greater appreciation for all the people in his life, as well as a realization of how lucky he has been.
Snaden hopes to rejoin Shawn and Ally on their boat, SY Imagination, when they arrive back in the Caribbean in 2026. However, he doesn’t plan to rest on his laurels, as he is on the lookout on social media for other people looking for crew members that he can help out and join in their adventures as well.
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