The project

sailing home

We’re James and Smilla, an Italian couple documenting our 6-month journey home around Europe by sail!

LONG STORY SHORT...

A couple, a sailboat, one mission: to go back home by sailing sustainably. 

After years of studying biological sciences in Scotland, Smilla Savorelli and Dr James Dunning will leave on the 26th of April 2024 to go back home (Venice, Italy). 

Along the way, they will share their experiences, passions and skills on social media. They aim to spread awareness and social action towards safeguarding the environment. Stay tuned for the storytelling of an incredible adventure!

WHO ARE WE?

~ It's time to introduce ourselves ~

DR JAMES DUNNING, Phd

Hi all! I was born and raised in Verona (Italy), currently living in Aberdeen (Scotland). I'm bilingual (Italian/English), with both Italian and British citizenship. I'm currently working as a fisheries acoustician for the Marine Directorate of the Scottish Government. My job is to help understand the impact of offshore wind farms on the marine ecosystem through the use of echo-sounders. Since a young age I have been passionate about the sea and sailing, I used to skipper a sailing boat on Lake Garda and organize various summer cruises throughout the past years. The "Sailing home" project will be my biggest sailing challenge, yet.

Also, going home after 10 years in Scotland is an unbelievable feeling for me.

SMILLA SAVORELLI, BSc

Hi everyone! I'm Italian, born in Verona. In June 2023 I graduated from the University of Aberdeen in Zoology after 4 years of studies. Previously, I spent one year in Iowa (USA) as an exchange student during high school. I am interested in scientific communication using art as a medium, which was also the central theme of my Bachelor thesis. My biggest passions are painting and drawing, which I have been practicing since a very young age and continued pursuing throughout my studies. I love nature, the sea, sports, and learning about different cultures. 

I'm ready to go home after 5 years of living in Scotland. I cannot wait to start this adventure, listen to the silence of the sea, and fill my heart with life. 

HOW IT STARTED

SAILING HOME  started with a simple 'yes' to an idea that James shared one of those grey mornings in Aberdeen, Scotland:

J - "Why don't we return to Italy by sailboat?" 

S - "Well, why not?" 

We both looked at each other as if we were crazy. But we knew that only crazy souls dare dreaming.


There was no going back from that point... 

THE JOURNEY

Our journey will cover 3’500 nautical miles (4'000 miles or 6’500 km) crossing at least 6 different countries in about 6 months of navigation. 

This will mean accomplishing the adventure of a lifetime and our biggest dream. We will begin on the 26th of April 2024 from Lossiemouth and hopefully arrive in Venice in late autumn. We will sail Loch Ness along the Caledonian Canal, head South towards France, cross the infamous Bay of Biscay to reach Spain, and carry on along Portugal. The Strait of Gibraltar will be our midpoint and a major milestone, marking the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. From there we'll visit the Balearic islands, Sardinia, and Sicily, before sailing the Adriatic Sea through Croatia and reaching Home. 

You can see where we are right now! Click Here