Sailing to Socotra: Dragon Blood Trees, Sunrise Summits & the Gulf of AdenTransit Ep246

We're the Wood family - Woody, Irenka, Rowan, Darroch & Yewan. 8 years circumnavigating on a sailboat with 3 kids
• ~40,000 miles
• ~40 countries & territories
• BOOK RELEASE June 2026: "Mothership Adrift: A Dad's Guide to Escaping the Rat Race and Living a Life of Freedom, Travel and Adventure on the Sea with Your Kids"
▷FREE SAMPLE: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/mothershipadriftbook
--
🎬 AS FEATURED IN:

▷Amazon Prime's "Adventure in Wonder"
- Sizzle Reel: https://youtu.be/0YJSjKO4js8
- Trailer: https://youtu.be/7OfAmECKj7E
▷The Telegraph: We quit rat race for eight-year sailing adventure
- Read Through: https://youtu.be/5NnprymsWC0
- Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activity-and-adventure/eight-year-sailing-adventure/
▷The Telegraph: We spent 8-year sailing around the world. This was the scariest part
- Read Through: https://youtu.be/w7tgipworFE
- Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/trips-of-a-lifetime/red-sea-around-the-world-sailing/
▷BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3ep8w192yno
▷BBC South East Today: https://youtu.be/BuJe4VtLLmQ
▷GB News: https://youtu.be/KN5yhpD1csA
▷Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/we-are-raising-kids-sea-during-covid19-1530315
▷Yachting Monthly Award Winner: https://youtu.be/Y1icRewwML8
▷Lonely Planet: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/families-living-on-the-sea
▷Full press: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/about
--
MORE MOTHERSHIP CONTENT:

▷BOOK: https://www.mothershipadrift.com/mothershipadriftbook
▷PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift
▷YOUTUBE MOTHERSHIP MAINTENANCE: https://www.youtube.com/c/mothershipmaintenance
▷YOUTUBE MOTHERSHIP ADRIFT: https://www.youtube.com/c/mothershipadrift
▷YOUTUBE PODCASTS: https://www.youtube.com/@MothershipAdriftPodcast
▷SPOTIFY PODCASTS: https://open.spotify.com/show/7uv5MGLkCP1xsr9Thc0MYi?si=8a4326c9bef34c86
▷INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mothershipadrift
▷FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/mothershipadrift
▷WEBSITE: https://www.mothershipadrift.com
---
We anchored off Socotra to see the alien-looking Dragon's Blood Trees — then hiked a mountain at sunrise before heading into the Gulf of Aden via the IRTC.

Socotra is a remote island in the Arabian Sea, part of Yemen but closer to Somalia, and home to some of the strangest and most beautiful endemic species on the planet. Our main target: the legendary Dragon's Blood Tree, found nowhere else on Earth.

The anchorage was rolly with constant swell, so we made the most of every moment on land. One morning we hiked the mountain directly above the harbour to catch sunrise — no crowds, no noise, just the light coming up over the land below.

One of those simple moments that sticks with you long after the trip.

After refuelling and reprovisioning in town, we prepared for the next leg: joining the IRTC (International Recommended Transit Corridor) to transit the Gulf of Aden — a heavily monitored route used by vessels to reduce piracy risk in the region.

In this video:
🌳 The Dragon's Blood Trees of Socotra
🌄 Sunrise hike above the anchorage
⛽ Refuelling & reprovisioning before departure
🚢 Prepping to join the IRTC through the Gulf of Aden

If you're following along on our sailing route through the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden, subscribe for more from this leg of the journey.

#Socotra #SailingYemen #GulfOfAden #DragonBloodTree #IRTC #SailingLife #Yemen #ArabianSea
---
Little Planet
Music by: https://www.bensound.com
License code: KAUHDU0PHABLOPA5
Artist: : Benjamin Tissot

Silent waves
Music: Bensound
License code: COE1PKMUQF2XDESB
Artist: : Nick Petrov
---
💙 SUPPORT OUR CHANNELS:

A big THANK-YOU to our MOTHERSHIP PATREON family who make these videos possible. What is a Patreon? A Patreon is a regular person like you, who helps content creators like us, to make entertaining and useful stuff like this!
If you'd like to help towards the filming, editing and data costs of our Mothership Adrift channels, please:
▷ Click the SUPER THANKS button below the video
▷ Follow the Paypal link: https://paypal.me/Mothershipadrift
▷ Follow the Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/mothershipadrift
---
KEYWORDS:
family sailing vlog, sailing around the world, sailing with kids, family cruising sailboat, liveaboard sailing life, offshore sailing, Amel Super Maramu, escape the rat race, financial freedom family, alternative lifestyle, quit job travel, life design, early retirement family, unconventional parenting, worldschooling, family gap year
---
#EscapeTheRatRace #FinancialFreedom #AlternativeLifestyle #LifeDesign #FamilyAdventure