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Schooled at sea: My chaotic voyage to university

Suzanne Heywood spent her childhood sailing around the world facing storms, shipwrecks and isolation but she longed to return to England and win a place at Oxford University.

Over breakfast one morning Suzanne Heywood’s father announced that they were swapping their home in England for a new one out at sea – a 70ft sailboat called Wavewalker. What seven-year-old Suzanne thought would be a great adventure turned out to be what she describes as a decade-long living nightmare including near-fatal storms, shipwrecks and isolation. Feeling trapped, all she wanted was a formal education, but she had to be ingenious to manage it. Suzanne has written a memoir called Wavewalker: Breaking Free.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Emily Naylor and Rob Wilson

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

(Photo: Suzanne Heywood on Wavewalker. Credit: Suzanne Heywood)

Available now

41 minutes

Last on

Fri 9 Jun 2023 02:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 8 Jun 2023 11:06GMT
  • Thu 8 Jun 2023 17:06GMT
  • Thu 8 Jun 2023 21:06GMT
  • Fri 9 Jun 2023 02:06GMT

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Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected