Cork seafarer Eddie English: Jo, my soul-mate and my ship-mate

HE should be celebrating 50 years of his sailing business, but Cobh seafarer Eddie English is in mourning for his beloved wife, Jo, who died of cancer in April.

“Jo was the main caterer, I did the teaching,” Eddie says of their partnership at SailCork.

He is trying to get the hang of making ‘chow’ for his shipmates since her passing, and is taking a group out on the harbour the next day.

 “I’ll have to make a pot of soup!” he says.

English, who started up SailCork in Cobh in 1974, is sitting outside his house in East Hill in the town, taking in the sunshine and showing me the spectacular harbour views.

Jo tragically died on April 9 from pancreatic cancer - the two were shipmates and soulmates.

“We met at a party in Kanturk where we were introduced by mutual friends,” says Eddie. “We fell in love quickly.

“Jo travelled across Europe and to Thailand. She worked in hotels in San Francisco. She was gregarious, always smiling. She was a hard worker and good-humoured.”

She was adventurous too

“She’d give anything a go!” says Eddie.

The couple were married within a year. Then Jo gave up her job in Brennan’s catering emporium in Cork city to join Eddie at the helm of SailCork.

Jo was a water baby, just like Eddie.

“She got her sea legs straight away,” he says. “She took to helping in the school like a duck to water.”

Jo, like her husband, had an affinity with the water. Eddie sadly remembers she was in water when they first realised she was ill.

“I remember she went for a swim in the sea wearing a wetsuit,” says Eddie. 

It was the day after St Brigid’s day. Jo complained of a pain in her tummy. She was wincing in pain.

She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February, and passed away in April.

“It was only two months,” says Eddie sadly. “We were both looking forward to her 60th birthday.”

When it came to SailCork, Jo was able to put all hands on deck.

“Jo was everything,” says Eddie. “She loved bringing groups out sailing. She made home-made soup and sandwiches for everyone. She had a zest for life. She organised sailing trips abroad. We brought a group to Croatia last September. Jo organised three venues abroad every year for 20 years.”

Looking out at the horizon, Eddie thinks of his life partner on land and on sea.

“It’s a minus without Jo,” he says.

But he has a loyal crew who help him - their son and daughter.

“Eamonn helps out at the school and so does Aisling when I need her,” says Eddie. 

I have a good team of instructors on the books, over 20 people. They love the discipline and that’s important.

Has he ever had a hairy situation at sea?

“I’ve had one or two frights,” says Eddie, who broadcasts the weather on Facebook every morning from East Hill. “I remember once being in a motorboat at the harbour mouth. The surf was rough and swirling. I managed to pull her out of it.”

How does one cope with seasickness?

“You just get over it,” laughs Eddie, recalling the old adage that you should keep looking at the horizon to beat it. “It works for some people,” he says.

Eddie is not thinking of giving up work any time soon.

“I love connecting with nature,” he says. 

I love the freedom of the sea. I love the scenery and the wildlife.

He loves the creatures in the sea too.

“I came across 200 basking sharks at he Old Head of Kinsale the other day,” says Eddie. “They were 30ft long.”

He is a man of the world.

“I have sailed most continents,” he says. “If the weather is good in Ireland, it is the best country in the world for sailing. There is a growing interest in water sports, kayaking and yachting.”

“I’ve had a good innings over 50 years,” he adds. 

I came across a shirt the other night, the logo was ‘SailCork, 35 years’. I should be elated at 50 years!

It is a great success story, and Jo was with him all the way.

“We enjoyed it, and we made great friends with people who came on the boats,” says Eddie.

The odyssey of the English family is a fascinating piece of Cork maritime history.

Five generations ago, Nicholas English left the rich pastureland in the shadow of the Galtee Mountains to seek his fortune in the bustling seaport of Queenstown, now Cobh.

He did very well in his new home and got involved in many areas, including seafaring. Five generations later, the English family are still very much involved in seafaring in Cobh.

“My late father Eamonn English was a well-respected member of the sailing community in Ireland,” says Eddie.

“During his youth, he sailed dinghies with East Beach Corinthians, and he was Commodore of Cove Sailing Club.”

Eddie’s mother, Mary English, was a former hockey player who captained Munster, and enjoyed life on the ocean waves as well.

“My mother was also a past Commodore of Cove Sailing Club. She sailed into her mid-80s, and she fund-raised for the Irish Lifeboats for over 70 years.”

Eamonn, who was tragically killed in a car crash, passed on the love of his sport to his sons, Eddie, Joe, Denis, and Paul.

“In the late 1950s, when we were small, dad got us a rowing boat,” says Eddie.

The lads didn’t stray far from shore.

“We’d row along the strand where mam could hear and see us from the house here,” recalls Eddie.

I began formal sailing classes in Crosshaven in the ’60s which were the first-ever sailing classes. Mum brought me over by boat.

Eddie became more proficient in sailing - and his love of it prevails over half a century later.

“As I got older, dad tutored me and taught me sailing abilities,” he says. “All the family were involved in sailing.

“For a few years, I worked at other sailing clubs and that whetted my appetite.”

Eddie was a water-baby as a child, qualifying as a sailing instructor at 16.

“I loved the water from the start,” he says. “I have been teaching since finishing college in UCC; the guts of 50 years!”

When he competed a sailing course in 1974, SailCork, located at East Ferry, was born offering training in yachting, dinghy sailing, powerboating, and VHF radio navigation.

"That was the start of it,” says Eddie. “I taught sailing for one week the first year, then for three and four weeks the following year. It grew from there and I moved to a base in Cobh.”

Could I be a sailor?

“You could!” says Eddie, laughing. “You need good powers of observation, and you need to be aware of what the wind is doing.”

Eddie, along with his children, often enjoys sailing the harbour aboard his yacht, Holy Grounded.

“I take out various groups sailing when I’m not teaching,” he says. 

I know the area very well. People love hearing historical anecdotes. And I have wonderful memories exploring Cork harbour.

He explores many options on his inflatable rib with a big engine.

“I often head over to Ballinacurra for a pint on a Sunday evening,” says Eddie. “That’s about 20 miles plus.

“Aisling likes to swim in the sea, and we often go to Aghada, Corkbeg, or to Roches Point. The family have been going to Baltimore since the early ’60s. We have great memories of Cape Clear.”

Eddie has sailed further afield.

“I’ve raced in the Caribbean, and Jo and I brought Irish people there for sailing holidays. The idea appealed to many people.”

“Jo looked after the logistics. She was great at minding people and doing research for trips. We never went to the wrong restaurant, and we always were ensured of safe anchorage.”

SailCork, East Ferry Marina, Cobh, P24 D681. Phone: 021-4811237

SailCork is approved by the Irish Sailing Association (ISA), the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), and the Irish Tourist Board.