FORGET the exploits of Phileas Fogg - the intrepid adventurer has a long way to go before he matches the mileage of the McDonalds.

Globe-trotting couple Bernie and Sue, and 14-year-old daughter Ruth, have notched up an incredible 150,000 miles in their home-made ocean-faring vessel.

But on the final leg of their most recent worldwide voyage, they got home with a little help from an unlikely source.

Bernie, Sue and Ruth were heading from St Helena to Cork and had packed enough provisions to easily cope with the rigours of the 60 day trip.

Four hundred miles off the St Helena coast, Bernie was astonished to discover that the boat had been surrounded by a huge shoal of tuna, as far as the eye could see and down to a depth of about 60 feet.

This was perhaps not so unusual - but the fact that they continued to follow the craft across the Atlantic Ocean, for nearly three months and more than 5,000 miles is all the more remarkable.

Without their appearance the family might well have been in trouble as calm seas and currents prolonged their journey by an extra 40 days.

Bernie believes that some sort of divine intervention might well have played a part in keeping food on the table for their voyage home.

He said: "Sue said 'what do you think is happening - this is scary. I think Him up there has sent these fish to feed us'."

The friendly fishes even stayed relatively close by while the boat was attacked by sperm whales and dolphins.

"It was going to take us around 100 days and we only had 80 days worth of food," continued Bernie, who served his time as a ship's electrician and is a fully trained diving instructor.

Another alarm came when the boat and crew, who moor at Fiddler's Ferry between expeditions, diced with surging waves off the Cape of Good Hope.

But The New Liver Bird was more than equal to the worst the turbulent South African seas could throw at her.

Despite the 40 foot high waves, Sue, who preserves all the family's own food for their journeys, was still able to rustle up meals without too much trouble.

Curiously enough the trips, down the years, have become gradually more difficult, even though their original voyage was navigated with a sextant rather than the computerised system employed today.

The lonely life at sea is a thing of the past for late 20th century sailors, as the McDonalds and fellow crews keep in contact at the touch of a button by e-mail.

After years aboard their craft, following the trade winds from port to port, the free-spirited family, who may well be eligible for a place in the Guinness Book of Records, have weighed anchor and vowed to remain on dry land.

Bernie explained how daughter Ruth was now going to college in Warrington and it would probably be three or four years before their next major project.

They are considering a tour of the Russian canal system but are in dock to pursue their literary ambitions.

And 63-year-old Bernie is fit and raring to return to the world of work in the meantime.

The husband-and-wife team are now planning a series of books based on their three epic journeys and Ruth is putting together a poetry collection.

One volume is tentatively titled 'The Miracle' after their ocean adventure with the tuna.

The couple can call upon travelling companions from Barbados to the Canary Islands and were married in a Mediterranean idyll - on the island of Penrhyn. Whenever they pull into harbour they can usually rely on a friendly face.

The boat is a character in its own right. It was constructed from a huge water tank at a cost of £2,000 and, thanks to regular running repairs, it is still robust and ship-shape.

Inspired by the economical approach of the whole venture, Bernie plans to name one of his books 'A Penny A Mile'.

Publishers are now being sought to put their experiences into print and anyone interested can contact Bernie or Sue on (07867) 587562.

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