It was over ten years ago when it all started. It felt like it was time for an adventure and we spent many an hour enjoyably chatting on the terrace of our farmhouse in Kent about what our adventure might look like.

Often, when you imagine adventures, you feel that they are achieved by special individuals. Athletes, fearlous and talented or people with years of experience and knowledge. However having decided that this adventure would involve buying a yacht and spending sometime on the water, our research made us think otherwise.

We read about and met folk who lived permanently onboard and frequently sailed offshore. We spoke to people who had completed the Oyster world rally and we attended a World Cruising Club open weekend. We chatted with a friend who had crossed the Atlantic and read a book from a couple who sold everything to sail into the sunset. It dawned on us that these were just ordinary people, ordinary people doing out-of-the-ordinary things.

We will never regret our decision to sail around the world. It wasn’t all plain sailing but it was the most amazing experience.

Writing about it has also at times been difficult but has allowed our adventure to live on in my mind. ‘Sailraya: Every Landfall Celebrated’, tells the story of the first half of our journey from the initial inklings of an idea, through the challenging early days, to crossing oceans and our eventual arrival on the shores of New Zealand. If you enjoyed the blog and want a little more, you can find the link to the book on the banner or search for ‘Sail Raya’ on Amazon.

And if you ever find yourself contemplating taking the plunge we would always be happy to carry on chatting. Contact us through comments.