Welcome!
Around The World In 44 Feet is a blog about our family’s adventures as we sail from the Caribbean to Sydney aboard Planet Ocean, our lovely Lagoon 440. After our first attempt some ten years ago was cut short, we are now more excited than ever to finally complete our dream.
Our Story
The initial decision to sail from the Caribbean to Sydney back in 2003 was fuelled by our thirst for a lifestyle that was out of the ordinary. A life in which there are no deadlines, no one to answer to, no materialism, just life stripped back to its simplest.
So we packed up, sold our house, bought a boat and set off. We cruised the Caribbean islands for a seven months, living the dream. We encountered the occasional problem which ate away at the wallet, but, nothing that would dampen our desire for adventure.
Life was good.
Jaye and Kirana were having a ball and learning way more than school would’ve ever taught them about life. Six month old Xavier was doing well, although, looking after him was beginning to take its toll on Amber but we were determined to “tough it out”.
Then came the straw that broke the camel’s back.
As hurricane season approached, we prepared for our first long passage which was meant to be an eight day sail to Panama. Everything was going well, just as we had planned and we would be arriving in good time but as they say; all good things must come to an end and unfortunately for us, the end came far earlier than we were hoping. Five days into the passage, a storm hit and we accidentally jibed, breaking the gooseneck, rendering our mainsail useless which forced us to endure a gruelling 24 hour motor to a tiny dot on the map called Aruba.
Ultimately, the stress from a combination of looking after a six month old baby and the endless problems that kept surfacing eventually overwhelmed us, so, we grudgingly put up a ‘For Sale’ sign and returned to our ordinary life in Sydney where we have been patiently waiting for another opportunity to fulfil our dream.
I’m sure some will say that we have bitten off more than we can chew and sometimes even we think that ourselves, but you just have to stop and remember..
To enjoy the flavour of life, take big bites!
Around The World In 44 Feet 
society tries to turn you into a cog in its machine .. but us travelers like flow to like a current or wind on the ocean …. enjoy … Muller cruiso`s … Hep
Hey Hep Cuss, I always liked that saying – “Society tries to turn you into a cog in its machine, but we would rather roll like a pebble in a stream”
…. or the wind, waves, powder snow! Get out there and do it because life is short!!