10 Years Ago This Week - An Adventure Begins

When the lock gates in Darwin opened that October morning, we set out on a sailing adventure that is now 10 years in the making, and still happily developing.   

At that point we had been sailing Crystal Blues for eight years, and had already covered around 15,000 nautical miles.  Since that day in Darwin we have covered another 28,000 nautical miles.

It hasn't been without incident, but we've worked hard to keep Crystal Blues in top condition.  My father Dean always says that the boats are stronger than the people, and he is absolutely right.

While Crystal Blues is still looking young and strong, you can see here that just 10 years ago we both looked a little different (click the pics to enlarge).  The boat has benefited from a couple of major refits and Ley and I are now pondering the need for "personal refits" as we grow older.  No such luck !

This is a big milestone for us and the 10 years have flown by.  Every successful voyage needs a good combination of team work, skill and dedication.  I'm just so damn fortunate to have a partner on my team who has all the skill, dedication and love required.  Thank you Ley - the next 10 years should be even better.