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| Christine and Keith | |||||||||
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| Christine
: Born mid-1950's in New Zealand, finished schooling in Perth,
Australia and subsequently lived there for 18 years before moving
to Southampton in England, Great Britain. National loyalty depends
on what sport is being played!
Family : Brother and sister and their assorted spouses and offspring usually resident in New Zealand. Previous sailing experience: Nil until she met Keith in 2000. He talked about sailing off into the sunset - so Christine said "Why not?". Took a dinghy sailing course but decided that "cold, wet and miserable" all at once was a really bad idea. Insisted they get a boat that was dry, they could stand up in without cricks in their necks, and had its own bathroom. Sail Training Courses: Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Day Skipper Theory and Day Skipper Practical; RYA Sea Survival Course (in case the worst happens); RYA VHF Radio Licence. Career Experience: Mainly accountancy/financial background in a wide variety of industries. |
Keith : Born early-1950's in Wales, where his rugby roots lie, but lost his Welsh accent years ago! Family : Emily, Robert and Charlotte who kindly sent their teddy bears on our travels - and whose adventures feature on this website. Previous sailing experience: 30 years on dinghies and small day-sail yachts. Couldn't understand why Christine didn't enjoy dinghy and small boat sailing in the freezing waters of the Solent, England... Sail Training Courses : Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Yachtmaster Ocean (Theory and Practical). RYA Sea Survival Course (see above), RYA VHF Radio Licence, RYA First Aid Certificate. Career Experience: Qualified as a Process Engineer at Portsmouth, UK and later made a career change to accountancy having passed his CIMA exams. Worked in various industries including aerospace, tobacco and alcohol - a fine range of experience for this new lifestyle! |
Jointly : Made the rash decision to buy a blue water cruiser and set sail. After a long search they found Poco Andante and bought her in July 2002. Spent every leisure hour of the following year getting to know the boat intimately (from the insides out). Exhausted and broke, in July 2003 they resigned perfectly good, well-paid employment to become boat bums - with no fixed plan except possibly 5-10 years. (Or 3 weeks if they hated it/killed each other/killed someone else.)
The no-fixed-abode and lack of income has taken a lot of adjustment - as has the sudden increase in blood alcohol level due to the wonderful cruising company and associated socialising.
Having successfully crossed the Atlantic, cruised USA and the Caribbean, and transitted the Panama Canal, they have crossed the Pacific and, after a season in New Zealand and back into the Pacific, spent 3 years in Brisbane, Australia before cruising around to Darwin.
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