Bass Strait crossing

I often have to pinch myself. My life has many extraordinary moments. It takes awhile to come back down to earth and I ask myself, “Did that really happen?”

No sight of land for 36 hours

Whitsundays to Sunshine Coast by rail

With our motorhome stuck in NSW, I thought I would try a different kind of adventure on a different type of transport, just for a change. After working 12-hour days for 31 days straight in Bowen, I was looking forward to a long sit down. Gazing out the big windows of the Spirit of Queensland as it trundled down the east coast tracks sounded like an ideal way to wind down. It turned out I got a lot longer sit down than anticipated.

Hot and sunny in the Whitsundays - time to head south for the summer

Winter Cruising on the Clarence River

Bushfire smoke encased the air as we turned off the Pacific Highway towards Maclean in our motorhome, and crossed the single lane timber and wrought iron bridge that spans South Arm of the Clarence River. “We’re going to sail this river one day”, my husband announced as we followed this enormous waterway alongside Woodford Island. Fast forward 18 months and on a clear morning last July we arrived at the Clarence River entrance in a 43-foot sailing yacht, named Jobey-Doh. You know the saying, “There are those who make things happen….”

McFarlane Bridge, crossing the South Arm near Maclean. 
Summer 2019

McFarlane Bridge from the Clarence River
July 2021

On water lockdown

A post-apocalyptic silence looms over the bay; a distant siren adds weight to the scenario. Well, that’s a slight exaggeration but there is a noticeable difference of activity for a weekend day. A COVID-19 lockdown has finally caught up with us, but instead of being in the thick of it we are floating around on the peripheral, literally.

A glass out, until the wind changes.

How much can one do in 6 months?

Someone wise once said, “Minutes are worth more than money. Spend them wisely." ¹ I think I can safely say I have done that over the last six months. With a combination of land and sea adventures it really has been Carpe Diem at its best.

A quick north Queensland road trip

After three months at sea, it was time for a road trip and another Delvy adventure. It was a relief to be on terra firma for a break: it didn’t take long at all to find our land legs. Travelling in the motorhome is very easy compared to the challenges of a large sailing vessel so we were happy to take a long drive north over a short space of time for a change of scenery and to catch up with friends.

Living small: motorhome versus yacht

You might have noticed that adventures in Delvy have currently been replaced with adventures on a big red yacht.  We’ve swapped one isolating lifestyle for another; a green landscape for blue. Living in a small space on land and water has similarities, but there are plenty of differences. Knowing how to sail is one of them!

Having spent a few years roaming the vast land of Australia in our Toyota Coaster motorhome, life on the water kept beckoning, so we have found ourselves a floating home once again. This sailing vessel is a little different to our previous yacht, Lady Katherine. We are now the proud owners of a 71-foot Pacific Proa. What’s that you ask? More on that later, but in the meantime let’s compare life on the road with life on the water.