They Sold Everything
& Set Sail Around
The World
Our Story
Sometimes the biggest adventures begin with a simple question: "What are we waiting for?"
In early 2021, we sold our home, bought a blue-water cruising catamaran, and set off as a family to explore the world under sail. What started as a dream for "one day" became a decision to live for today.
The truth is, tomorrow isn't guaranteed.
After losing friends far too young, we realised that waiting until retirement to chase our dream came with no promises. By then we might not have the health, the energy, or even the courage to do it. More importantly, our children would have grown up. We didn't want to look back wishing we'd spent more time together while we had the chance.
So we traded routines for tides, possessions for experiences, and suburbia for life at sea.
Today, our home floats wherever we drop the anchor.
The Crew
Four People,
One Ocean
We're an Australian family of four learning, growing, and navigating the world together.
Life aboard means everyone has a role to play. Whether it's standing watch on an overnight passage, cooking meals in a rolling galley, repairing equipment, homeschooling, or helping navigate into a new anchorage, we're all part of the crew.
Our son Brodie has become an incredibly capable sailor and played a vital role during our 16-day, non-stop Indian Ocean crossing. Charlize has never suffered from seasickness, making her the most reliable crew member whenever the rest of us are feeling a little green.
Both kids are trained in first aid, man overboard procedures, and can confidently operate the dinghy. Like all sailors, we hope we never need those skills — but we believe the best way to keep them safe is to teach them how to look after themselves and each other.
Most importantly, they've grown into resilient, compassionate young people with an appreciation for different cultures, the natural world, and the simple things in life.
Brendan
Skipper
Former airline pilot and military veteran, Brendan is the fearless leader who first dared to ask "what if?" After years of chasing a bigger house and nicer cars, he realised they were no happier than when they were broke. He sold the dream society sold him — and bought a better one.
Sarah
First Mate, Teacher & Storyteller
The backbone of the operation. Sarah manages the home-schooling, keeps the family fed, works remotely in construction tendering, and somehow still finds time to document the journey. She is the reason this adventure is sustainable — and the reason it's worth watching.
Brodie
Angler & Ocean Kid
Thirteen when they set sail, Brodie has grown up on the water. He's survived a snake bite mid-ocean, learned to fish in the Coral Sea, and surfed breaks most adults will never find. The ocean is his classroom — and he's an exceptional student.
Charlize
Creative Soul & Adventurer
Eleven years old at departure, Charlize brings the creative heart to the crew. She's freedived with Bajau sea gypsies, watched turtle hatchlings make their first dash to the ocean, and hiked into an active volcano. She sees the world with eyes wide open.
The Vessel
Our Floating
Home
"Excelsior" — a 1989 Privilege 14.7 — is a classic French-built blue-water cruising catamaran, renowned for its strength, comfort, and offshore capability. Designed for long-distance passagemaking, she features a solid GRP hull, spacious living areas, and a reputation for handling ocean crossings with confidence. While she may not be the newest, lightest or fastest catamaran under sail, her robust construction, generous storage, and seaworthy design make her a true bluewater boat.
A Pedigree Built for the Oceans
Excelsior is one of the early Privilege catamarans conceived by renowned French sailor Philippe Jeantot and designed by respected naval architect Guy Ribadeau Dumas. Jeantot, a pioneering solo circumnavigator and founder of the Vendée Globe, envisioned a cruising catamaran that combined the comfort of a liveaboard home with the strength and seaworthiness needed for serious offshore passages. Ribadeau Dumas brought that vision to life with a design that prioritised robust construction, balanced sailing performance, and safe ocean-going capability.
More than three decades later, those qualities continue to inspire confidence. Excelsior has carried our family across the Indian Ocean, through remote archipelagos and into some of the world's most spectacular cruising grounds. She may not be the fastest catamaran on the water, but she's proven herself to be exactly what we were looking for — a dependable blue-water home built to take us wherever the horizon leads.
The Voyage
Every Country
Left Its Mark
Since departing Australia, we've sailed thousands of nautical miles across the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, visiting Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Tanzania, Kenya, Mayotte, South Africa, the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena, Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Grenada, Union Island and the Tobago Cays, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Antigua and Barbuda, St Barthélemy, St Martin, the British Virgin Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and now the United States.
Every country has left its mark on us, each offering unforgettable experiences, lifelong friendships, and lessons we could never have learned from a guidebook.
We fell in love with the untouched beauty of Indonesia's Togean and Sumatran Islands, the crystal-clear waters of Thailand's Surin Islands, and the UNESCO World Heritage cities of George Town and Galle Fort. The turquoise atolls of the Maldives felt almost unreal, while Tanzania captivated us with its diverse landscapes and abundant wildlife. Kenya nearly convinced us to stay, and South Africa welcomed us with extraordinary kindness, spectacular coastlines, and unforgettable encounters with African wildlife.
Crossing the South Atlantic brought us to the tiny island of St Helena, where we discovered one of the friendliest and most welcoming communities we've ever encountered. Brazil stole our hearts with its vibrant culture, music, and infectious enthusiasm for life. In French Guiana we explored a fascinating corner of the Amazon, revealing a side of South America few travellers ever experience.
The Caribbean welcomed us with colourful island cultures, laid-back rhythms, and the unmistakable sound of steel drums drifting across the anchorages. We explored idyllic islands fringed with swaying palms, snorkelled vibrant coral reefs, and discovered that each island has its own unique character and charm.
The crystal-clear waters of the Bahamas were unlike anywhere we'd ever seen. Swimming with the famous pigs, encountering the prehistoric-looking Bahamian rock iguanas, and anchoring over impossibly turquoise sandbanks felt like stepping into another world.
Puerto Rico surprised us with its rich history, incredible food, and warm hospitality. We wandered the cobbled streets of Old San Juan, where colourful colonial buildings echoed with live salsa music, shared unforgettable encounters with gentle manatees, and immersed ourselves in a culture that blends Caribbean warmth with centuries of Spanish heritage.
Now, with our bows pointed north, we're currently sailing the Chesapeake Bay — exploring its historic waterways, charming small towns, and the rich maritime heritage of the East Coast of the United States.
Life Afloat
A Different
Kind of Ordinary
People often ask what everyday life looks like.
The truth is, it's surprisingly ordinary — just with a constantly changing backyard.
School happens around passages and exploration. Meals are planned around weather forecasts, and before a long offshore crossing we'll prepare as much food as possible because cooking in rough seas isn't always easy.
Water comes from our reverse osmosis watermaker or the rain. Electricity is generated mostly by solar power. When we're motoring, we heat our hot water. There are no utility bills, no lawns to mow, no daily commute — just a different set of responsibilities that come with maintaining a home that floats.
It's a simple life, but it's not always an easy one.
The ocean is both beautiful and unforgiving. We've sailed through squalls, watched waterspouts form on the horizon, crossed challenging seas, and even experienced a lightning strike. Out here, Mother Nature always has the final say.
But perhaps that's part of the appeal.
Life at sea teaches humility.
Why We Keep Going
The Life We've
Built Along the Way
The greatest reward isn't the destinations.
It's the life we've built along the way.
▸Watching our children grow into capable, confident young adults.
▸Sharing sunsets that paint the ocean pink until it's impossible to tell where the sea ends and the sky begins.
▸Drifting across mirror-flat anchorages beneath a sky overflowing with stars.
▸Snorkelling reefs so clear they seem magnified beneath the surface.
▸Sailing through glowing bioluminescence, leaving shimmering blue light dancing in our wake.
These are the moments that remind us why we chose this life.
Of course, there are sacrifices. We miss family and friends more than words can express. Fortunately, many have travelled across the world to meet us in incredible places, creating memories we'll treasure forever.
People often ask whether this lifestyle is cheaper than living ashore. For us, it probably is. Without a mortgage, utility bills, or many of the expenses that come with suburban life, our costs are different rather than greater. We still have maintenance, insurance, fuel, and provisioning to consider, but by learning to repair and maintain our own boat, we've become far more self-sufficient than we ever imagined.
As for how long we'll continue? We honestly don't know. We've always said that if one member of the family decides they're ready for a different chapter, we'll listen. Whether we complete a circumnavigation or not doesn't define the journey.
For now, we're exactly where we want to be.
Following the wind, chasing the horizon, and making the most of the time we've been given.
One Ocean Left
Onwards &
Upwards
Follow the journey as Sailing Excelsior completes the final ocean of their circumnavigation. Subscribe on YouTube, follow on Instagram, or leave a message in the guestbook.