Charles has been a member of HM Forces for his entire adult life. As a family, we have moved all around the world. Life was great, but as Charles rose in rank, the excitement and challenges he loved about his job at the beginning became less and less of a regular feature. The constant moving had also meant making some tough choices regarding education for the children and, as a military spouse, Virginia could not plan anything with any certainty more than a few weeks or months out.
When Charles’ father died, he had the opportunity to review the life of someone he loved and respected and found it filled with great stories. Some were of the Army; some were of family holidays, some were of meaningful work, and some were of campervan travel. Virginia and Charles realised that time was precious, and time as a family was even more so. They decided to create some more great memories of their own, and, much to Charles’ surprise, Virginia agreed to let the family spend two years sailing around the world.
The following criteria were set: The boat had to be safe and of sufficient size to enable the family to have their privacy, there should be minimal risk to the children’s long-term education, there must be a mechanism to keep the family on track and to ensure that two years did not drift into indefinitely.
They immediately set about searching for an appropriate vessel. While Charles was looking at somewhat smaller boats, Virginia (not a fan of heeling) liked the idea of the space and stability that catamarans promised - then she found NEEL Trimarans! Once she saw the kitchen, the deal was done. However, even then, Charles and Virginia knew that they needed time to prepare to maximise the limited period they had set themselves. Having identified a timeframe for the trip that saw the children old enough to be helpful but young enough to still prefer their family over their friends, and backed by an incredible broker (thank you, Mark), they pushed the button. Charles informed the military about their intentions and started making less career-orientated decisions. The three-year countdown to departure commenced.
Acquiring the boat took two years, during which Charles took an assignment to Cyprus, where the family moved and from where it seemed logical that the adventure would begin. They also outlined the route and committed to joining the WorldARC sailing rally. This would provide the control measure required to keep them on time.
In May 2023, Charles and Virginia travelled to La Rochelle, France, to take ownership of ‘Living The Dream’. With the help of some incredible friends, Charles then sailed the boat to Cyprus. The journey took a month but included a week-long work stopover in Gibraltar. Living the Dream was moored in Ayia Napa Marina for the following year. From here, the family learned how to sail her. This included several trips along the Cypriot coast and two weeks to Turkey, where Virginia and Findlay gained sailing qualifications. Charles also worked on improving his sailing knowledge, gaining RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certification. As importantly, the family started understanding how they would live together aboard their soon-to-be new home. Findlay and Tillie’s room preferences were debated and agreed upon. Virginia’s kitchen appliance allowance was constantly expanded. Charles defended his ‘technical space’ as if his life depended on it.
Before long, and faster than anyone realised, the time approached for Charles to finish work and for the family to say goodbye to their wonderful neighbours, spacious house, 90% of their worldly belongings, and what had become an idyllic existence in Cyprus. On more than one occasion, we asked ourselves: Are we sure about this? The response was always the same: absolutely!
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