About Us

We are a New Zealand family of five attempting to circumnavigate this gorgeous planet by sailboat. We have taken our children out of school to educate outside the classroom and learn from nature and new cultures. We have been living aboard for several years and have many miles and incredible experiences under our belts — and we’ve only begun to scratch the surface.

We hope to inspire others to explore different ways to live and educate while having a truckload of fun along the way.

Meet the Crew

Rob

Once was competitive for real, now competitive in spirit. Rob won a world rowing championship silver medal and competed at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. The following year he teamed up with Phil Stubbs to win the inaugural Atlantic Rowing Race, crossing from Tenerife to Barbados in 41 days, 2 hours, 55 minutes. He is now very good at being taller than Ivan.

Rachel

Rachel spent her teenage years as a competitive swimmer, which developed into triathlon. At 41 she became a double world age group champion in triathlon and aquathon. Rachel trained in England as a physiotherapist before moving to New Zealand in 2001. She would like to point out that Rob is not the only one in the family to have attended the Olympics — she was at the 1992 Barcelona Games as a spectator.

Finn

A talented rower, Finn left the boat in December 2019 to pursue his passion. He is a member of the New Zealand under-21 rowing team with his sights set on the Olympics. He also enjoys kite boarding, scuba diving, and hugging his parents — especially his father.

Declan

Affectionately known as the EMC (expendable middle child), Declan is a wonderfully helpful member of the family. If a job is difficult, distasteful, or downright dangerous, the EMC is called upon to take one for the team — and does it all with good humour. He enjoys kite boarding, free diving, surfing, and scuba.

Ivan

Ivan was born happy, laughing in his sleep at only two weeks old. Prone to regular moments of comedy genius, Ivan has always been a social butterfly despite never going to school. He is a keen photographer and enjoys scootering, kite boarding, scuba diving, and attempting (but failing) to be taller than his father.

Photo coming soon.