Spirit of Ulysses N76

25/10/2026

🌊🚢 LOOK AT THE MILES WE’VE MADE!🎶🌏

If you haven’t had our boat song stuck in your head yet, go back and check out our last post! 🎵 Liam’s been busy putting together some amazing photos from our adventures, all set to our very own “Spirit of Ulysses” anthem.

⚠️ WARNING: It’s ridiculously catchy. You may find yourself singing “LOOK AT THE MILES WE’VE MADE” while doing the dishes. 😂🎶

And this next chapter is pretty much a testament to that very song. Because boy, have we made some miles… and earned a few grey hairs along the way! 🤣

🔧 TOWNSVILLE — WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU HYDRAULIC LEAKS… HIRE A CAR! 🚗💨

With Spirit of Ulysses temporarily grounded thanks to our hydraulic dramas, and Quirky and his fantastic crew working their magic to get us moving again, we decided there was no point sitting around watching hydraulic oil drip. 😂

So we packed up the tribe, hired a car and headed south to one of our absolute favourite places… AIRLIE BEACH! 🌴☀️🍹

Our wonderful friends Dan and Jo opened their home to our travelling circus, and what an incredible week it was! ❤️

🚗🍽️ And as if opening their home to our travelling circus wasn't generous enough, Jo even lent us a car so we could head out to Mount Dukes Family Farm for an absolutely amazing lunch! 🥩🌿😋 Great food, beautiful surroundings and another reminder that sometimes the best adventures happen on dry land! 😂❤️

The kids all disappeared into their own world of fun, the adults managed some much-needed laughs, drinks and downtime, and for once we actually felt like we were on HOLIDAY! 🥳🍻

Funny concept, really. We've travelled halfway around the world on a luxury yacht, yet somehow a week staying with friends felt like our first proper vacation in ages! 🤣

Dan and Jo, you guys really are something special. Your generosity, friendship and ability to tolerate our entire tribe deserves a medal… or possibly professional counselling. 😂❤️

Before we knew it, the week had vanished and it was back to Townsville to collect our floating home.

🌊 TOWNSVILLE TO AIRLIE — MOTHER NATURE HAD OTHER IDEAS! ⛈️🤢

The repairs were done, the boat was ready, and we spotted what looked like a decent weather window.

The forecast? A lovely overnight run to Airlie, with perhaps an hour of uncomfortable weather.

ONE HOUR. 🤣🤣🤣

To complicate things, poor Amy had managed to put her back out. Thankfully, the wonderful Kate Elizabeth managed to squeeze her in for some amazing acupuncture, which had her moving again.

Not quite back to her usual 100% co-captain self, but enough that we decided to give it a go.

Late afternoon departure, overnight passage, Airlie by breakfast. Easy! 😎

Well…

We hadn't even made it to sunset before Mother Nature decided to remind us who was actually in charge. 🌊💨

The seas built, the boat bounced, and every single bump sent poor Amy's back into another dimension. 😬

What followed was 17 HOURS of the sort of weather that builds character, tests patience and makes you question your life choices. 😂

Somewhere in there was probably that promised hour of bad weather… we just couldn't work out which hour it was! 🤦‍♂️

But as the sun came up and Airlie appeared on the horizon, spirits lifted. We had made it!

Unfortunately, our Townsville delay had cost us two weeks, and we still needed to get south before the weather really started playing games.

🏝️ WHITEHAVEN BEACH — SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO SAY STUFF IT! 🏖️🐠☀️

We had a day in Airlie, and another promising weather window was opening up to head south.

The sensible decision was obvious.

Fuel up. Check the forecast. Keep moving.

But then someone mentioned Whitehaven Beach…

And suddenly sensible decisions went straight out the window! 🤣

After months of pushing on, repairs, passages, schedules and weather forecasts, we made a call.

🛑 STOP. WE'RE GOING TO ENJOY OUR BOAT!

A plan was hatched. Get Dan, Jo and the kids onboard, point the bow towards Whitehaven and spend a day doing what we bought this magnificent floating money pit for in the first place! 😂💸🚢

And WOW, are we glad we did! ❤️

The transformation onboard was almost instant.

☀️ Sunshine!

🏖️ White sand!

🌊 Crystal-clear water!

🤿 Kids jumping in and swimming!

🍹 Happy adults!

😂 Laughter everywhere!

For the first time in what felt like forever, we weren't fixing something, running from weather or racing to the next port.

We were simply LIVING THE DREAM! ❤️

And then it hit us…

The last time we'd actually swum off Spirit of Ulysses was back in **MAY… IN KOMODO, INDONESIA!** 🇮🇩😳

Sure, we'd had some swims at Lizard Island, but not off the boat itself.

How ridiculous is that?! All those thousands of miles, all that beautiful ocean, and we'd barely dipped a toe in it! 😂

Whitehaven was exactly what we all needed. A reminder that sometimes the best miles are the ones you don't make.

⚓ AIRLIE TO MACKAY — ANY PORT IN A STORM… PREFERABLY WITH A PUB! 🍻⛈️

After two absolutely magic days around Airlie, reality came knocking again.

We still needed to get south, and the east coast was serving up some rather enthusiastic thunderstorms. ⚡🌩️

So we took advantage of the weather we had and made the next hop down to Mackay.

Now, there's an old saying about finding a safe port in a storm.

We fully support that philosophy.

We just believe that a safe port should ideally include showers, amenities and a decent pub within walking distance. 🍺🤣

Mackay ticked the boxes!

A couple of days to let the weather do its thing, recharge the crew and prepare for our next jump.

And this next destination was one I was REALLY looking forward to…

🏝️ GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND — NOW THIS IS LIVING, BARRY! 😎🍹

One of my absolute favourite stops on the Queensland coast!

And making it even better, our great friends aboard Sailing Kaimana were already there waiting for us! 🚢❤️🚢

This time Mother Nature must have felt a little guilty about the beating she'd given us on the Townsville run.

Because she turned on an absolute cracker! 🌅🌊

Beautiful conditions, a comfortable passage, and with Amy's back finally improving, the entire mood onboard was completely different.

We arrived shortly after sunrise, surprisingly well rested, with that gorgeous island sitting in front of us and friends waiting nearby.

The water was inviting, the beach was calling, and suddenly all those difficult miles seemed worth it.

“NOW THIS IS LIVING, BARRY!”😂🏝️🍹

And THAT is what this adventure is all about.

Not every day is sunshine and cocktails. Some days it's broken hydraulics, rough seas, sleepless nights and wondering what on earth possessed us to sail a boat halfway around the planet with four kids onboard🤣

But then come the days like Whitehaven and Great Keppel.

The friendships, the laughter, the kids making memories, the incredible places and those moments when you look around and realise just how lucky you are.

We've covered an extraordinary amount of ocean, but it's the people we've met and the memories we've made that really count. ❤️

🎶 LOOK AT THE MILES WE'VE MADE! 🎶

And we're not finished yet! 🌏🚢

Stay tuned, because our Great Keppel adventures deserve a chapter of their own… and knowing this crew, there's bound to be another story or two worth telling! 😂

❤️ Thanks for following our crazy floating family adventure! If you're enjoying the journey, give us a like, share our posts and invite your friends aboard. There's always room for more crew on this adventure! 🚢🌊

09/10/2026

Liam’s been busy editing this one, our new theme song

06/10/2026

🌴⚓️ SO… WHERE DO WE EVEN START?! 😂🚤🌊

Apparently our last update was from Lizard Island… 63 DAYS AGO! 😳🤦‍♂️

We haven’t sunk.
We haven’t disappeared.
And no, we haven’t given up cruising. 😂

Life just got VERY busy, VERY quickly.

So before we catch you up on everything that’s happened since, we’d better finish the Lizard Island chapter! 🦎🏝️

What was supposed to be a stop at Lizard turned into nearly two weeks, mostly waiting for a decent weather window to head south. 🌬️🌊
Eventually a window appeared.

Was it perfect? Nope. 😂
Was it terrible? Also nope.

And sometimes that’s cruising.

This is where the Captain and Admiral really need to be on the same page… because once you poke the bow out there, that’s it — you made the call, and now it’s on you! ⚓️😬

There was also something much more important pushing us south.

Amy’s dad, Bill, was back home in Perth and wasn’t doing well. He’s been putting up one hell of a fight against the big C, but unfortunately it had started getting the upper hand. ❤️

We knew we needed to get home sooner rather than later.

Which created the next cruising problem…
Where the hell do you park a 76-foot boat for up to a month?! 🤔😂
Port Douglas?
Cairns?
Townsville?
Airlie Beach?
Then add flights ✈️, security 🔐, weather 🌦️, marina availability ⚓️ and the small matter of getting everyone back to Perth…

We desperately wanted some time in Port Douglas, but somewhere south of Lizard we made the call:
❌ PORT DOUGLAS — ABORT!
👉 KEEP ROLLING SOUTH!

SoU pushed on through the night and we arrived off Cairns at about 3:30am.

The marina understandably wasn’t overly excited about us bringing 76 feet of boat in through the dark 😳😂, so anchor down out the front until first light.
At 6am — anchor up! ⚓️

Into Cairns we went, where Michael and Belinda were waiting to help us with the ropes. ❤️

We managed about enough time for a cuppa ☕️ and a catch-up before they continued south… while I went into full PIT CREW MODE. 🔧🛠️🤣

The main engines needed a full service and we wanted to be gone again in 36 hours.

Why?

Because the new plan was Townsville, leave SoU there, and fly home to Perth.
And naturally, the weather gods had given us about a 30-hour window to make it happen. 🌊💨
So much for seeing Cairns! 😂
Engines serviced ✅
Boat ready ✅
Crew aboard ✅
Weather acceptable-ish ✅
LET’S GO! 🚤💨

And amazingly, Cairns to Townsville turned into one of the smoothest East Coast runs we’ve had all year. 🙌🌅
We even managed to get a line in 🎣 and JT wasted absolutely no time putting dinner on the deck with a beautiful Spanish mackerel! 🐟🔥

Early the next morning, Townsville appeared ahead.

But before we could pack up and fly home, there was one more VERY serious piece of family business to deal with… 😳✂️😂

After rocking them for quite a while, we made the very hard decision to say goodbye to JT’s dreadlocks. 😭🤣

Yep… THE DREADS WERE COMING OFF! ✂️✂️✂️
There were mixed emotions, some serious hesitation and probably more discussion than we’d put into some of our weather-routing decisions 😂🌊… but eventually the scissors came out and there was no turning back.

RIP JT’s dreads. 🪦😂

You travelled some serious miles, caught plenty of fish and had a bloody good run! 🤙🎣🌴

Then came the glamorous side of cruising…
🧽 Clean the boat
🧳 Pack the bags
✈️ Get to the airport
🏃‍♂️ GO HOME!

With Bill very much on all our minds, we wasted no time getting to see him once we landed back in Perth. ❤️
The next couple of weeks were actually pretty special.

We got some precious time at home with our daughter, and most importantly, plenty of time with Bill and the rest of the family. ❤️

And because apparently I’m incapable of sitting still for more than about 11 minutes… 😂
Somewhere amongst all of that, an opportunity came up to purchase the assets from one of my old businesses.

So naturally…

WE STARTED ANOTHER BUSINESS. 🤦‍♂️🤣

Welcome to FORGEFIELD GROUP PTY LTD! 🟢⚫️💪

Because obviously running a boat, raising five kids and travelling around Australia wasn’t keeping us busy enough. 😂😂

Thankfully, after a few weeks, Bill’s condition seemed to plateau for the time being, which gave us a little breathing room. ❤️

But there was another clock ticking…
🌀 CYCLONE SEASON.
And SoU was still sitting way too far north in Townsville.
Friday: check weather. 👀
Sunday: possible window south. 🌤️
Saturday 5am: FAMILY ON A PLANE. ✈️😴😂
Back into Townsville Saturday night, a decent sleep, and Sunday morning the plan was simple:
GET SOU SOUTH! 🚤🌊☀️
Bags unpacked.
Systems checked.
Engines ready.
Ropes about to come off…

And then…
🚨🚨🚨 LOW HYDRAULIC OIL 🚨🚨🚨
Alarms screaming before we’d even got all the ropes off.
Ahhhhhh, welcome back to boat ownership. 🤣🤣🤣
Looks like…
WE AREN’T LEAVING TOWNSVILLE. 🤦‍♂️⚓️
And THAT is probably a good place to leave this one… because what happened next deserves its own post. 😂🔧🛢️
To be continued…

05/10/2026

06/08/2026

🦎 Lizard Island – Our Island... Our Longest Pit Stop! 🌴⚓

Well... this wasn't exactly the plan! 🤣

As you all know, Mother Nature has been gently (ok... violently 😅🌬️) encouraging us to get south. Our last update saw us finally make it to beautiful **Lizard Island**, and what was supposed to be a quick stop has somehow turned into **well over a week**... and honestly, we've packed so much into the time that it feels like we've been here for a month! 😂

Lizard Island has to be one of our favourite places on the entire Australian coastline. ❤️

Back in 1770, Captain James Cook climbed the island's highest peak in desperation after becoming trapped inside the Great Barrier Reef. From what is now known as **Cook's Look**, he finally spotted a passage through the reefs and charted his escape. Without making that climb, history might have looked very different.

His journal also mentioned the huge number of lizards roaming the island... and that's exactly how Lizard Island earned its name. 🦎 Last year they were everywhere! This year? It's been a little cooler, so they've obviously decided staying rugged up sounds like a better idea! 😆

One of the best things about Lizard is that it's one of the few places up here where you can actually enjoy a swim. 🏖️

Yes... there are crocodiles. 🐊

Before everyone panics, the reality is crocs are opportunistic hunters. If you're swimming in murky mainland creeks... that's probably a terrible life choice. 😬 Here, with crystal-clear water where you can see the bottom, the risk is dramatically lower, and the island keeps a close watch for any unwanted visitors.

So after dropping the anchor we had a decision...

⚓ Stay one night and make a run before the next blow...
**OR...**
🍹 Accept defeat, embrace island life and wait it out.

You can probably guess which option won. 😂

The only slight issue...

The last proper supermarket shop we did was back in JUNE!! 🤯

Yep... JUNE!! 🤣

The chocolate disappeared weeks ago. The chips have become a distant memory. Every cupboard now gets opened with the same question...

"What random combination of food can we invent today?"* 😂🍝🥫

Thankfully the island pub opens on Tuesdays and Fridays, which has become our version of civilisation! 🍔🍺🤣

Despite being weather-bound, we've hardly stopped moving.

📚 We've smashed out homeschooling...
..which has become far more entertaining lately because every now and then someone yells...

🐋 "WHALE!!"

…and suddenly maths, English and science are abandoned as everyone runs to the windows to watch humpbacks cruising past the boat! 😂

Not many classrooms can say whale watching is part of the daily curriculum! 🐋📖🤣

We've wandered out to the lagoon...

✈️ Walked along the island airstrip...

🏖️ Enjoyed plenty of beach swims...

🐠 Snorkelled over crystal-clear reefs...
..and every time we look over the side of the boat we're greeted by groupers the size of Mini Coopers!*😳🐟

Seriously... if one of these things asked for car registration you probably wouldn't argue! 🤣

As if that wasn't enough, we also met a fellow cruiser who invited the kids over to meet her pet python!🐍😳

Yep... a pet python living on a boat!

I've heard of boat dogs... even the odd boat cat... but a boat python is definitely a new one! 🤣

With that thing happily draped around the cabin roof rafters, I'd say security was pretty well sorted! 😂 No one was breaking into that boat in a hurry!

The kids absolutely loved it and thought it was one of the coolest things they'd seen all trip. 🐍❤️

To top it all off, Michael and Belinda stayed with us for the week and introduced us to a game called Finski.

Twelve numbered wooden pins...
One throwing stick...
Endless laughter...

What could possibly go wrong? 🤣

The rivalry between **Platinum** and **Spirit of Ulysses** escalated VERY quickly. 😂

I'm not saying sheep stations were on the line... but friendships, pride and innocent wooden pins definitely were! 🤣🎯

After several fiercely contested battles, **Nicky** officially claimed the title of...

🏆 **Lizard Island Finski Champion 2026!!** 🏆

No appeals accepted. 😜

Now it finally looks like the weather gods are smiling on us. 🌤️

The forecast says it's time to untie the lines, lift the anchor and continue heading south.

Lizard... you've been absolutely incredible once again. ❤️

But after this much relaxing, eating whatever we can find in the cupboards, homeschooling with whales outside the classroom, dodging rain squalls, meeting boat pythons and living with fish bigger than small cars...
..it's probably time we pointed the bow south again. ⚓🌏

Next stop... wherever Mother Nature decides! 😎

🐋🛥️🐍🌴

02/08/2026

🎂⚓ Thursday Island to Birthday Adventures... and a Whole Lot More! 🌊🎉

Well... as most of you know, we said our farewells to Ryan and Carmen. ❤️ They genuinely braved some pretty ordinary weather with us, and just like that it was back to Team Ulysses!🚢💙

We'd spent an entire week weather-bound in Thursday Island waiting for a break in those relentless South-East trade winds 🌬️🌊. Honestly, we couldn't complain too much... we had a fantastic week exploring, but every weather forecast pointed to Tuesday being our chance to finally head south.

Perfect! 👌

That meant we could duck across to Albany Island_Cape York on Monday and catch up with Dave and the crew.

So I sent the message...

📱 "Hey Dave, it's Kris here. Heading back past the island, should see you about midday Monday!"

His reply...

📱 "Hey mate, sorry to say but we have a private function Monday and we're closed Tuesday."

NOOOOOOOO!! 😭😂

We were genuinely hanging out for that stop!

But that's boating... Mother Nature writes the schedule and you simply go along for the ride. 🌎⛵

So... Plan B.

Head to Albany Island Monday, stay the night (without visiting 😅) and make an early run south Tuesday.

Except...

Anyone who knows me already knows where this is going... 🤣

We reached Albany Island...

I looked at Amy...

"Well... we're here now... may as well keep going!"😂

And just like that, the throttles stayed forward. 💨⚓

Hour after hour we pushed through the swell, spray flying over the bow, everyone getting a healthy dose of salt water. 🌊💦

The original plan was to push all night to Margaret Bay...

By late afternoon even I admitted we'd had enough! 😅

We ducked into a tiny speck of sand called Bushby Island. Barely enough protection, but enough was all we needed. 🏝️

Sunrise...

Yeti full of tea ... ☕

Anchor up...

Then my famous words...

“Let's push today, babe." 😁

Margaret Bay before lunch?

Nah...

Let's just keep going!

Destination upgraded: Portland Roads by sunset!🚢☀️

It was fantastic arriving to find Michael and Belinda aboard Platinum already sitting comfortably at anchor waiting for us. Always nice seeing familiar faces after a big day on the water. 🍻⚓

The following morning...

🌅 Up before sunrise.
⚓ Anchors up.
🚢 Both boats heading south.

Destination... The Flinders Group!

But this wasn't just another passage...

❤️ Our little girl was turning 10 tomorrow, and we had one mission...

Make it a birthday she'll never forget! 🎂🎉🥳

We pushed hard all day...
..then kept going...
..right into the night. 🌙✨

It was almost 9:00pm before we finally dropped anchor.

Night arrivals always feel a little easier when you've been somewhere before. 😅

Then came Operation Birthday! 🎈🎁

Huge thanks to Amy Nossiter —your birthday decorations survived another birthday and once again transformed the boat into party central! 🎊❤️

By the time they were finished decorating, our eyes were absolutely hanging out of our heads...
..knowing full well we weren't sleeping in tomorrow.

Except...

Our birthday girl surprised everyone! 😂

Normally she'd be bouncing into our cabin at 5:00am, desperate to see presents.

Not this year...

She completely slept in! 😴😂

It was nearly 7:00am before she quietly wandered in.

Cue the singing... 🎶

Cue the presents... 🎁

Cue the biggest birthday smiles! 😍❤️

Now Hannah had been VERY clear about her birthday menu...

🥞 Breakfast:French toast (Dad definitely heard "fence toast" the first time 🤣)

🍟 Lunch: Chicken nuggets & chips

🍕 Dinner:Mum's famous homemade pizza

Simple...

Perfect...

Birthday approved! ✅🎂

Then the day got even better...

Late that afternoon Platinum arrived!

Not only did they join us for birthday dinner and cake... 🎂
..they somehow also produced a birthday present! 🎁👏

Prepared sailors are next-level organised! 😂

The weather kept us pinned down for a couple more days, but honestly... we didn't mind one bit.

🎣 Fishing.
🚤 Exploring the island by tender.
🌴 Swimming.
☀️ Just soaking up another incredible corner of Australia.

Eventually though...

It was decision time.

Cape Melville.

Anyone who has travelled this coastline knows exactly what that means.

It's where those South-East trade winds really start to flex their muscles. 💪🌊

Steep swell.

Wind chop.

A very healthy dose of respect.

I even laughed to myself because if you scroll back far enough you'll find one of my old posts saying...

“Geez... glad I'm not the idiot travelling THAT way!"🤣🤣

Well...

Guess who the idiot was this time? 🙋‍♂️😂

Butterflies? 🦋

Absolutely.

We lifted anchor...

Pointed the bow south...

And hoped for the best.

Then something amazing happened...

It just...

Worked.

The sea behaved.

The swell lined up.

The boat found her rhythm.

Sure, waves were crashing over the bow 🌊

Sure, the windscreen wipers barely got a break. 🌧️

But it was all manageable.

Somewhere during that run it hit me...

Maybe leaving Darwin didn't break us...

Maybe...

It made us. 💪⚓

We're becoming proper salty dogs now. 🐶🌊😂

And after a day like that...

Nothing...

Absolutely nothing..
..beats seeing Lizard Island appear on the horizon. 🏝️❤️

One of our favourite stops from last year.

Crystal clear water.

White sand.

And finally...

🏊 WE CAN SWIM AGAIN!! 😍🐠☀️

The adventure isn't slowing down...

If anything...

It's only just getting started! 😎🍻⚓

Stay tuned... because the next chapter is going to be an absolute beauty!** 🤩🌴🚢

🌊⚓❤️

22/07/2026

Ryan and Carmen – time to say goodbye 👋🌊💙

We recently had Ryan and Carmen join us aboard Spirit of Ulysses for the journey from Darwin to Thursday Island… and these two definitely deserve a special mention! 🛥️⚓️

We’re very used to having guests onboard SoU. Some have joined us for short passages, some for long ones… and some have joined us only for the boat to never actually leave the marina 😂

In fact, that was exactly what happened on Ryan and Carmen’s last visit when we were in Nelson Bay, NSW. Plenty of boat time… just not much actual boating! 🤣

This time, however, we made up for it.

Nearly 1,000 nautical miles later — roughly the same distance as travelling from Dublin to Rome — they had officially earned their sea legs, their salt crust and probably several years’ worth of chiropractic appointments 😬🌍🌊

They joined us in Darwin expecting an adventure… and Mother Nature clearly heard them and said:

“Adventure? Hold my beer.” 🍺😂

The weather leaving Darwin was rough, uncomfortable and relentless. We battled our way across the Top End, through the Hole in the Wall and onward to Gove, before taking on the Gulf of Carpentaria — the rollercoaster none of us ordered and definitely couldn’t get off 🎢🌊

You’ve all already read that doozy.

Short, steep seas, strong winds and a boat moving like a front-loading washing machine strapped to the back of a side tipper in a demolition derby 🤢😂

Yet through every uncomfortable hour, every crashing wave and every moment when their cabin felt more like The Giant Drop at Dreamworld… Ryan and Carmen smiled.

They never complained.

They helped around the boat, shared the watches, joined in with everything and somehow continued pretending they were enjoying themselves 😂👏

When sleeping in their cabin became an extreme sport, the couch became prime waterfront accommodation. Five stars for location… questionable marks for stability 🛋️🌊🤣

But the funny thing is, when you look back on the trip, it really was awesome.

It wasn’t the perfectly filtered version of boating you sometimes see online. There were no ch*****ne glasses sitting calmly on a table while we glided across a mirror-flat ocean.

This was real cruising.

It was salty, rough, tiring, unpredictable and occasionally ridiculous… but it was also adventurous, memorable and filled with the kind of moments you’ll laugh about for years to come ⚓️🌅💙

We shared every meal together, spent countless hours chatting, laughing, reading books, watching the ocean and simply enjoying each other’s company.

There is something pretty special about being at sea with good friends. No rushing off, no work schedules, no appointments… just the boat, the ocean and plenty of time to talk about absolutely everything and absolutely nothing.

Then came Thursday Island — and what a perfect way to finish their adventure! 🏝️🍻

After the Gulf had tried its best to shake everyone loose, Thursday Island welcomed us with friendly locals, island time, cold drinks, tours, fishing, mud crabbing and plenty of laughs.

Ryan and Carmen managed to secure flights home from Thursday Island via Cairns, which turned out to be the sensible decision. We couldn’t guarantee how long our next leg down the Queensland coast would take, what the weather would do or where the next convenient airport might be.

We honestly couldn’t believe they had already been onboard for nearly three weeks.

The time had absolutely flown by.

For us, the adventure continues as we work our way down the coast.

For Ryan and Carmen, it was back to Perth, back to normal life and probably back to sleeping in a bed that doesn’t suddenly launch them toward the ceiling at 2am 😂🛏️

Thank you both so much for coming along.

Thank you for embracing every part of the journey — the good, the rough and the downright ridiculous.

We loved sharing this adventure with you and we’re pretty sure you’ve now officially graduated from marina visitors to genuine offshore sailors! 🌊⚓️👏

Until the next adventure, guys… although next time we might promise something slightly calmer.

No guarantees though 😂💙

19/07/2026

🌴⚓ I FOUND MY PEOPLE... ON THURSDAY ISLAND! ❤️🏝️

Thursday Island... if you've never been, put it on your bucket list! 🇦🇺🙌

Last October we only stopped here for about two hours. We had a quick wander, looked around, then pushed on. This time, thanks to the weather (and Ryan & Carmen flying home ✈️), we ended up staying for a while...

And wow... am I glad we did. ❤️

People often ask, "What's there to do on Thursday Island?"

Honestly... heaps! 😎

🏰 Explore the historic fort.
🦞 Visit the crayfish factory.
🍺 Have a cold one at the Torres Pub, Australia's northernmost pub.
🎳 Roll a few bowls.
🏊 Cool off in the massive swimming pool (and when I say cool off... I mean FREEZING! 🥶🤣).
🛥️ Pop across to Horn Island.
🦀 Chase mud crabs.
🎣 Wet a line.
🌅 Or simply slow down and embrace island time.

But the biggest attraction isn't any of those...

It's the PEOPLE. ❤️

When I say I found my people... I genuinely mean it.

Everyone we met was relaxed, welcoming, happy to have a chat and willing to help without expecting anything in return. It honestly felt like stepping back to how Australia used to be. 🥹🇦🇺

Our tour with the legendary Mr Mutti was fantastic! 👏 He took us through the crayfish factory before casually saying, "Let's duck into my front yard."

Now, most people's front yards have a Hills Hoist...

Muti's has part of a Japanese fighter plane fuselage complete with bullet holes! 😳✈️💥

Even better, scratched into the aluminium is his own name and the year "1976" from when he stumbled across it as a kid. Years later he went back as an adult and recovered it. Now *that's* a backyard conversation starter! 😂

The fort itself was fascinating, reminding us how important this little island was during WWII. Horn Island was heavily bombed because of its airstrip, and over on Prince of Wales Island they even discovered a Japanese observation post hidden in an old ant hill, complete with a tripod and binocular optics used to direct bombing raids. Standing there really brings history to life. 🇦🇺

Then there was Mr Grubby... the local taxi legend. 🚕😂

Need a lift?

"Just call Grubby."

Five minutes later... there he is.

Need him to wait?

"Nah mate... I'll squeeze in two more fares while you're shopping. Ring me when you're done!" 🤣

Absolute classic.

One of our highlights was spending a couple of nights at the Thursday Island Bowls Club. 🎳🍻

Michael & Belinda joined us, making it one of those evenings where your cheeks hurt from laughing so much. 😂❤️

Manager Tony deserves a special mention. What an absolute champion! 🙌

Not only is he one of the best hosts you'll ever meet, but his curries... WOW! 🌶️🔥

After our first visit he promised us a crocodile curry if we came back...

Challenge accepted. 🐊🍛

And it absolutely delivered! 😍

The kids loved the bowls... although I'm pretty sure I left with a pulled hip trying to prove I still had sporting ability. Pretty sure the bowls won. 🤦‍♂️🤣

We also tackled the local swimming pool (seriously... Antarctic temperatures! 🥶😂), went mud crabbing, successfully caught one crab... and somehow managed to donate TWO crab pots to the Torres Strait. You're welcome, Neptune. 🤣🦀⚓

But what will stay with me isn't the sightseeing...

It's the people.

This community genuinely looks after each other.

Kids are everyone's responsibility.

Neighbours know each other.

People wave.

People smile.

People stop to help.

We didn't see drunken idiots wandering the streets.

We didn't hear stories of crime.

Instead we found pride, respect, kindness and one of the friendliest communities we've ever had the pleasure of visiting.

Thursday Island... thank you. ❤️

You surprised us in all the best ways, and you've left a mark on our family that won't be forgotten anytime soon.

We'll definitely be back... and next time, save me another bowl of crocodile curry! 🐊🍛🍻

Until next time TI... thanks for reminding us what community really looks like. ❤️⚓🌴

🌴⚓🦀