There has been a long break in the blog as our world has been in turmoil, hopefully our trip is coming back on track and our blog will once again be filled with discovery, adventure and wonder.

Although things were pretty chaotic during October we made a lot of headway. While Laura was off with the girls to see the family in the UK, I stayed in Florida to complete the transfer of our new boat and all the associated paperwork. That done I went back to Caribbean, this time to St Lucia, to take possession of our new floating home and prepare to sail her back to Florida. It was at this time that my Mum went into hospital to have some gallstones removed and came out with a diagnosis of a rare type of liver cancer. The prognosis could not have been worse, the cancer was already in advanced stages and there was no cure. We scrambled to organise a delivery crew to sail our boat back to Florida and then I spent a very lonely confused week in paradise on the boat of our dreams, just wanting desperately to be with my girls and on a plane back to New Zealand to see my Mum. After time couldn’t stretch the week out any longer the day eventually arrived when I handed the boat to 3 complete strangers and with a last wistful look watched her leave out of Rodney Bay before jumping in a taxi to the airport, unsure when I’d next see her.

We were reunited back in Florida at last but not for long, Natalie and I headed off to New Zealand whilst Laura and Alexa stayed behind to await the arrival of “Sandy Feet” in Fort Lauderdale. She made the 1400NM Trip in great time and apart from self-deploying the life raft at 3am on the first morning the trip was uneventful. After preparing her for long term storage Sandy Feet was left at a rented private dock and we were all once again re-united in NZ.

I don’t really feel ready to share (or feel that this is the right avenue) the experience of watching my Mum deteriorate day by day to her eventual passing on the 21^st of January, 10 short weeks after the first diagnosis. I’ll just say that the spirit and bravery shown by her and my Dad together with the amazing love and support from the local community (of which they have only been a part of for a short time) has left me humbled, awed, confused and thankful for every healthy day we awake to.

New Zealand is an awesome place and we made the most of being there. The hiking is amongst the best in the world with stunning scenery, great trails, perfect hiking temperatures and a river around every corner to avoid having to carry much drinking water. We decided early on to enjoy as much hiking as possible and most Christmas presents involved hiking gear including backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, etc.

As well as hiking we did a bunch of road trips to the North, so many great places to explore but we quickly realised that without a boat it was just torture being tantalised by all the bays and islands. So I think that means Sandy Feet will have to make the trip all the way over here before we can say that we have really explored these places.

We also celebrated 3 birthdays while in NZ; Natalie’s, Alexa’s and my Dad’s.

Now we head back to resume where we left off. A new year, a new home and new adventures await.