07/06/2022
A remnant of 2021… Will’s Year 9 art is reflecting the wow! factor of diving and snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. We rarely talk about our time on SOLO. A lot of trauma since we returned has kind of wiped our memory of that time clean. But the subconscious is a sneaky trickster. If asked, he would say it had nothing to do with sailing. Fortunately, I know differently 😉
20/03/2022
Swan-song sail today… it’s with great sadness and a little bit of relief that we say goodbye to our beautiful Hanse, Solo. After only one week on the market, she’s been sold.
It was only fitting that Jane Damien Scarlett and Winston joined us for the last sail as they helped us get ready for sea in 2021.
Exactly a year ago, we had our maiden voyage after Solo arrived from Germany, followed by an incredible six months cruising Qld waters, exploring the Coral Sea with wonderful fellow sailors, enjoying the company of dear friends along the way.
Sadly, the sailing life isn’t for the kids, who want to settle into their high school lives now. Skateboarding, friends, studies and stability is all they want.
Five years from now, we will revisit the cruising life if it suits, but for now, landlubbers we will be.
I hope you’ve all enjoyed sharing our travels - despite the end result, the journey was amazing for us all.
Now we have to put on our adult pants and care for our parents and our kids.
Fair winds from Team Solo,
Caylie David Will and Kitty # #
23/02/2022
It was a great trip and we had high expectations of being a sailing family, but it’s not to be for us, sadly.
The kids are the wrong age. They don’t want to be ‘kidnapped’ and taken away from their life to experience someone else’s paradise… Fair enough I guess. There’ll be time for us to revisit this life again when they’ve left home.
So our beautiful Solo is up for sale 😢
Hanse 418 -Queensland | Windcraft Yachts
This boat has all the options ticked that you would expect you may need for extended cruising, as this owner did for 6 months with his family, including two teenagers.
10/02/2022
Oh the stories I could tell…
22/01/2022
A wonderful trip down memory lane as we organised our shells for framing… all acquired from approved islands and reefs in Qld, for those who wonder. Can’t wait to see them framed up!
18/01/2022
When an island is made right in front of your eyes… this was a lagoon until just now, a safe haven for boaties at Double Island Point. Not any more!
12/01/2022
Getting our beloved Steamy Windows ready to sell… she’s been sitting on the hard waiting for us to start work. Nothing changes much over the decades - that’s me stripping back the hull in Grenada 15 years ago, and this week David and I started again in Manly! A lot of water under the keel since then…
05/01/2022
When the tide is so high, there are fish in the carpark… and you have to slosh up the ramp to your boat!
22/12/2021
WAGS… Wednesday Afternoon Gone Sailing… my first one on SOLO! So much fun racing around Moreton Bay with the RQYS sailing fleet… lovely group of people crewing, beautiful day on the water 🥰⛵️🛥