IN 1994, while backpacking around Australia and eager for adventure, I signed up as crew on Aphrodite, a handsome 44 foot cutter rig from Melbourne embarking on an intrepid five month voyage to Italy. At the time I had no idea that the journey would not only introduce me to the enchanting world of cruising, but would influence the course of my life for decades to come.
Aphrodite’s departure from Sydney was delayed for a few months, yacht issues and projects that, with absolutely no cruising experience, I failed to understand. So when we finally sailed north towards Darwin, up the Capricorn Coast and past Lady Musgrave Island, we were behind schedule and with a daunting eleven thousand nautical mile voyage ahead: the Indian Ocean, a Red Sea passage, Suez…
