The Story of Popeye & Olive
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I'm sure most of you know how Neil and I got together, but for those who don't, here is a little bit about our beginnings and journey so far. I left the UK when I was 21, just after university, to backpack for four months across India and Asia and then to work in Australia in the Television/Film industry for a year. By the time my year was up, I had decided Oz was pretty awesome and I wanted to stay. However, while waiting for my business visa to process I had to leave Australia and so it was the perfect excuse to spend some time exploring New Zealand. I didn't have a work permit in NZ and so I traveled until my money ran out and then managed to wrangle a few days of work on a hop farm where I met Neil's best friend and fellow sailing partner Craig, and another friend called Chris who was sailing with his father. Craig was South African and was in the process of doing a circle navigation of the world onboard the 50ft yacht 'Big Reef'. So far, him and his friends (including Neil), had been sailing for 3 years. I learnt that Craig, Neil, their friends Rowan, Seth and Gareth (who had now left the boat) departed South Africa when they were all 18 years old and had intended to sail around the world in 2 years. They quickly realized they were having far too much fun to rush it, hence they were at that point three years into the trip and still a long way from home and in no hurry. I learnt that the skipper was Neil Sutherland and that he had asked his dad if he could sail the unused family boat to the Caribbean and back when he finished school. His dad replied: "Why don't you rather get some balls and sail around the world instead?" So that's just what Neil set out to do with some of his closest friend from school and sailing.
Neil's family and family friends helped them with the first leg of the journey from Cape Town (South Africa) to Rio (Brazil) and then left these young lads to carry on the trip alone. It's hard to imagine these four 18 year old boys setting out on a circle navigation of the world on a 50ft boat. What an incredible challenge and adventure. I heard their stories of remote islands, swimming with whales, living on the ocean, the cultures, the people and all the surreal experiences they have had along the way. It all blew me away. It really sounded like something out of a movie, not real life. I spent a few days with Craig and Chris listening to their ocean tales but it was soon time for me to leave the hop farm as I had just enough money in my pocket to keep backpacking around NZ before I flew back to Sydney, Australia. Nevertheless, I couldn't stop thinking about the 'Big Reef' and the idea of sailing on the ocean - something I had never considered before. I contacted them by email and offered myself as an extra crew member if they needed one. It turned out that Neil was looking for more crew and so I sold, or gave away, pretty much everything I owned and flew straight back to New Zealand to help prepare the boat for it's next leg of the journey.
Neil's family and family friends helped them with the first leg of the journey from Cape Town (South Africa) to Rio (Brazil) and then left these young lads to carry on the trip alone. It's hard to imagine these four 18 year old boys setting out on a circle navigation of the world on a 50ft boat. What an incredible challenge and adventure. I heard their stories of remote islands, swimming with whales, living on the ocean, the cultures, the people and all the surreal experiences they have had along the way. It all blew me away. It really sounded like something out of a movie, not real life. I spent a few days with Craig and Chris listening to their ocean tales but it was soon time for me to leave the hop farm as I had just enough money in my pocket to keep backpacking around NZ before I flew back to Sydney, Australia. Nevertheless, I couldn't stop thinking about the 'Big Reef' and the idea of sailing on the ocean - something I had never considered before. I contacted them by email and offered myself as an extra crew member if they needed one. It turned out that Neil was looking for more crew and so I sold, or gave away, pretty much everything I owned and flew straight back to New Zealand to help prepare the boat for it's next leg of the journey.
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We worked hard in the Bay of Islands (NZ) while preparing and stocking the boat and all got to know each other. Neil had also found some new crew members to replace his friends who had returned to South Africa. So there was now six of us: Neil (South African), Craig (South African), Chris (Canadian who had jumped boat onto Big Reef), Patrick (American - and our best man), Keian (dive master from UK) and myself (from UK). We also had an Australian guy called Danny who jumped on and off our boat during different parts of the journey. So it was a full boat! We left New Zealand at the end of June 2005 and sailed for two weeks to Tonga, stopping for a short period of time at Minerva Reef on the way. We spent our time sailing through the islands of Tonga and on the full moon of July, Neil and I realized that our friendship had grown into something more. Over the next six months we sailed from Tonga to Fiji to New Caledonia on the way to Australia. I flew from New Caledonia to Australia having been very sick but that is a tale for another time! There are a thousand a one stories to be told, but that first chapter was a life changing experience in many ways. The first leg of the journey was over as hurricane season kicked in and the second chapter of our lives together began. We anchored in Brisbane out of the hurricane zone until it was safe to continue.
While we waited in Australia we worked and traveled there and prepared the boat for the next part of the journey. Neil once more looked to re-crew ready for the next sailing season as Patrick, Chris, Keian and Craig (in Fiji) had now headed off in different directions. Neil and I had come to a major crossroads where our lives could have easily gone different directions again. However, by this point we had decided that what we had between us was something special and worth keeping. I decided to stay with Neil on Big Reef and we found two keen backpackers, Fabian (French girl) and Ivo (German guy) to join our crew for the journey up the Great Barrier Reef towards Indonesia.
Half way up the Great Barrier Reef we got a call from Neil's mother that she was getting married and would we come to the wedding in South Africa. We sailed the boat back down the coast to the safest place we could find that was just out of the hurricane zone and put the boat on the 'hard' (ground) and flew to South Africa. We spent two months in SA working and traveling and then flew to the UK to earn enough money to get back to Australia and begin preparations again in order to continue the journey.
While we waited in Australia we worked and traveled there and prepared the boat for the next part of the journey. Neil once more looked to re-crew ready for the next sailing season as Patrick, Chris, Keian and Craig (in Fiji) had now headed off in different directions. Neil and I had come to a major crossroads where our lives could have easily gone different directions again. However, by this point we had decided that what we had between us was something special and worth keeping. I decided to stay with Neil on Big Reef and we found two keen backpackers, Fabian (French girl) and Ivo (German guy) to join our crew for the journey up the Great Barrier Reef towards Indonesia.
Half way up the Great Barrier Reef we got a call from Neil's mother that she was getting married and would we come to the wedding in South Africa. We sailed the boat back down the coast to the safest place we could find that was just out of the hurricane zone and put the boat on the 'hard' (ground) and flew to South Africa. We spent two months in SA working and traveling and then flew to the UK to earn enough money to get back to Australia and begin preparations again in order to continue the journey.
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Our time in London was lots of fun and we worked hard. I caught up with family and friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in 3 1/2 years. During this time we also worked on gathering a new crew, most of whom we had never met before. We had the South African brothers (Dave & Mike) and Mike's girlfriend, Terri-Lee (from UK and now my bridesmaid), Andy (South African and Neil's friend from school) and Glen (Australian who Neil worked with one night in London).
We arranged to meet in Australia, and once again, the long preparations began for the next leg of the journey. We sailed up the Great Barrier Reef and into Indonesia (Bali) and then eventually onto Christmas Island, Cocas Keeling, across the Indian Ocean to Rodrigues, Reunion, Mauritius and then back to South Africa.
In total it had taken Neil six years to do a circle navigation of the world and now he was back home. Since that time we have been living and working in South Africa together, traveling back and forth to the UK to see family and friends. We continue to sail together and have never lost our love of the ocean and adventure. Our journey has allowed us to grow, not only as individuals, but also as a couple, and we look forward to sharing more adventures together as husband and wife. The people we have met along this journey are more like family than friends now and we hope that they will be apart of our lives no matter how far apart we live. We feel blessed for the support our family and friends have given us over the years and we hope our wedding will be not only a celebration of our marriage, but an opportunity to say thank you for all of you who have touched our lives. xx
We arranged to meet in Australia, and once again, the long preparations began for the next leg of the journey. We sailed up the Great Barrier Reef and into Indonesia (Bali) and then eventually onto Christmas Island, Cocas Keeling, across the Indian Ocean to Rodrigues, Reunion, Mauritius and then back to South Africa.
In total it had taken Neil six years to do a circle navigation of the world and now he was back home. Since that time we have been living and working in South Africa together, traveling back and forth to the UK to see family and friends. We continue to sail together and have never lost our love of the ocean and adventure. Our journey has allowed us to grow, not only as individuals, but also as a couple, and we look forward to sharing more adventures together as husband and wife. The people we have met along this journey are more like family than friends now and we hope that they will be apart of our lives no matter how far apart we live. We feel blessed for the support our family and friends have given us over the years and we hope our wedding will be not only a celebration of our marriage, but an opportunity to say thank you for all of you who have touched our lives. xx