Our Story

This story is about Alex & Jacqui’s epic adventures around the world – overland and overwater.  Home is New Zealand when we aren’t travelling, which to be fair, we’ve done a lot of over the years; but we started our real passion for some more interesting globetrotting adventures when we bought an Expedition fitted out Land Rover Defender 110 in the UK in August 2016.  Her name is Gabby.

After an amazing trip around Iceland and Scotland we shipped Gabby back to New Zealand and had some incredible adventures in our homeland in the mountains, through valleys, deserted beaches and up remote rivers.

Just to keep things exciting, we’ve done a couple of epic sailing / diving trips through Indonesia around the Komodo National Park and a 1200 nautical mile sail through the Banda Sea via the Spice Islands and into southern Raja Ampat.  Wow is all I can say. The diving was incredible.

So anyway, now we’ve caught the sailing bug so watch out world!

We’ve just purchased our second yacht, a Swan 58 built in Finland and launched in Barcelona April 2023. We are currently sailing her around the Med, then maybe to the Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Island’s, then across to the Caribbean. You can read about Coco here.

Our first yacht, a Swan 54, was launched in Finland in 2018 and we sailed her from there all the way back to New Zealand. You can read about that story here.

If you have the inclination follow us on our journey perhaps it will inspire you to go and do something that you never really thought you’d do.  Being grown-up’s and travelling the world is a hell of a way to have fun!

“You’re off to great places.  Today is your day.  Your mountain is waiting so get on your way”

Don’t wait up, we could be some time…

Happy travels.

Alex & Jacqui.

You can follow our story here or find us on Instagram @sailingyachtcoco

A bit more about Alex…

As wee fella in rural New Zealand I spent my time by the ocean sailing and learning the ways of the land and the sea.  I could free dive at 4, I learnt to scuba, my dad taught me how to tack, jibe and drop an anchor.  I learnt to drive in a 1969 Land Rover at the age of 8 and rode dirt bikes for fun.  A bit of surfing came later.  Excellent life skills I figure.  On the path to growing up (did I make that goal?) I tried various things; school – hmmm that was okay I guess: trained to be a farmer – not really for me: travelling, a lot – excellent: tech industry – did okay at that and still play around in software company.  Now I find myself in a position to do cool stuff.  I did cool stuff when I was younger, but just not this cool.  Bless all you young folk out there Instagraming your arse’s off to try and get likes and free stuff – but that’s not really an adventure.  I love the mountains, I love the ocean, I care about the environment.  I take photos, I ski, I scuba dive, I drive a Land Rover, I sail, I surf, I live my life; no sponsor’s, just adventure.

And Jacqui, the reason in life!

I’ve been trying to get my wife to write a profile on herself – fail.  I suspect she’s busy planning an adventure!  Let’s watch this space 🙂