About Us
Our love story
We made a bold decision and chose a different way to live.
In 2023, we left behind successful careers, sold our homes and cars, said goodbye to family, friends and the life we'd always known, and moved aboard Helios to sail the world full-time.
It wasn't an impulsive decision—it was the realisation of a burning a dream.
We met just before the world changed in 2020 and quickly realised we'd found something special. As our relationship grew, so did the desire to build a life centred on experiences rather than possessions, freedom rather than routine, and adventure rather than "someday".
At the time, we both had demanding careers in Melbourne. Jude was the lead psychologist at a large school, supporting students, staff and families through the challenges of the pandemic. Richard managed major technology programs for the Victorian Department of Health, helping develop systems that supported the pandemic response. We loved our work, but we knew it wasn't the life we wanted forever.
One long weekend in January 2022, while talking about friends who lived aboard a sailboat, Jude asked a simple question:
“Richard… could we do that?”
After about half a second’s thought, he smiled and replied,
“Yep… we can do that.”
That conversation changed everything.
Over the next year, we rehomed much-loved pets, helped our adult children become independent, sold our homes, resigned from our careers, got married, and boarded a one-way flight to Paris for our honeymoon—without a journey plan, just a desire to enjoy life to the fullest.
After a magical week in Paris, we travelled to the south of France, where Helios was waiting to become our new home.
Since then, we’ve been sailing from one incredible destination to the next, discovering beautiful coastlines, experiencing different cultures, meeting remarkable people, and collecting memories that mean far more than anything we left behind.
Our story isn’t just about sailing.
It’s about taking a chance on love, having the courage to choose a different path, and proving that sometimes the biggest risks lead to the greatest adventures.
Whether you’re here for the sailing, the destinations, the lifestyle, or simply to escape for a little while, we’re delighted you’ve found us.
Welcome aboard Helios. We hope you’ll come along for the adventure.
Our Goal
Our goal isn’t simply to sail around the world.
It’s to build a life filled with adventure, freedom and unforgettable memories—and to share that journey with others who dream of doing the same.
From our home aboard Helios, we’re gradually making our way across the globe. Our next great milestone is crossing our first ocean, the Atlantic, before exploring the spectacular Caribbean. Beyond that lies the Panama Canal, the vast Pacific Ocean, and some of the most remote and beautiful islands on Earth.
We’re not racing around the world. We prefer to travel slowly, spending time getting to know each place, meeting local people, experiencing different cultures and appreciating the incredible diversity of our planet.
Every destination teaches us something new. Every challenge helps us grow. Every passage adds another chapter to our story.
Life aboard is a constant learning experience. We’re always improving Helios, refining our skills, and becoming more capable sailors with every mile we travel. Preparing for ocean passages isn’t a single project—it’s an ongoing journey of learning, adapting and gaining confidence.
Most of all, we hope our journey inspires others to believe that it’s never too late to choose a different path. Whether your dream is to sail the world or simply live a little more adventurously, we hope our story encourages you to take that first step.
The greatest adventures often begin with a simple question:
“Could we really do that?”
About Jude
When we set off aboard Helios, I was in my mid-fifties with almost no sailing experience. I didn’t grow up around boats and knew very little about life on the water, but I did know one thing—I wasn’t going to let that stop me.
Leaving behind a career as a psychologist, along with my four wonderful adult children and growing family, was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. But after decades of putting everyone else first, it felt like the right time to embrace a new adventure and challenge myself in ways I’d never imagined.
The first few months aboard were humbling. Suddenly I was the least experienced person around, and learning an entirely new way of life from scratch. Thankfully, I had the world’s most patient teacher in Richard.
Every anchorage, every passage and every challenge has helped me grow—not just as a sailor, but as a person. One of the greatest joys of this journey has been discovering that it’s never too late to learn something completely new or to reinvent yourself.
If there’s one thing I hope people take from our story, it’s that you don’t need a lifetime of experience to follow a dream. Sometimes all you need is the courage to take the first step.
About Richard
I’ve loved the sea for as long as I can remember. Growing up in New Zealand, I spent my younger years sailing dinghies before life, family, rugby and a demanding career gradually took centre stage.
Although I’d always dreamed of sailing further afield, owning Helios and setting off around the world was a dream many years in the making. Like Jude, I discovered that taking the leap into a completely different life means you’re constantly learning, adapting and improving.
Preparing Helios for long-distance cruising, planning our voyages and continuing to build our sailing skills are all part of the adventure. Every passage teaches us something new, and every destination reminds us why we chose this life.
Leaving my three amazing adult children on the other side of the world wasn’t easy, but knowing they’re proud to see us living our dream makes every mile worthwhile.
The greatest part of this journey isn’t simply sailing to beautiful places—it’s sharing the adventure with Jude and creating memories together that will last a lifetime.
What's with the Greenstone Pendants?
During a visit to Rotorua in New Zealand, surrounded by beautiful pounamu carvings, inspiration struck. Standing in the street, Jude suggested that instead of traditional wedding rings, we exchange greenstone pendants as symbols of our marriage. Richard immediately loved the idea.
Richard chose the Pikorua for Jude. This elegant twist represents the intertwining of two lives and an unbreakable bond. Though life’s journey may take different paths, they always come back together. It symbolises enduring love, friendship and the connection between two people.
Jude chose the Toki for Richard. Inspired by the traditional Māori adze, it represents strength, courage, wisdom and determination—qualities she sees in Richard every day as he guides both Helios and their shared adventure.
Today, our pounamu pendants are far more than jewellery. They are our wedding symbols, a reminder of where our journey began, and a daily reflection of the love, trust and partnership that carry us through every new adventure.
Like our life aboard Helios, they remind us that the things with the greatest value are often the simplest.
Buying a boat
At the start of 2022, the second hand boat market was hot. Boats could be sold within days of coming on the market; prices were high, and we didn’t feel experienced enough to jump at a sale so quickly. So we decided to buy a new boat. Obviously it wasn’t cheap, but the second hand market was not cheap either. Also, we wanted the security of a new boat without old boat problems and expenses. We quickly settled on the French Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 410. Neither of us had seen one when we ordered it in Melbourne from 38 South Boat Sales, there weren’t any in Melbourne. We ordered it to our specifications and expected delivery in Melbourne for commissioning in October 2022. We chose this boat because
Richard was keen to get B&G electronics rather than the factory Ray Marine, so we ordered all of the equipment so it’d be waiting when the boat arrived. We ordered three sails to be made by Doyle Sails in Melbourne – spinnaker, code zero and staysail.
When delivery was delayed a third time due to post-pandemic shipping issues, we decided to cancel the shipping and fly to France to pick up the boat ourselves. It meant that we didn’t get to commission and learn the boat in Australia with friends and family, and we missed out on cruising the east coast of Australia and into Indonesia, but we’ll just be doing our journey in reverse. It meant we had to ship everything we had bought for the boat (such as the B&G electronic equipment). We actually bought three secondhand suitcases and took them to Doyle’s sails and asked for the sails to be flaked into them. We arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris with our two suitcases and three extra cases for the sails. We had some delays with customs but eventually got the commissioning completed and moved aboard.
