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sale. Everything I had was going towards my ultimate dream. Besides, I wouldn’t need a car or a place to live – Kijana would soon be my new home. I also liked the idea of getting rid of my ‘stuff’, and streamlining my life.
    The flat sold for a higher price than I’d paid, which was nice, and once the loan was paid back I had about $50,000 to further invest in Kijana – everything I owned.
    Around the same time we informed Nicolette of her successful application. Within weeks she arrived, shuffling between Mum’s house and my flat, which I was allowed to live in until Kijana departed.
    Nicolette was everything we’d expected, and almost straightaway her presence began to pay dividends. Since we confirmed that Nicolette was on board we had heard from a large American publisher interested in discussing an advance on a possible book about the journey. If we could secure the deal it would give us more financial freedom and allow us to embark on some great adventures.
    We had what seemed like a million things to organise as our departure date screamed towards us. Every aspect of the boat fit-out had to be decided on, then completed. And then there was stuff like medical training, undertaken by Mika, Beau and Josh at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital.
    Kijana was looking a treat. Over the previous month dozens of people had swarmed over her as she sat in a cradle out of the water. The crew and friends had helped sand back the anti-fouling before she was repainted with five coats of toxic paint to stunt the growth of barnacles. All this was conducted under the expert eye of Dad, who had assumed the role of boat manager, as he had with Lionheart . He organised tradespeople to oversee the electrics, the welding that would support the solar panels and wind generators, and an overhaul of the engine. The mast came out and the rigging wire was replaced, thanks to some friends who supplied wire cable. She even had new red sails that complemented her traditional design. And of course, she had a brand new name across her stern – Kijana .
    On board was a full inventory of new equipment – dinghies, scuba diving gear, computers, cameras, a fold-out satellite phone, even a PlayStation 2 with heaps of games. The boat had been kept free of sponsor logos thanks to the hard work of our team and the understanding of sponsors.
    Once she hit the water our intention was to learn to sail our new boat as a team, but the organising, sponsor meetings, media interviews and equipment installation left us with only a few weekends to head out on the bay and get familiar with our new home. However, I wasn’t too worried. I’d only sailed Lionheart a couple of times before I embarked on my solo trip. I knew that once we got the trip underway we could take it slowly and learn as we went.
    Getting to the starting line on time, however, was something I was less confident of.
    We worked every waking hour to get ready for our launch. It had become such a big production that there was no way we could delay the start because of the level of media interest in the trip.
    As the departure date loomed, the work increased and one day melted into the next. It was exciting, especially working on the boat, where a carnival-type atmosphere had developed among the crew and helpers. But with the excitement came stress, particularly for the office crew, who were juggling sponsors, the media, organising the launch event and keeping an eye on a crew of young novices.
    On the business side of things, the sea crew looked to the office team for direction. They were older and experienced with business and public relations. For the boat preparations and logistics everyone looked to me. I assigned each crew member certain tasks and responsibilities. Beau decked out the galley, Mika wrote presentations and Josh took care of the production equipment. Nicolette had, unfortunately, arrived at the last minute and didn’t have the