From Solid Ground to Unchartered Water

How a Dream, a Detour, and a Second Chance Led Us Back to the Sea

Mac and I met 11 years ago, and from the very beginning, there was always a shared dream quietly sitting between us — a life on the water. Not a holiday boat. Not a weekend escape. A real boat. A real ocean. A real change of life.

We talked about it often in those early years. Always “one day.” Always “when the time is right.” Because like so many people, life kept pulling us in other directions. Work. Responsibility. Family. Commitments. Building businesses. Doing the sensible thing. Doing the necessary thing.

The dream never disappeared — it just waited quietly in the background.

The First Leap (And the First Lesson)

Eight years ago, we finally said yes to the dream.

We bought a 46-foot ketch with the intention of restoring her and sailing her around Australia. We sold almost everything we owned. We packed up our life on land in Sydney and moved across the country to Western Australia, to Rockingham, where the boat was on hardstand in Port Kennedy.

It felt bold. It felt terrifying. It felt like this is it.

And then… life happened.

The project did not unfold the way we had imagined. The timing wasn’t right. The resources weren’t right. The path forward became heavy instead of freeing. And then COVID arrived.

Suddenly, everything changed for everyone.

We found ourselves locked down in Esperance on five beautiful acres of land — another unexpected chapter that became its own incredible journey. A completely different life again. A story for another time.

In the end, we had to let the boat go.

And quietly, with a mix of disappointment and acceptance, the ocean dream was packed away once more.

Back to Land… But Never Truly Settled

For a while, life on land carried on as it always does. Busy. Full. Productive. Meaningful in many ways. We kept building. We kept working. From the outside, everything looked steady and successful.

But something had changed inside us.

Once you’ve been willing to sell everything and leap once, you’re never quite the same again. The dream doesn’t die — it matures. It becomes less romantic and more honest. Less fantasy and more knowing.

We now understood what the dream cost. And what it required.

And still… it would not let us go.

The Second Call (And This Time We Answered)

Fast forward to 2025. Living in Bunbury. Deep in life again. Busy again. Needed again.

And then another opportunity appeared.

Another big yacht. Another invitation. Another whisper from the sea.

This time, it didn’t feel rushed. It didn’t feel reckless. It felt inevitable.

We didn’t leap in blind. We didn’t romanticise it. We went in with eyes wide open — knowing the work, the discomfort, the uncertainty, the fear, the cost, and the courage required.

And this time… we said yes without needing to be convinced.

We move onto the boat full-time in mid-January 2026.

This time, it’s really happening.

Why Now?

Because staying where we were started to feel heavier than changing.

Because time suddenly feels precious in a new way. Because we’ve already lived the “sensible” version. Because we know now that dreams do not disappear just because you ignore them. Because we don’t want to look back in ten years and say, “We nearly did that.”

And mostly — because we are ready.

Not fearless. But ready.

We Are Beginners (Again) — And That’s Exactly the Point

We are not expert sailors. We are not chasing a picture-perfect adventure. We are not pretending this will be easy.

We are choosing to be students again. We are choosing discomfort over regret. We are choosing growth over familiarity. We are choosing the unknown — together.

And somehow, that feels like the most honest thing we could do with this chapter of our lives.

This Is Not an Escape — It’s a Return

We are not running from life on land. We are running toward a different way of living it.

Slower. More intentional. More present. More awake.

The ocean humbles you quickly. It strips away labels, roles, and routines. It asks you to listen. To prepare. To respect forces far bigger than you.

And right now — that’s exactly where we want to learn.

Why We’re Sharing This Journey

Deep Blue Sailing isn’t about perfection. It’s not about polished adventure. It’s not about pretending we know what we’re doing.

It’s about: Starting again later in life - Learning out loud - Facing fear without being ruled by it - Letting go of one identity before the next one fully forms - Choosing courage over comfort - And proving — quietly — that it’s never too late to change course

There will be mistakes. There will be breakdowns. There will be days we question everything.

And there will also be wild beauty. Unexpected joy. Silence. Sunrises we didn’t plan for. And lessons we never knew we needed.

So… Here We Are

Eleven years after first dreaming it. Eight years after our first attempt. One global pandemic later. One unexpected land life later.

We’re finally heading back to the sea.

Not as a fantasy. Not as an escape.

But as our next honest chapter.

Welcome aboard 💙

Mac & Tracy

Deep Blue Sailing