Crew Details
Skipper - Matt Paulin
Brief history. I have been sailing since I was a kid, here in New Zealand. I started in P class, moved thru JC's 470's Lasers, R Class, and then on to trailer yachts and keelers. Island time is my third keel boat. I have done quite a few coastal passages around NZ in various different vessels from 26ft to 100ft. In 2003 I took my family on a Pacific Islands Trip - Wellington NZ to Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia.
I have a wife (Jo - see below) of 25 years, and two great daughters, currently 21 and 19.
We have had sailing holidays almost every summer for most of our married life, as well as canoeing and rafting trips, although that was mostly before children! We were active in the Hutt Valley Canoe Club for some time when we could not afford a yacht.
I have been very keen on the sea, and boating in every form ever since I can remember, and Jo and I had discussed a world sailing trip for when we retire. However, last year we had several friends or acquaintances who died of cancer in their 40's. This has helped push us along.
Jo's mum and my parents are both fairly healthy at the moment, and don't need our presence for now. Sue, and Nicki, our daughters, are flatting together (for now!!). It seems like an opportune time to go now, while we are both healthy, and not needed in NZ.
I previously owned (sold shortly before this trip began) a small computer consultancy. After 23 years I'd had enough! Time to go sailing!!!! It is not financially sound, and we cannot afford it. But we are going anyway.
Crew and 1st Mate - Jo Paulin
Brief History.
I was born in the town of Hamilton in the Waikato and so I am more of a landlubber than Matt, however I was introduced to sailing by and aunt and uncle when I was about 10 or 12 when I went to Auckland during the summer holidays to stay with them and spent some time sailing on their yacht. I don’t think they would ever have imagined that I would end up marrying a passionate sailor and doing offshore passages, as due to a lack of balance I was always falling overboard, out of the dingy or losing my book over the side!! I have always loved swimming and been willing to give all water sports a go. I still am very keen to get ashore as soon as we arrive at a destination, so I can get out for a walk and explore the local environment (that’s the landlubber part of me!). Matt and I have been married for 25 years, having met at Lake Taupo during our summer school holidays with our families. Matt and his brother were into sailing a 470 dingy at that stage and Matt would take me sailing on that.
I eventually moved to Wellington on promotion with my first job in a Government department, and Matt and I were married in 1985. Since having our children I have retrained as pre-school teacher, which is my passion, and the field of work I always wanted to work in. I am looking forward to exploring other parts of the world, and meeting interesting local people on our travels. It feels like the right thing to be experiencing at this stage of our lives.
Gibbo
Crew. Generally responsible for anything that goes wrong. Gibbo was adopted from the gibbon rescue sanctuary in Phuket. Funds raised by his adoption process will be used by the sanctuary to rescue and look after live gibbons! He doesn't do much, just takes blame and hangs around!