REPORTAG E
A FAMILY LIFE OF
EXTREME
adventure FOR SOME FAMILIES, TRAVEL IS SO MUCH MORE THAN A WEEK OR TWO’S HOLIDAY AT THE BEACH, OVERSEAS, AT THE SNOW OR IN THE BUSH. GERALDINE CARDOZO CHATS TO TWO FAMILIES WHO’VE TAKEN ON LIFE-CHANGING ADVENTURES ON A MASSIVE SCALE.
© Elena Yakusheva, Shutterstock.com
W
hen it comes to rising to a challenge, parents Behan and Jamie Gifford’s adventurous zeal for travel owes more than a little to the wise words of Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson. As the Treasure Island author wrote: “We must accept life for what it actually is - a challenge to our quality without which we should never know of what stuff we are made, or grow to our full stature.” And nothing could be truer for the cruising family of five, who turned their weekend sailing trips into one big adventure. The Giffords have spent the last four and a half years sailing over 25,000 km around the world on their 47-foot sailboat Totem. And no matter what challenges have been thrown their way – from storms to sea-sickness – the tight-knit crew, who originally hail from near Seattle, say all these life experiences are invaluable and have taught them all to see the world from a fresh perspective. “Sure, storms are scary. But so are car accidents,” writes Jamie on the family’s popular travel blog.
Setting sail It was in 2008 that Behan and Jamie (who met through sailing) decided to leave dry land with their three kids Niall, Mairen and Siobhan in tow – then aged four, six and nine – and set sail down the US west coast to Mexico and
then onto the South Pacific before stopping off to recharge in Australia. “When Jamie’s mother lost a battle with cancer in her 50s, just as she planned to embark on long-anticipated travels, we were painfully reminded that life holds no promises,” says Behan. “It prompted us to examine our priorities and actively plan our departure on sailing adventures as a family.” Late last year the family sailed north to Papua New Guinea, and are now heading west through Indonesia. At the time of setting off, sailing wasn’t an anathema to the kids (the family began cruising together on weekends and short holidays when the eldest children were three- and 14-days old respectively). As Jamie says “Seasons didn’t matter, family time together on the water did. As our family grew (with a third child), so did our family boating experience - one weekend at a time.” Until, one day the Giffords decided to make a different, and somewhat dramatic, lifestyle choice. But while sailing came naturally to the family crew, their global adventures have thrown up many other challenges – many of which have a positive side. “It’s hard for a lot of people to imagine how we can live in harmony in such a small space. Totem is 47’, less than 15m, and we fit a lot into that space – three sleeping cabins, two bathrooms, a kitchen and communal living space – not to mention all our stores of water, fuel, spare parts, and oh right- food! But the same
AUTUMN 2013 www.outandaboutwithkids.com.au
9