Leigh

I will be the main writer for Bad Latitude, I have very little sailing experience, one week in Greece is the total sum, but I see sailing as the perfect way to travel the world. The almost unrestricted freedom is unparalleled in today's nannying society, something I'm longing to get away from. Despite my lack of sailing experience I am no stranger to the power of the sea. I've been bodyboarding since 1993 and have surfed all of the UK, from the cold brown soup in the North East to the exposed shores of the South West. I have also surfed farther afield; the scorching barrels of Puerto Escondido in Mexico, the hectic Bali in Indonesia (transport?) and the obligatory for any UK surfer Fuerteventura in the Canaries. All that stopped me from travelling properly was finance, how could I do this in away that would perpetuate itself? The most expensive things when travelling are the flights and transport, and then the accommodation. Unless of course you walk everywhere and sleep in a field. For me the perfect solution is the sailing yacht; travel expense can be minimal and its your accommodation as well, perfect!

Tracy

I was Sucked into the promise of sun and er, sun bathing potential so it was never going to be hard to persuade me to join the adventure. Indeed, I had nagged Leigh for years to go travelling, but he always resisted as he wanted it to pay its own way, and not leave us with a mountain of debt after one year (which I guess is the grown up way of looking at it). I have always wanted to travel since I was small avidly reading about exploration and others' travel exploits. When I met Leigh and we went to Mexico for the first time in 1996 I had finally found somebody with an appetite for adventure. I have been working since I left university and after nearly three years of working and realising how constraining and unsatisfying office work is, I am now prepared to give it all up and go. From the trip I hope to overcome my fear of water and compile enough material and stories to perhaps write a book. I would also like to rediscover my love of photography and painting; there should be plenty of material to fulfil all of these aims, and plenty of opportunities to go swimming of course.

Jono

It was on a sunny day stuck in traffic on the way for a surf in Bournemouth, Jon uttered the now infamous words to Leigh "Let's buy a yacht and sail it back to England...........". The sailing adventure was born, the rest is history as they say.

So Jon is the instigator of the yacht adventure, he's an old hand at sea having sailed a couple of boats around the Mediterranean - and he only managed to sink one of them! A true wildman on his day Jon has a love of the outdoors, plenty of alcohol, and the ladies. There's never a dull moment with Jon around.

Mat, Marco, Mike, Simon and Jean-Louis

We met these guys on the Day Skipper course in Durban SA. Everyone had the same ambition of sailing, travelling and being close to the ocean. All that is except Jean-Louis who had recently sold his aeroplane and needed a new toy, and a boat on lake Kariba was the thing! Mat was the instructor for the course, and coped well with our best efforts to unsettle him. Jean came the closest on that score (no charts on deck mate!). Simon had done the thing - quit his job to do the course, and was so stoked to be on the ocean surfing, swimming or sailing. Mike the accident prone racing mechanic from Jo'berg was also looking to crew with his girlfriend. Marco shot off up the coast to do voluntary work in a Zulu Land hospital, and is travelling to South America in the summer to do more of the same. Anyway, we had a great time in SA and the company we had was a great part of that.

Pete Grout, Peter Lau, Kim and May, and Brian

Sorry can't help but be a bit negative here, all part of the experience though and it was still better than being at work!

An unusual bunch of people, it's safe to say I've not known people quite like these. Pete is originally from Zimbabwe and has cruised the Philippines and has crossed the Atlantic and Pacific and has little in the way of communication skills. Peter Lau despite being in the merchant Navy at one point in his life suffered chronically from sea sickness prompting him to hilariously lose his false teeth midway across the Gulf of Carpentaria see log 6. May and Kim were from Norway and although professing to being outdoor enthusiasts also suffered chronically from sea sickness and May in particular had an aversion to any kind of 'dirt' rather a little too obsessively and compulsively for group morale on a yacht. Brian desperately wanted to let his hair down but influences from older members on board restricted his ability to have a good time, which he then turned into spite at those who were enjoying themselves.

It wasn't all bad on the Nkwhazi though.....

Lisa and Lydia

Lisa flew out from the Isle of Mann in the UK to sail around Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, but we were behind schedule and she only got to cross the Gulf. In the brief time she was with us we had an excellent time too, especially in Thursday Island. Lisa also showed the blokes how not to get sea sick and did all her watches with no drama's.

Lydia was back packing around Australia when Pete's wife invited her to join Nkwhazi and kept us sane! (And vice-versa). We had some great times together, even on board Nkwhazi.