Our Travels in 2017

We had retired at the end of 2016 but weren’t scheduled to leave Australia until the 6th February so we could be here for Leanne’s Mum’s 80th birthday.  We decided to take advantage of living on the Sunshine Coast and partake in a number of activities.  We did horse riding on the beach at Rainbow Beach, jet-sking in Pumicestone Passage, we walked 50kms of the coastline over two days from Peregian Beach to Bells Creek and we went on an incredible flight in a seaplane over the coast.

In February, we flew to Sydney to spend two days with our son Daniel and his wife LiLi.  We went on a harbour dinner cruise and got the incredible news that we were to be grandparents for the first time.

2017 – Australia

2017 – Penang, Malaysia

We left Sydney with one suitcase each, and some trepidation for flights to our new home in Penang, Malaysia.  We had rented a two-bedroom unit in a gated complex with a great pool and gym, however, Geoff has to spend a lot of time in the study above the gym conducting research, producing graphics and rehearsing presentations for two x two-week back to back cruises aboard Celebrity Constellation through the Orient.

2017 - Celebrity Constellation Cruise

The four weeks (two cruises back to back) cruising aboard Celebrity Constellation were fantastic.  The first cruise Geoff only had to do three presentations, however the feedback from the first cruise was “off the charts” that for the second cruise they produced a new schedule so he could do all six lectures.

2017 - Sunshine Coast with the Scots

We returned to Penang.  Prior to retiring, Geoff had worked with the Scottish Commonwealth Games Team to set up accommodation, training and acclimatisation facilities for their preparation for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.  When he left Council, the Scots asked Geoff if he could still assist them to ensure that their team had the best possible preparation for the games. 

The Scots flew us back to the Sunshine Coast where we met with all of the Scottish coaches and/or team managers from each of the different sports and Geoff was integrated into the team. At the same time, we got to catch up with family and friends.  We went cycling with friends, Jet Skiing in Pumicestone Passage and took a flight in a seaplane.  Geoff was interviewed by ABC Radio about the Scots and our travel and retirement plans. The 2018 games were the most successful overseas games Scotland had ever had, and in appreciation of the work Geoff had done, we were invited to be their VIP guests at the last night of the Royal Military Tattoo in Edinburgh, a real bucket list event for us.

2017 - Phuket, Thailand & Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

We returned to Penang and took advantage of some amazing airfare offers and took a trip to Phuket in Thailand.  We also spent time in Kuala Lumpur where the highlight was our Dinner in the Sky.

2017 - England

We arrived in England and travelled down to Southampton to finally pick up our boat.  We were met by Keith and Dianne Jones whom we had met on Celebrity Constellation.  Keith took us to Hythe for Leanne to see our new home for the first time.

Over the next few days, we renamed the boat Sunshine Coast conducting a renaming ceremony with Keith and Di.  We put the boat into the water at the marina (awkwardly), purchased the essentials (crockery, linen, provisions etc.) and got ready for our first voyage.

We cruised from Southampton to Portsmouth and stayed there a few days enjoying the great naval history of the city.  We departed and headed towards Brighton and had our first glimpse of the English Channel which was becalmed (like a mirror).  A few days in Brighton and it was on to Ramsgate, passing the White Cliffs of Dover along the way.

 

We cruised along the Thames and into London, passing Greenwich, cruising under Tower Bridge and London Bridge and the other great bridges in this city.  We passed Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament to our new home at Chelsea Harbour Marina.

Our friend George had arranged for us to be volunteers (court attendants) at Wimbledon but when we arrived in Chelsea, George advised that due to EU regulations we didn’t qualify.  The AELTA was very apologetic and gave us free tickets into the grounds of Wimbledon for any day we wished.  This was amazing because locals had to go into a ballot for these tickets and had to que for hours.

Wimbledon starts on Monday, but George suggested we attend on the Saturday prior so that we could get our bearings because Monday would be chaotic.  Saturday was the last day of practice for everyone, and we got to see Andy Murray (World No1), we met Nick Kyrous, Pat Cash and other players, got our photo taken on centre court and even got to watch Roger Federer practice – amazing.

We had some incredible experiences at Wimbledon including watching the current greats as well as some of the legends of the game.  We were given access to Centre Court on men’s semi-final day to watch Roger do his stuff.

While in London we also saw some West End shows including Bat out of Hell and Les Misérables where we were given a backstage tour by the director, and we were guests at the Royal Thames Yacht Club.

2017 - Dunkirk, France & Belgium

We left London and after staying at the marina at Ramsgate again, we finally got a small weather window and sped across the Channel to Dunkirk, France arriving there in just over two hours.

While we were at the marina in Dunkirk, we met a nice Belgium couple who suggested that while we were this far north, we should start off by cruising through Belgium, so we did.  Belgium was absolutely beautiful, and we loved places like Brugge, Ghent and especially Ipers or Ypres as it is also known.

2017 - Pet-sits in England

We wintered the boat at a marina in Antwerp and went back to England to complete some pet-sits at Chelsea (London) Bath, Ramsbury and Salisbury enjoying a real Christmas market before flying out to Cyprus for a three-month pet-sit there.

2017 - Cyprus

Cyprus was wonderful.  We were welcomed by Penny and George and their dog Tramp (who we renamed Villain) and his feline sisters who lived in the village of Armagetti.  The week we arrived we completed a fun run to rename a stadium and while there met and chatted with the President of Cyprus. 

We spent Christmas and New Years in Armagetti and loved it.  We made lots of friends in the community and appreciated the laid-back attitudes in Cyprus.  What an amazing year!