“Are you comfortable guys?”

“Yeh we’re cool Greg!” we both answered as the rotors picked up to lift off pace!

Then with a quick move of the stick we lifted off the ground at Kruger Airport bound for the bush!

For our 5^th wedding anniversary I wanted to surprise Audrey with not only a trip of a lifetime to Africa’s most exclusive private game reserve, Lodolozi, but also to arrive in style by chopper!

As we flew over the mountain ranges towards Londolozi I had secretly arranged for the heli to land at the top of a mountain where I cracked out a bottle of bubbles and raised a glass to us and our awesome adventure!

Looking out through “God’s Window”, as the view point is called, we pondered on our journey thus far and how grateful we are to have sailed over 24,000 miles together around the planet this year and to have done it in the style and with the route we’ve taken! It is amazing what can be packed into a year if you really go for it!!!

We enjoyed a very special half hour on the mountaintop until the weather closed in and we took to the air again, onward to Londolozi!

We touched down and were greeted by our guide, Alfie, who took us down to settle in at Pioneer Camp, which is the most exclusive camp in Londolozi… a good friend of EJs had arranged for us to be upgraded so we were ecstatic!!!

We shared our camp with just 2 other couples.  There was a lovely newly married couple, Rich & Simone who had tied the knot a few weeks prior in New York and were finishing up their honeymoon in South Africa.  We were also surprised and delighted to be sharing the camp with Sir Peter Harrison & his partner Yana! Sir Peter is a passionate sailor and racer and was the principal backer of the previous British America’s Cup Team.  It was a true pleasure for us to spend quality time with him although it meant we didn’t stick to our plan of “No sailing chat for 3 days”!!

A day in Londolozi starts at 0500 with a cup of tea and some fruit brought to your villa and then you meet Alfie at the Land rover at 0530.  You spend 3 – 4 hours driving around tracking the animals and going through bushes and rivers, in fact you go wherever you need to go to view the animals!

You arrive back for breakfast at around 0930 and then have the rest of the day to yourselves until 1600 when you hop back in with Alfie for the evening drive! That finishes around 1930 for dinner and early bed before the next morning!

Nothing can prepare you for the animals…in the fact the word animal doesn’t describe the beauty and wonderment of these majestic creatures!

Leopards, Lions, Cheetahs, Rhinos, Hippos, Giraffes, Elephants, Hyenas, Impalas, ostriches, crocodiles, Zebras & many more animals & birds.

We had the pleasure of sitting right next to them in the wild and experiencing them in the present moment!

It’s so easy to forget what’s REAL and truly important in our lives and a trip to the bush, like when you are at sea, I find somehow reconnects you to Mother Earth and the Universe.

I once heard a statistic that said, “80% of things we worry about never come true!”  I can well believe that….I wonder what would happen if we devoted that 80% to living in the moment and being in awe of our wondrous lives and dedicate ourselves to truly living our dreams!

We were in sheer wonderment in the bush and this affirmed to me the importance of living in the moment and to be cool with just BEING!

After all we are all, “Human Beings”!!

One Life…Live it!

God Bless & Best Wishes for 2014!

Paul :0) xxx

P.S. I am a keen photographer and all the pictures you will see are just a few of the thousands I took! Enjoy!

A Massive Happy Christmas from Team Lush from Cape Town!!

This time last year we were in St barts 24,000 miles later we are tied up in Cape Town!! What a year!!

One life…..live it! 🙂

On the morning that Nelson Mandela (Madiba) was buried LUSH sailed out to Robben Island off Cape Town and laid a Wreath in the water just off the Prison Cell he spent 19 years of his 27 years in captivity.

Eddie read, “Invictus” a Poem that Mandela used many times to get him through the tough times and gave him the will to survive and walk the, “Long Road to Freedom”

Iain Banner then spoke to us about his time with Mandela whilst hosting the Laureus Sport Awards and the powerful and inspirational speech that Mandela gave.

The following video is a cut of the morning and also the original speech that Mandela gave at the Laureus Sports Awards.

It was an emotional and poignant moment of the trip and reminded us all that no matter what the circumstances, we have the the power to change our lives and the lives of others for the greater good.

May Madiba Rest in Peace

There are a few moments a sailor will remember from years of wondering the worlds oceans and rounding the famous Cape of Good Hope is one for sure! 😉

We have had a wild night, winds in excess of 40 knots, 4 Meter seas and the most spectacular dawn and the view of one of the most famous mariners landmarks in the world is just amazing!

We all feel blessed and extremely grateful to be able to experience this!

One year to the day we were sailing across the North Atlantic to Antigua and today we re-enter the Atlantic Ocean albeit the South Atlantic!!

So here is to the next leg and big thanks to the mighty Lush for getting us this far!!! 🙂

One life…..living it! 😉

Paul 🙂 xxx