| THREE years ago Gavin Gorazdowski sold up everything and began a journey to fulfil a childhood dream.
He was 34 and his decision to leave Manly and sell his web design agency had been “a long time coming”.
Mr Gorazdowski had been dreaming of sailing the world since he was a teenager. “My grandfather was a sailor and father was a professional sailor - it’s in my blood,” he said.
The idea of adventuring and being self-sufficient appealed to Mr Gorazdowski and he had been saving for the trip since his early 20s.
His first year on the road was spent “hitchhiking” with others, sailing from Australia to Vanuatu, Spain, Morocco and Trinidad.
But the big moment came in Florida, US, when he picked up his own boat, the Squander - a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 45.2, customised for long distance ocean cruising.
His first night on board was one of the most memorable, when he realised he was “on the doorstep” to a journey he had dreamed off almost all his life.
And it was a trip that outlived even his expectations. It took him to Spain in time to celebrate its World Cup win, his cousin’s wedding in Italy, the Caribbean for Christmas, to Colombia for carnival and through the Panama Canal.
Mr Gorazdowski cruised through the Galapagos Islands and spent months in French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Fiji and New Caledonia. “In the Pacific we were diving out of the back of the boat every day, swimming with huge sharks, fishing for food, finding rainwater, that was our normal day-to-day life.
“We were discovering islands where there were only three other human beings, they spoke little English but we hung out with them for three days,” he said.
He had friends, family and even strangers join him on his travels from Italy to Australia.
Although he did not circumnavigate the world, he covered more miles than Jessica Watson on her round-the-world journey.
But he said returning to Manly on Thursday was a highlight. “Sailing through the Sydney Heads and seeing my friends with big banners on North Head was emotional.”
manlydaily.whereilive.com.au
Od redakcji: Gaweł jest synem Macieja, a ojciec Macieja był wieloletnim kapitanem polskiego żaglowca "Dar Pomorza".
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