Meet the Aussies who quit the rat race for life at sea

Peter and Jennifer Bernard turned their backs on Sydney life to sail around the world. This is how they did it.

Sydney couple Jennifer and Peter Bernard quit the rat race in Sydney to sail off into the sunset and arrived four years later in London after circumnavigating half the globe. Picture: Supplied

Ditching the rat race and sailing off into the sunset is the stuff of daydreams.

But Peter, 50, and Jennifer Bernard, 52, did it and, 1520 days later, can vouch they have lived the dream.

The Sydney couple set off four years ago to circumnavigate the globe, escaped Covid, became marooned on isolated Maldives islands for seven months when countries shut their borders, suffered the heartbreaking theft of their cat Dixie in Thailand and became stranded in the Seychelles for a year to avoid seasonal cyclones.

Sydney couple Jennifer and Peter Bernard quit the rat race to sail around the world, arriving in London four years later after circumnavigating half the globe. Picture: Supplied

But earlier this week, sailing their 50ft yacht Steel Sapphire merrily into London along the Thames, the intrepid couple were intercepted by the Metropolitan Police Marine Police unit who quizzed them over their immigration status and potential drug runs.

Once satisfied, officers were so impressed with their voyage they escorted the couple – and their new Seychellois cat Coco De Mer – along the river to St Katharine Docks Marina and heralded their arrival on Twitter.

As part of our vessel intercepts today we spoke with the skipper of the sailing yacht Steel Sapphire and his wife.
An unusual one as they had only just arrived in London after leaving home in Sydney, Australia... FOUR YEARS ago! 🤯 👏 pic.twitter.com/Do24iWVeBf

— MPSonthewater (@MPSonthewater) August 29, 2022

“As part of our vessel intercepts today we spoke with the skipper of the sailing yacht Steel Sapphire and his wife,” the tweet read.

“An unusual one as they had only just arrived in London after leaving home in Sydney, Australia … FOUR YEARS ago!”

The married couple, who both work in the pharmaceutical industry, sold their three-bedroom home in Sydney’s Glebe to part fund their idyllic cruise and cast off on their planned five-year voyage from Middle Harbour on Sydney’s North Shore on July 1, 2018.

Jennifer and Peter Bernard swapped city life for the vast expanses of the ocean. Picture: Supplied

Having spent the years previously honing their sailing skills, learning First Aid at sea and customising their boat, they set sail for a life of adventure.

After an odyssey spanning 43,000 kilometres they have only reached half their goal, having intended to circumnavigate the entire globe, but Covid put a temporary halt to them completing the plan.

After Jennifer and Peter Bernard’s cat Dixie was stolen in Thailand, adopted cat Coco joined their crew. Picture: Supplied

They arrived in London on Sunday where they plan to stay for two years to refill the coffers and Mr Bernard has landed a job as managing director of a new UK division of a global pharmaceutical learning and development company, which he begins on Monday.

“I loved my life in Sydney and miss it terribly, Australia is a fabulous country and few countries we saw on our voyage matched its beauty but I’d do this trip all over again, if I could,” said Mr Bernard.

It’s a good life for Jennifer and Peter Bernard. Picture: Supplied

“I start work on Monday and I’ve still got sand in my toes and am only just getting used to wearing shoes again, but we need to take stock of the brilliant things we’ve seen and done and now have the privilege of spending time with my parents in Glasgow who are getting older while we’re here.”

The couple set sail hugging the Australian east coast up to Darwin, through Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Chagos in the Indian Ocean and down to Seychelles where they were effectively marooned to avoid the seasonal tropical revolving storms.

The couple have endured extreme weather during their journey. Picture: Supplied

They continued on to Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, St Helena, the Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, Azores in Portugal, Ireland, Glasgow and into London from Inverness.

The live-board cruisers drank their own freshwater thanks to a desalinator, learned to spear fish to catch prey and when marooned on the isolated Maldive island of Innafinolhu, Jennifer crafted chairs and tables from driftwood to keep occupied on their custom one-design vessel they were not allowed to leave due to Covid restrictions.

“Some of it was so beautiful, the coral reefs, but it was not all plain sailing, – when we sailed from the Ascension Island for 30 days and nights non stop, our steering broke and we spent ten hours fabricating a new pin that connected the steering column to the rudder out of none pieces of metal,” said Mr Bernard.

“We got through it and we’re on a break now in London to save money so we can do it all over again around the other half of the world. We’ve had the best holiday for four years.”

Originally published as Meet the Aussies who quit the rat race for life at sea