jdandandy
jdandandy
| Forum role | Member since | Last activity | Topics created | Replies created |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Nov 9, 2013 (12 years) |
- | 1 | 0 |
- Forum role
- Member
- Member since
Nov 9, 2013 (12 years)
- Last activity
- -
- Topics created
- 1
- Replies created
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Bio
Travelling around Australia was always an option for me and something I always wanted to do one day. From the age of 18 years of age I was given the opportunity to travel overseas to Europe. I was at the end of my apprenticeship and training to become a Shipwright or Boatbuilder when the letter from my parents came through that changed my life. My parents were touring Europe when they befriended a couple of Canadians working as the Skipper and coordinator of a charter yacht in Alicante,Spain. The letter from my folks simple read that there was a job on that 134 ft luxury motor yacht if I could manage it. To cut a long story short I was able to postpone my indentures with my apprenticeship for a couple of years and took off to Spain to start employment on that boat which was the very start of my days of travelling. The motor yacht was called "Tracinda Jean." and was owned by an American called Kirk Korkorian. He was one of the major owners of MGM films. I spent a couple of years working on that boat travelling throughout a large area of the Mediterranean and over those years saw first hand places like the Italian and the Greek Islands etc. France and Italy were our main countries of stay and it was an ideal life and a fantastic opportunity for somebody as young as I was at the time. The yacht did mainly charter work for the very rich whenever the owner wasn't using it. The worst thing for any boat was to just sit unused. Between charter work the owner would let different movie stars, his employees, use the yacht for their vacation between movie sets etc. There was just the five of us crew members handling this yacht and we all experienced an extraordinary time over those couple of years. We met film stars like Cary Grant, Ryan O’Neil, Andy Williams and Bridget Bardot etc. Even the author Harold Robbins came onboard.
I was fortunate to meet an American family from Hawaii who chartered the yacht for 3 months to tour the Greek Islands and I became good friends with that family. I was told by the family if I ever made it to Hawaii there would always be a job there for me. As my sister lived in Hawaii I took them up on the offer and after leaving Europe when I was 20 years of age flew to Hawaii and worked as their "House boy" for a period of time. I had 3 more trips to Europe after that each time working on different motor yachts throughout the Mediterranean and once even skippered a 32 foot ocean racer out of Cannes, South France for an English doctor who was a Plastic Surgeon from London.
It had always been on my mind that one day I would seriously travel my own country of Australia as I have lost count of the amount of times I have said, "I have seen more of overseas than my own country of origin". Travelling can be a lot of work, or is a lot of work, so I guess I was always going to travel around this great country of Australia when I was retired and that's what my wife and I are doing. There are no airports and passports to worry about . The more of this country you see the more you realize there is no way you could possibly see it all in one lifetime. But it sure is fun trying. Andy also has travelled throughout Europe and Asia in her younger days, and South Africa. We both feel the same way about discovering as many different places throughout Australia and recommend it highly to anyone thinking about it. You only have to see the amount of caravans and RVs on the road. It doesn't tire you out, just slowly cruising around throughout our different states as it does overseas. All we can say is if you are thinking about doing what we are doing and if you in a position to do it,- just do it.
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