68. I The Big Decision is Made I Freedom Sailing

Well, after alot of soul searching, research and Pro's & Con's lists we have decided to pull the pin on our amazing adventure. Sadly and basically its just getting too hard. We hoped that covid wouldnt be the excuse.. but it is. We weighed all our options, from us all sailing home, to me (Tim) getting crew to sail Polly back to New Zealand to where we are now, that is, selling Polly here in Turkey, travelling by plane to Germany while we wait for Lucy's rabies free period and also the stressful MIQ (Managed Isolation Quarantine) waiting queue. This time will also mean catching up with Silkes parents for a European Christmas . Something which may be along time happening again. To sail from the Mediterranean back to New Zealand would have taken 18mth minimum travelling 9000nm through some very rough and potentially damaging oceans and two weather systems season critical. The Panama canal passage, endless covid borders to cross (even if allowed ) then a final $28,000 GST & Import bill for Polly upon arrival. A totally around NZD$45-50k. Just too much .. too much risk. Polly has been sold and we are enjoying our last two weeks aboard. We hope to be able to buy another yacht in New Zealand to live on in Napier harbour. (Plan A). From there we will get work again and some sort of "normal life" but hopefully without the old hamster-wheel and rat-race of before. From there we want to live life fully and explore New Zealand from the sea and land. We will continue to tell our story through video and would love to continue to have you on board as Patreons. Your support through our adventure so far has been so very much appreciated and we are most grateful . Going forward I will only be charging for videos that are actual chapters and adventures, the others maybe not so interesting will be uploaded free to keep you in the loop. Frequency of the videos may slow down a little also. Needless to say we intend to keep life exciting. Thanks again for your support. Hugs from all the Polly crew PS. Let us know what name you think we should call our next yacht. Im leaning towards Te Kahu (English = Hawk ) ........................................................................... Please consider becoming a Member Supporter and hit the JOIN button.. or just LIKE & SUBSCRIBE! ALSO the NOTIFICATION BELL so we can keep you updated ... Thanks! ........................................................................... We are the Whittakers. We are a Kiwi family who sold up and hopped off the hamster wheel to reconnect as a family, live a true and real life & explore the world by sail boat............................................................................... Check out our website for updates and our current location ***** www.freedomfamily.nz ***** Music by www.epidemicsound.com click here for a free trial.. https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/e319kd/ its awesome! ............................................................................. Follow our boat on NOFOREIGNLAND: https://www.noforeignland.com/boat/5678457331646464 ............................................................................. A VERY BIG THANKS to our amazing Patreons who without their help these videos just wouldnt be possible. A small contribution funds things like equipment replacement & repair and data expenses. For less than the price of a coffee .. join our crew! ***** https://www.patreon.com/freedomfamily ***** ................................................................................... OR actually buy us a coffee on https://www.buymeacoffee.com/freedomfamily Outro theme music "On My Way" and "Aotearoa" kindly supplied by Singer Songwriter BEN THROP, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand www.benthrop.live Follow us on: - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/freedomsailing - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedomfamilynz - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sailingfreedomfamily ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow our journey here : https://freedomfamily.nz/locations/where-are-we-now/