22/07/2026
Ryan and Carmen – time to say goodbye 👋🌊💙
We recently had Ryan and Carmen join us aboard Spirit of Ulysses for the journey from Darwin to Thursday Island… and these two definitely deserve a special mention! 🛥️⚓️
We’re very used to having guests onboard SoU. Some have joined us for short passages, some for long ones… and some have joined us only for the boat to never actually leave the marina 😂
In fact, that was exactly what happened on Ryan and Carmen’s last visit when we were in Nelson Bay, NSW. Plenty of boat time… just not much actual boating! 🤣
This time, however, we made up for it.
Nearly 1,000 nautical miles later — roughly the same distance as travelling from Dublin to Rome — they had officially earned their sea legs, their salt crust and probably several years’ worth of chiropractic appointments 😬🌍🌊
They joined us in Darwin expecting an adventure… and Mother Nature clearly heard them and said:
“Adventure? Hold my b**r.” 🍺😂
The weather leaving Darwin was rough, uncomfortable and relentless. We battled our way across the Top End, through the Hole in the Wall and onward to Gove, before taking on the Gulf of Carpentaria — the rollercoaster none of us ordered and definitely couldn’t get off 🎢🌊
You’ve all already read that doozy.
Short, steep seas, strong winds and a boat moving like a front-loading washing machine strapped to the back of a side tipper in a demolition derby 🤢😂
Yet through every uncomfortable hour, every crashing wave and every moment when their cabin felt more like The Giant Drop at Dreamworld… Ryan and Carmen smiled.
They never complained.
They helped around the boat, shared the watches, joined in with everything and somehow continued pretending they were enjoying themselves 😂👏
When sleeping in their cabin became an extreme sport, the couch became prime waterfront accommodation. Five stars for location… questionable marks for stability 🛋️🌊🤣
But the funny thing is, when you look back on the trip, it really was awesome.
It wasn’t the perfectly filtered version of boating you sometimes see online. There were no ch*****ne glasses sitting calmly on a table while we glided across a mirror-flat ocean.
This was real cruising.
It was salty, rough, tiring, unpredictable and occasionally ridiculous… but it was also adventurous, memorable and filled with the kind of moments you’ll laugh about for years to come ⚓️🌅💙
We shared every meal together, spent countless hours chatting, laughing, reading books, watching the ocean and simply enjoying each other’s company.
There is something pretty special about being at sea with good friends. No rushing off, no work schedules, no appointments… just the boat, the ocean and plenty of time to talk about absolutely everything and absolutely nothing.
Then came Thursday Island — and what a perfect way to finish their adventure! 🏝️🍻
After the Gulf had tried its best to shake everyone loose, Thursday Island welcomed us with friendly locals, island time, cold drinks, tours, fishing, mud crabbing and plenty of laughs.
Ryan and Carmen managed to secure flights home from Thursday Island via Cairns, which turned out to be the sensible decision. We couldn’t guarantee how long our next leg down the Queensland coast would take, what the weather would do or where the next convenient airport might be.
We honestly couldn’t believe they had already been onboard for nearly three weeks.
The time had absolutely flown by.
For us, the adventure continues as we work our way down the coast.
For Ryan and Carmen, it was back to Perth, back to normal life and probably back to sleeping in a bed that doesn’t suddenly launch them toward the ceiling at 2am 😂🛏️
Thank you both so much for coming along.
Thank you for embracing every part of the journey — the good, the rough and the downright ridiculous.
We loved sharing this adventure with you and we’re pretty sure you’ve now officially graduated from marina visitors to genuine offshore sailors! 🌊⚓️👏
Until the next adventure, guys… although next time we might promise something slightly calmer.
No guarantees though 😂💙
