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Most 19 and 20-year-olds are more worried about whether they can get around all the parties planned for the upcoming weekend rather than whether they can circumnavigate New Zealand in the middle of winter.
Ella Holmes and Tilo Thevenard, who turned 20 on the trip, have recently completed a four-month circumnavigation of New Zealand in their Young 99 keelboat Xena.
They set off from Nelson in May, sailing in a clockwise direction down the east coast of the South Island and up the west coast of both islands before returning home down the east coast of the North Island.
Most would typically tackle that type of trip in summer but the fact both have seasonal summer jobs meant winter was their only realistic option. And it was an eye-opener.
"We didn't quite realise how tough it would be down south in the middle of winter," Holmes said. "We had snow on our boat, 60-knot storms and had one period when it rained every day for 10 days. We just couldn't dry out and there was condensation all through the boat so everything was wet.
"We didn't come across another boat out there cruising so we didn't have anyone to talk to. A lot of people said we were crazy. One night I said to Tilo, 'I don't think we're crazy but we might be stupid'.
"It certainly wasn't a holiday, it was an expedition. But there were some moments out there when you think, 'this is pretty epic'. We saw all of the coast of New Zealand and went to some really cool places."
They also enjoyed some really good sailing conditions at times, including a three-day run from Nelson to Maunagnui with 20 knots at their backs. They called at various ports along the way to explore, stock up or make minor repairs to Xena.
"After sailing 3500 nautical miles, we know so much more and feel confident we can handle whatever conditions get thrown at us," Thevenard said. "We learned a lot during the trip."
Both grew up in sailing families, with Holmes' parents owners of a charter boat company and she also spent part of one year when she was much younger sailing around the Pacific. Thevenard sailed dinghies, trailer sailers and keelboats as a youngerster and is working as an engineer at a marina.
They are both working towards their yacht master offshore ticket so plan to sell Xena after the summer and head to the Mediterranean to work in the marine industry there.
"A lot of people thought we wouldn't be able to do it but now the word inspiration gets used a bit," Holmes said. "A lot of people think it's cool that we are younger and out there doing it because many older people have said they want to do it but haven't got around to it.
"Being young definitely has its benefits. People seemed to have a soft spot for us. We were lucky enough to meet many great people along the way and really appreciated all the support and generosity that came our way."
