Sailing voyage a family affair for Eggleston’s

The Eggleston family are hooked on the thrill of tall ship sailing!

The family of five hope to return for their third Leeuwin Family Connect Voyage next year. In 2018, father and son Daniel and Liam (14) embarked on the voyage, followed by mum Carina and daughter René (13) who sailed the year after in 2019.

Now in its fourth year, the Family Connect Voyage is a joint initiative between Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation and Relationships Australia WA designed to help families forge strong bonds, develop better communication skills and learn to adapt to change.

The adventurous, unique and memorable family experience is setting sail at the end of March, departing Fremantle on 27 March and returning 29 March 2020.

Participants embark on the voyage with just their sleeping bag, pillow and clothes – the on-board chef prepares all meals and activities are organised and run by representatives from Leeuwin Ocean Adventure and Relationships Australia WA.

On board, families tackle challenges they have never experienced before – climbing the rigging of a tall ship, setting and furling the sails, taking the helm and standing watch during the night. Parents and kids alike are involved in all ship operations and are required to work together to manoeuvre the 1850’s style 3-masted barquentine.

The Eggleston family moved to Perth in January 2018 after living overseas. Father Daniel and son Liam joined the voyage that year after Liam came home from school with a flyer promoting the voyage.

“The Family Connect voyage certainly caught our eye – we are always looking for opportunities to get the kids outdoors and try something new. It was an affordable option that Liam was instantly excited about,” said mother of three, Carina.

“Both Liam and Daniel came back from the voyage raving about their experience. Liam in particular enjoyed the navigation aspect of the trip – learning about the different instruments on board and the intricacies of tall ship sailing.”

In 2019, Carina and daughter René joined the voyage.

“René and I have a really strong relationship and enjoyed working through the challenges on board together. We enjoyed the activities that the Relationships Australia WA facilitators provided. I can certainly see the power and value of having these facilitators on board, particularly for families that want to strengthen their relationships,” said Carina.

“We’re looking forward to hopefully bringing our third child, Rhys on the voyage next year. He is too young to join this year but is already looking forward to sharing the experiences of his two older siblings.”

“I’d recommend the Family Connect voyage to anyone. It’s so important to make time to build connections – especially in this day and age when everyone gets busy doing other things. It’s important to stop, take a breath, be present and enjoy the moment together. That is the invaluable opportunity that the Family Connect voyage provides.”

The Family Connect Voyage is made possible thanks to the support of Relationships Australia WA, the City of Vincent and the Harcourts Foundation.

There are limited places available on the second Family Connect voyage in 2020, departing on March 27. Leeuwin Ocean Adventure is offering a special pricing for one parent and one child to join the voyage. For more information and to book your place, visit http://www.sailleeuwin.com/voyages/family-connect/ or call 9430 4105.