Beneath the Southern Cross

Having accomplished their dream of sailing across the Pacific Ocean, Dave and Arlene settle their forty-foot sailboat into a marina near Brisbane, Australia. The country had been a beckoning star for both when they were younger, and they now buy a 10-year-old Ford station wagon, fill it with camping gear, and set off to explore. Within a year, they've driven 28,000 km around the coastline and through the outback. They then return to sea, and in another challenging cruising season, sail 8,500 km to Tonga, Fiji, and New Caledonia. The events of 9-11 find them sailing up the Great Barrier Reef on route to Thailand and talk of war keeps them in country for another year.