We left Plymouth in July 2005 and reached Brazil in January 2006. From there we went to Trinidad, where Sentinel was laid up for the 2006 hurricane season. We cruised the Caribbean to Cuba from October 2006 to March 2007, and then up the eastern USA seaboard to New York in June. From there our route took us along the Erie Canal and through the Great Lakes, ending at Chicago in October 2007.

From Chicago, Sentinel was trucked to Anacortes near Seattle on the northwest coast of USA, and then sailed to Sidney on Vancouver Island, Canada where she was laid up to overwinter in 2007/8. We rejoined her in April 2008 and cruised northwards through British Columbia in May/June, not quite reaching Alaska, but returning to Vancouver for some refitting before starting on our way south to California. Sentinel was laid up in San Diego for a couple of months over Christmas. Early in 2009 we continued south into Mexico, reaching Barra de Navidad at the end of March, from where we headed out into the Pacific.

We arrived at the Marquesa Islands in May, cruised through French Polynesia to Tahiti and then on to Samoa, Fiji, and finally arrived in New Zealand in November 2009.

Andrew's illness prolongued our stay in New Zealand, and we didn't leave until May 2011. From there we sailed to Tonga, Fiji (again), and New Caledonia, where we joined the Port2Port Rally to Bundaberg, Australia arriving in October. We intend to continue south in time to see the 2012 New Year festivities in Sydney.

Beyond that point we are uncertain. Piracy activity in the Indian Ocean has spiralled way out of control, so our original intention to sail home via the Red Sea and Mediterranean is now impossible. Shipping Sentinel through is uneconomic. Of the many options we've discussed, the most likely (in order) seem:

1. After the cyclone season is over in May 2012, cruise north to the Barrier Reef for the tropical dry season, then in late 2012 sell Sentinel in Australia.

2. After the cyclone season is over in May 2012, cruise north to the Barrier Reef for the tropical dry season, then in December 2012 sail back to New Zealand. In May 2013 start another loop from New Zealand through the Pacific islands, possibly including Vanuatu and the Soloman Islands this time, ending back in Australia in November 2013.

3. After the cyclone season is over in May 2012, cruise north and through the Torres Straight to Darwin by July 2012, then join the 'Sail Indonesia' rally to Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, reaching Thailand by the end of 2012.

4. After the cyclone season is over in May 2012, cruise north and through the Torres Straight to Darwin by July 2012, then cross the Indian Ocean to Mauritius. In November 2012, continue to Durban and then Cape Town, arriving in February 2013. Then we could head north through the Atlantic to be back in England by September 2013. This is a demanding schedule and in practice we'd probably linger somewhere en route.