Background
During 2001 the Campbell-Ross family
(somewhat rashly) decided to sail to Australia. In
November 2001 the good ship Tintin was purchased and after a substantial refit
Tintin set sail on 28 April 2002. Departing from Dartmouth, Tintin crossed The
Channel to Le Havre, went through the canals and rivers of France to the Med
where she cruised during the summer of 2002. After that she crossed the
Atlantic, cruised the West Indies during the Winter of 2002/2003 and went through the Panama Canal
in March 2003. In the pacific she visited the Galapagos, French
Polynesia, American Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. She
finally arrived in Australia in November 2003.
Crew (see
below the pics for more information)
Sue &
Rod
Harry& Pippa
Emily
Skipper Rod
- born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, sailing was in his
bones. Sailing around the world (or at least half way round) was a
dream he had harboured since he was a young man. He temporarily escaped the "rate
race" and all things financial to make this journey to Australia.
Admiral Sue
- being born and raised on a farm in the interior of South Africa,
Sue had never been on a yacht and was not well prepared for life at sea.
She caused Skipper Rod quite a few grey hairs accustoming herself to
the way of life. What she lacked in sailing skills, she makes up for
in enthusiasm, except in bad weather or on long crossings. Living on Tintin turned a simple "housewife and mother of
three", into a galley slave, school teacher, sailor, hairdresser and
explorer/traveler (plus the usual housewife and mother of three
bit). A social animal at heart, her journey was enriched by the
people she has met and friends that she sailed with.
Pippa, Harry
and Emily - all born and raised in England, were more used to tramping
on the Yorkshire moors than messing about in boats, but have taken to the
life very well. Possibly the absence of school made it all the more
attractive! They learnt much about the world and its
people. They met and befriended folk from many different
nationalities and learnt many new skills - diving, surfing, sailing,
fishing, Italian .......... just to mention a few! Back on land they have quickly settled back into
school life, what is cool and what isn't.
Additional
Crew Members
Tania Metro
- A 19 year old from France, Tania joined us in the French Canals.
She brought a little French style onto Tintin, as well as helpfulness and
kindness, she also gave wonderful hand massages to the galley slave!
In the Caribbean she was stolen from us by Viking Raiders in the shape of
Jakob, from Tarok!
Moosh Sela -
Moosh came aboard Tintin in Gibraltar and after a small absence during the
Atlantic crossing, he rejoined us in the Caribbean, finally breaking our
hearts by leaving and returning to Israel from Grenada. A gentle
giant, a gentleman, a very loved crew member on Tintin.
Brian
(Bertie) Bassett - We met Brian in summer 2002 in La Grazie, Italy
where he and his wife, Irene, were on their yacht, Seraphina, and he
decided that doing the ARC race would be a new experience - so he joined
us in Las Palmas for the Atlantic crossing. In his semi-permanent
position in the cockpit, Brian managed to keep spirits up with his sharp
wit and brilliant sense of humour.
Brian
Semmens - Brian is so highly thought of on Tintin and was welcomed
with open arms for the Atlantic crossing. Once he was able to raise
his head and shake off the dreaded seasickness, Brian kept all aboard on
the edge of their seats with tales of his incredible adventures, known as
"The life of Brian". He was appreciated for his calm, his
kindness, his cooking, his company and also his surgical skills in dissecting
the daily Dorado.
Kate and Leo
- "the perfect crewmembers", Kate and Leo could sail, could cook
and clean, baby-sit, fish, teach school and make the best fudge ever known
to man. They joined us in Grenada, swapped onto Timetama in Aruba
and rejoined Tintin in Panama to the Galapagos. Sad though we were
to see them go, we wish them well in their University studies and look
forward to seeing them in Australia sometime in the future.
Bob and George
Dubuque - Bob, from the USA, joined us to crew us across the
Pacific to Australia and George, his 7 year old son, came to be a playmate
to Harry. Seasickness and homesickness (George missed mama) forced
them to leave us in Panama. However, some of our most
memorable experiences were enjoyed whilst they were with us and they will
always be a part of the journey.
Rich Macey
- Hailing from Bath, England, Richroundtheworld.com (as he is locally
known) was our final crew acquisition. This was his first exposure to
children and he proved to be a natural! Good sailing experience,
enough patience to teach maths to Pippa, a body built like a natural
climbing frame, plus an uncanny ability to drink beers and woo the
local ladies made him an interesting character to have on
board. Rich left us in Nuku Hiva.
Tintin
in Australia! 
