1980

What a year, 26 years old on January 4 when we sailed on Orient Express.

Portsmouth > Gibraltar > Istanbul > Suez Canal > Mombasa > Karachi > Bombay > Manila > Hong Kong > Singapore > Tokyo > Shanghai > Kagoshima > Singapore > Hong Kong > Gulf Patrol > Suez Canal > Gibraltar > Portsmouth.

We arrived back December 20, long time to be away, Sarah and Barry had grown so much but were excited to see me and the boxes full of gifts I had for them.

Some places we visited for days only, others for a couple of weeks it was a great experience, I made life long friends and saw some amazing sights.

And its relevance today, after yesterday's depressing Blip I've had a word with myself and realised how lucky I am.

Eighteen months after this photo was taken these ships were in conflict in the South Atlantic, one ship didn't come back, neither did some of the ships companies.

I count myself lucky, a great family, good friends and my health.