After 4.5 years, the Finleys sailed into their final port of Oak Bay Tuesday, following an adventure-filled trip around the world. “We took off just before COVID, and we bought this boat and went sailing,” said Morgan Finley.
“We’ve covered the Atlantic and the Pacific pretty well and it’s been a long way. It’s been great.” After preparing their boat in the UK, their trip officially began there in March 2020.
Their home for the next four years would be a 44-foot Moody mono-hull named Swift. When they set off, their daughters Pippa and Isla were nine and 12 years old. “It’s definitely different than if we grew up at home.
I mean, it opened so many doors to different places and new people that we’ve met,” said Isla. “Yeah, it’s been cool. It’s been an adventure,” added Pippa.
Watch the report below: The girls continued their schooling online, with mom and dad taking on different subjects as teachers as the trip took them down the Seine in Paris right past the Eiffel Tower and later to the Mediterranean. Many months were spent on the open ocean. “We also never expected to go to Asia, and we did Indonesia and Philippines and Japan, and coming home, we went north over the top by the Aleutian Islands pretty close to Russia,” added Morgan.
“My favourite place was probably the Philippines,” said mom, Melanie Finley. “It was an unknown, not very visited and it was beautiful, the people were fantastic and lovely.” CHEK Newsletter Sign up for the CHEK Now daily email newsletter to get breaking news and the day's top stories sent to your email.
Email Address Sign Me Up The trip was filled with incredible experiences, such as witnessing authentic native singing in the Solomon Islands, pulling up in their tender to play soccer with the locals on a remote sandy beach, or getting up close and personal with a volcano in Vanuatu. “You know, I think we’re so lucky to do what we did. I’m super proud of my family,” Morgan said.
“I think we’ve done such a good job doing it and I think it’s a great thing to do with your family if you can.” They are happy to be home but admit it would have been easier to keep going south to Mexico instead of facing the reality of being home. The girls are set to begin school at Victoria High next week and they’ll have many stories to tell.
The Finleys are pictured. Editorial Policies Report an Error.
