London, UK

It seems that every time I write, I start with, “It has been so long.” Well, it has. Almost two months have passed since we arrived in the Seychelles, and our time here is quickly coming to an end. In a few days, we will fly to Kenya and Tanzania for a one-month African Odyssey/Safari, which I cannot wait to tell you all about. But first, I need to update you on some very important decisions we have made about our future.

After we arrived in the Seychelles, we needed to make some repairs on SV Arabella, specifically to fix a leaking rudder, which required lifting her out of the water. Unlike our experience in Australia, this process was incredible and seamless. We were out and back in the water in two and a half days, on schedule and without fuss. A big shout-out to Rajen and his team at TS Naval for the excellent work. I was very pleased, even though a bucket was taken—possibly our fault for leaving it alongside the boat instead of inside.

After securing our lovely boat at L’Escale Marina and Resort under the capable management of Apple, we flew to the UK on an exploratory mission to look at potential schools for the kids' future. As many of you already know, when we reach Cape Town in December this year, we will have completed our circumnavigation of the globe, and I will return to do some work. Four years away has been incredible and fortunate. I also think the kids have had enough of endless days and nights with their parents and are looking for some apparently more stimulating company. Who would have thought?

Delphine had us on a serious UK schedule. We were set to visit eight schools from Devon to Essex and everything in between. We also planned to check out a few farms for interest. It was going to be a full-on UK immersion. We stayed in local B&Bs and occasionally in more glamorous places. We rented a car and road-tripped across the UK, starting on the South Coast of Devon, where we visited an incredible farm with an estuary, beach, yacht moorings, and a golf course. As you might imagine, I was intrigued by a place that combines golf, farming, a beach, and yachting. It was amazing but a little too public for us.

The whole journey through the UK was incredible. The picturesque country roads, village pubs, and the intimacy of it all made it quite a remarkable place. If only the weather were a bit better, it might be the best place in the world to live. We were there in June, and it felt very fresh (i.e., freezing to me). But when the sun did come out, it was celebrated enthusiastically—very different from when the sun is always out and taken for granted. I must say, I really loved being in the countryside.

We got to visit old friends along the way. We had a wonderful evening with the Rouse family from SV Luna, who crossed the Atlantic with us, and spent time with Oliver and Chloe, old friends from China. We enjoyed a few days with the Tudhope family and had the privilege of catching up with Mr. Player, even sneaking in a round of golf with him. I also visited my old teachers, Godfrey and Sue Carter, at the amazing restaurant called the Kingfisher (how apt, considering they were my house matrons in the Kingfisher dorms when I was 8-12 years old). Finally I caught up with some old MBA mates Rob and Jenny who I joined to watch the Boks beat the Walsh at Wembley and then randomly bumped into Mathew Amyott. 

When we returned to London, Delphine’s parents and sisters visited us for a week. I even managed to sneak away for a weekend in Portugal to visit Filip. It was truly a wonderful month in the UK. Its central location makes life feel more fun when everything seems so near. This was particularly relevant for us, having been so far away for so long, where any air travel felt like a big deal.

Anyway, the girls fell in love with a few of the schools, and the idea of moving to the UK after our sailing adventures was born. It remained just an idea until we visited a charming farm south of London in Sussex. There, all our ideas and plans seemed to come together. The property offers a real-life farm project for us all to work on as a family. So, we made an offer, and after a few rounds of British negotiations (very different from the Chinese approach), we secured the main terms of the deal. In a few months, we will be handed the keys (or perhaps something more appropriate for a farm) to our new property.

What was initially an exploratory mission has turned into a full-on commitment. Next May, the family will move to the UK more permanently, and I will commute regularly between the UK, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Just a few small updates from Arabella on this mid-August day.

So why did we choose the UK and buy a farm? We have traveled around the world searching for a place to call home for the second half of our lives. Many factors were considered; it wasn’t a rushed decision, I assure you. We may even regret this decision on a cold, grey winter's day, but the factors that outweighed the rest include the kids' education, the English-speaking environment, and the close proximity to the world. Most critically, our dream of living in the countryside, which unfortunately rules out Hong Kong. We cherish our friends from around the globe, and being close to them is important to us. We don’t want to be tucked away in a corner somewhere; the UK’s central location makes it relatively close to everywhere. We hope this decision allows us to see all of you more often in the future. Furthermore, we love nature, and on the UK's best days, there are few places more beautiful. We hope to make our farm our sanctuary and look forward to having you stay with us in the future.

I hope you are all having a wonderful day. Next, I’ll write about a short visit I had back to South Africa for my 30-year school reunion and then about our last month in the Seychelles and the amazing people we have met here.