COVID-19 was a pivotal point in my life, before this abrupt change in the world I had only ever worked in hospitality. With that industry in a hiatus during lockdowns, I found myself in a rut living aboard Nakama in a marina while Simon worked an essential service job in a call centre as a “tech expert” talking customers through turning their internet on & off when it was no longer working. One afternoon Simon brought home a drone & that weekend, when lockdown restrictions permitted, we went sailing. Filming that small weekend getaway with the new drone & my old Nikon DSLR camera, then returning to the marina and stringing together this below-average videography ignited my passion for film & editing. We would continue to get odd bits of content from doing boat jobs and I once again had a sense of purpose during the week. It was like someone had breathed a new sense of life into me. I was hungry to learn more. Simon eventually had enough of the abuse from angry customers and decided to walk away from his call centre job. Since then, we have been sailing and documenting our journey. Studying a Bachelor of Digital Media was a way to expand my knowledge of this creative industry, but in combination with having a platform to regularly upload our content to, which has built us a truly loyal audience, has been my biggest way of growth with film & editing. Allowing me to immediately apply my knowledge from university, and practice practice practice to get to where I am today. YouTube has taught me so much, but it’s time I take the next leap into filmmaking. And what a perfect way to combine my passion for sailing, and taking on a new challenge with my passion for filming/editing to showcase the highs and lows this journey is bound to produce, and create a full-length documentary. It’s just my mum & I, and Fika, three ocean races, and the camera.

A word from Soph…