Baby on board! Couple plot epic boat trip round world with 1-year-old daughter
Couple plan to take daughter, 1, on sailing trip around the world through pirate-infested waters
Taking your one-year-old daughter on a round-the-world trip through pirate-infested waters may seem hard to fathom for many people, but one keen sailor from Macau doesn't see what all the fuss is about.
Joao Gomes, 40, and his wife Nae, 31 and originally from Thailand, are planning to take their baby daughter, Maria, on an epic voyage that will see them visit all the Portuguese-speaking countries and territories. The trip will celebrate the 500th anniversary of the arrival of the first Portuguese ships in Asia.
The route will include the city of Melaka in Malaysia; Goa, Daman and Diu in India; Mozambique, Angola and Cape Verde; Brazil and East Timor. The trip will end in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.
It's an adventure that would make a seasoned crew apprehensive. Gomes knows the dangers that lie ahead, but does not believe he's flirting with disaster.
"Of course I have fears. Don't we all fear for the safety of our families whenever we leave home? But sailing, it's a way of life, and for us it's just the way we choose to live our lives," he said.
"Some have labelled us 'crazy'. We may be crazy but we're not insane. Of course we will do everything we can to avoid danger and to keep our journey safe.