A few years ago, Dion and Rachael Watchorn did not even know how to sail. Now they are living in their yacht after quitting their jobs and sailing to Fiji. They spoke to Samantha Motion about their new life and how it came about, as well as their motivations for not waiting until they were older to take the plunge.

An adventure-loving Mount Maunganui couple has quit their office jobs and sailed to Fiji to live on their yacht.

Now a few months into their new island-hopping life, Dion and Rachael Watchorn have no plans to return any time soon – as long as their savings hold out.

When the couple first started taking an interest in life on cruising yachts they had “no boat, no sailing experience and no money,” Dion said.

They joined the Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club to see what yachting was about.

Rachael said in spite of their inexperience, the club’s members welcomed them warmly and showed them the ropes.

“You can join the yacht club and learn to sail, and it doesn’t need to cost a lot. That was quite a surprise,” Rachael said.

They joined keeler yacht crews, racing in separate divisions – Rachael as part of an all-women team, Yeah The Girls, and Dion as a jib trimmer in a higher division.

They bought a mooring in Pilot Bay. “Everyone thought we were mad because we didn’t have a boat,” Dion said.

In 2017, they married and in…