Ann and Barry Lang, charts in hand, hang off the front of their recently sold boat, the Annoe, at the Yellowknife Cruising Club, Sunday. They will be heading out on Friday to sail around the world. - Kevin Allerston/NNSL photo

Kevin Allerston
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (May 20/05) - Ann and Barry Lang will be doing something that many have thought about, but never got around to. This Friday they will head out on a five year voyage around the world.

The Langs have sold their Yellowknife home and will be departing from Mill Bay, B.C., on the yet-to-be-purchased Annoe, a boat that will replace their old boat of the same name.

The boat's name is a play off the spelling problem women named Ann face around the world: Annoe means "Ann, no 'E'."

"We've been avid sailors for quite a while, 13 or 14 years. So it seemed like a pretty good thing to do," Barry said.

Now is the right time, they say, because their kids are all out of the house, and because if, at 56 and 49 years old respectively, they wait much longer they fear it will be too late.

"What I tell people is that you can work till you are 60, but what about all those things that you always wanted to do but never could," Ann said.

"I think most people think it's kind of neat. There are a few people who say we're out of our minds, but that's only a couple," Barry said.

They consider this voyage, one that will take them through the Caribbean, Mexico and the South Seas, to be an extended vacation. They haven't given much thought to what they actually want to do during their retirement.

They are looking to buy a used 40-foot boat because they don't have enough money to buy a new one.

Ann was emotional when thinking about all the goodbyes and the sale of almost all their possessions.

The Langs don't spend too much time worrying about the trip, but Barry did joke about the idea of coming back early.

"One thing I always say is we could be back in six months. You stick your head out in the big ocean and it looks horrible out there!"