Around the world in four years
Australian couple stops in Yellowknife in their 'land yacht' as part of epic journey
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
We've often heard of people sailing around the world, but that would not bring them to Yellowknife.
This quarter-million-dollar land yacht was parked on the street in Yellowknife last week. It belongs to a couple from Australia. Ian Hunt and Penelope Kentish are about seven weeks into a four-year journey in the vehicle they call the earwig. They expect to cover almost 100,000 kilometres on five continents. - John McFadden/NNSL photo
|
Even pilots who are flying around the globe would not likely land in Yellowknife unless they were circumnavigating from north to south and were crossing the North Pole. But an adventurous couple from Australia are driving around the world and they made Yellowknife one of their first stops last week.
Ian Hunt and Penelope Kentish, both retired from the recruitment industry, are seven weeks and about 8,000 kilometres into the journey that they say will take them about four years and cover almost 100,000 kilometres.
The couple, who live about an hour and a half outside Sydney, made a stop in the city last week.
Nothing about them stands out particularly unless you hear them speak with thick Australian accents.
What you will immediately notice is their vehicle.
"It's an Isuzu - MPS 300 four-by-four that runs on diesel," Hunt said. "It's a global expedition vehicle - a land yacht if you will. We call it the earwig"
They came up with that name because their licence plate is ERWEGO. They call it nwith Wiggie, for short. The vehicle, which looks sort of like a combination between a Volkswagen van and a Humvee, cost them $250,000 to buy. Then they had to pay to have it shipped to Los Angeles where they picked it up about a month and a half ago.
"We needed a vehicle that would take us off the beaten path," Hunt said. "We expect to be in some very remote areas during this trip so this is the vehicle that is able to drive through deserts and jungles and go a long way in between fuel stops. Hunt said it is not a luxury ride, but they don't lack anything in their cruiser.
"The amenities are extensive for our little truck. There is a shower inside and out, toilet, fridge-freezer, stove, a queen size bed and a dining area that doubles as a second bed, he said.
From L.A. The couple made their way north, essentially following the Rocky Mountains.
"We've very much enjoyed Yellowknife but we have missed the Northern lights," Kentish said. "We may have to fly back here to see them next winter."
After Yellowknife the couple are headed for Alaska. They will then head back south and then east to travel up and down the Atlantic both in Canada and the U.S.
After that, it's off to South America, and eventually Europe, Asia and Africa.
