Sailing Full Circle Through Life

Growing up in Cape Town, South Africa, Trevor Rees never dreamt that one day he would co-own one of one of the most globally successful bareboat charter businesses, thousands of miles away, in Australia's Airlie Beach.

Escaping the harsh realities of a country divided by apartheid, Trevor's family initially set sail for the Caribbean where his journey into the realm of charter boats and brokering began.

Inspired by legendary maritime adventurers like Sir Francis Chichester, it was also around this time that Trevor's personal plan to sail the seven seas was hatched.

In 1985, together with his new wife, Katie, and aboard their newly acquired 36-ft ketch, a voyage into the South Pacific commenced.

Having discovered that Katie was pregnant along the way, the couple never made it to a safe harbour to give birth.

Baby Justin Rees was delivered at sea, somewhere between French Polynesia and American Samoa, five weeks prematurely, at 3am, in near-storm conditions while the wind was blowing 35 knots.

"I cut the umbilical cord with a pair of scissors and when it was all over, I recorded the latitude and longitude and we all just fell asleep," Trevor said.

"Technically one of us should have been on watch but I figured what were the chances of being run over by a cargo ship and having a baby at sea all on the same night!"

Waking up the next morning as a family of three was the dawn of a new era, culminating in the completion of a two-and-a-half-year voyage to Australia, birth of a second son, and start of a new life in the nautical hub of Airlie Beach.

In this gateway to the iconic Whitsunday Islands, a fledgling charter industry was starting to bloom, within which Trevor's skills were perfectly placed.

From humble beginnings at the bareboat business, Whitsunday Escape, Trevor went on to become a managing director, steering this proverbial ship to regional, state and national acclaim, across a tenure lasting over 25 years.

Known for being a staunch environmental defender, Trevor also used his knowledge and growing influence to push for legislative reform in the fields of eco-tourism, reef protection and climate change.

In addition to playing pivotal roles on a number of tourism advisory and conservation committees, he was one of the key figures behind a successful campaign to ban capital dredging on the Great Barrier Reef.

While still actively championing causes close to his heart, the time has now come for Trevor to step back from his beloved business and hit the high seas once again, this time aboard his aptly named catamaran, Escape Artist.

Although there are no aspirations to finish a global circumnavigation back to South Africa, Trevor, his second wife Julie and their little dog Scrat plan to cruise to Tasmania, while still maintaining a foothold in the Whitsundays, where Trevor emphatically says: “we’ll be back”.

To hear more of Trevor’s incredible story, visit the Whitsunday People Podcast on YouTube or Spotify.

1 – Trevor Rees, Managing Director of Whitsunday Escape, sailing into retirement. Photo supplied

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