German sailor Freidrich Boehnert is competing in this year's Sydney to Hobart to complete a lifelong ambition, alongside his children. But, perhaps more impressive is the family's 18,000 nautical mile journey just to get to the start line.
Friedrich ran his own legal company until last year. After deciding to retire it was time to complete two of his life's biggest ambitions: Complete a circumnavigation of the globe and race in the Sydney to Hobart.
He said the fact his family are with him on that journey makes it all the more special
"I'm very happy that my family is also very keen on sailing," he told SBS News.
"My wife is doing the shore crew here in Sydney and helping us a lot in preparation and my son and my daughter will join me on the race."
Friedrich Boehnert and his wife Heinke met at a sailing regatta. They and their children are still heavily involved in the sport. Source: SBS - John Baldock
Friedrich and Heinke's children grew up going sailing and Inga Boehnert, now 26, remembers those days fondly.
"When we were young, every weekend we would go to the boat going around Europe. The Baltic Sea was our second home so we sailed as a family together and we also raced as a family together," she said.
It explains why Inga, who's now a pharmacist, and her 27-year-old brother Arno share the passion of the sea with their parents.
Arno partnered his father across the Atlantic, while Inga was his crew for the leg from Bora Bora to Fiji.
Friedrich though, has been with their boat the Lunatix XP50 the whole way from Germany.
It's not the first time a German boat has entered the race but, to his knowledge, Friedrich believes he's the only German owner to have sailed his yacht from Europe all the way to Sydney to take part in the race.
Having gone halfway round the world, his return journey to the Canary Islands will begin once his yacht has successfully reached Hobart.
