Twenty thousand miles lay between
Nancy & Dennis and their dream...
To build a boat and set sail into the
South Pacific.
Nancy Broad
Author Illustrator
Introducing her debut novel
About the Author
I grew up in the small town of Castlegar in the West Kootenays of British Columbia. After graduating from high school I dreamed of completing my secondary education, becoming a teacher and touring Europe. Then, along came Dennis, or as my dad called him, “Dennis the Menace.”
Dennis wasn’t your average guy. He was from New Zealand, had trained as an auto mechanic and had blue eyes and wavy hair. I was hooked. We married a year later and moved to the small town of Nakusp, a two-hour drive north of Castlegar.
My dream was replaced by Dennis’s dream—return to New Zealand, build a boat and ocean cruise. If I had any idea what I was getting into I might have taken more time to think things over.
The adventure begins
The year—1971.
We crossed Canada in our VW Beetle, hitchhiked across Europe then, taking the cheapest transport available, made our way across Asia to Calcutta, now known as Kolkata.
After five months on the road we arrived in New Zealand.
Dennis, suffering from jaundice, had contracted hepatitis in India.
Tikitere 40' Ketch
Beam 11'6" Draft 6'
Making our way to Span Farm Boat Yard in Auckland we joined a community of misfits and vagabonds who, living in everything from caravans to packing cases, shared the same dream—build a boat and set sail into the Pacific.
I became a postwoman and when not wheeling my bike around, fending off dogs, I worked alongside Dennis on the boat.
Two years later Tikitere was launched and we moved aboard.
We continued to work, to learn the ropes of sailing and to ready ourselves for the open sea. The day of departure finally arrived, destination—the island Kingdom of Tonga, 1,240 miles away.
Unknown to us, a major storm was brewing in the Pacific and within days would hit us dead-on.
Dysentery not only reduced me to a bag of bones, my hair was beginning to fall out.
"Will you leave me if I go bald?" I asked Dennis looking into his yellow-tinted eyes.
"Yes!" he said, then burst out laughing.
I pointed out that he wasn't looking so hot himself.
The evolution of a novel
While we traveled overland I kept a diary. On arrival in New Zealand, using the diary as reference, I began writing about our experiences. The result—a large stack of paper, hand written on both sides.
Fast forward to 2019. We are now living in Canada.
Covid-19 makes its appearance.
Using the ship's log as reference I continued writing, this time about building the boat and our adventures on the high seas.
The illustrations...
When I began writing I hadn't planned on including illustrations. As with all creative pursuits—things happen. One day I took pen to paper and began drawing. It was as if the characters of Nancy and Dennis were there all along. They seemed likable enough so I decided to keep them.
Then came the editing...
Then, more editing...
The Title
The title will be announced on publication.
Next step—publishing.
A new adventure has begun.
If you backpacked across Europe or Asia, built a boat, sailed the high seas or enjoy reading travel adventures I would love to hear from you.