Captain Ron Gertler is nearly 60 years old and has just set sail across the globe with five strangers in their 20s.
Mr Gertler, who hails from the US state of New Jersey, has been captaining boats since he was 23 years old — but most of his new crew of adventure-seeking backpackers have never set foot on one.
He has spent the past seven months in the Whitsundays repairing a boat originally built for a treasure hunter from New Zealand.
And one week ago, he was prepared to embark on a solo voyage to Greece when at the last minute, he decided to put a call-out for a crew on Facebook.
Within 24 hours, a bunch of strangers had quit their jobs and were on the dock ready to go.
"It's both entertaining and a pleasure to introduce them to this life and to sailing," he said.
"None of them have sailed before — most people that sail with me want to learn.
"I've done three full circumnavigations and other trips around the world, Atlantic crossings and such."
The 70-foot expedition yacht Sabatayn departed Airlie Beach on Thursday, and will stop at Cairns, Darwin and Christmas Island before journeying across the Maldives, through the Suez Canal to Israel and ending up in the Greek Islands.
In total, if all goes to plan, the journey should take roughly three months.
Mr Gertler's new crew includes a Frenchman, an Italian, a Spaniard and two Argentinians.
The experienced captain joked Sabatayn has become like a hostel on water.
"I think I'll be banned from Hamilton Island, because those that joined me were staff … and they all just quit their job to come and join me, like gave a one-day notice to the employers and said 'we're off'," Mr Gertler said with a laugh.
He said he had been lucky so far with picking crew and usually just "goes off a hunch" about who would be a good fit.
"Many of them come back to sail with me again," he said.
Mr Gertler said he loved being able to share the experience of sailing.
"I've done it so many years and so many times that I don't get nervous anymore.
"It's an amazing feeling to have just the power of nature move a 60-ton boat in the water.
"It's inspiring — for me there's no better feeling.
"You raise the sails and it's just nature taking you from one place to another."
'I trust him 100 per cent'
For 24-year-old Nico Geoillud, who had been holidaying from France, the chance was "the opportunity of a lifetime".
"I don't know if Ron is a fairy-tale legend … I still don't know a lot about this guy," he said.
"He just told me stories and I decided to trust him 100 per cent.
"I know this guy has sailed all his life. He's not just saying bullshit, he knows what he's doing."
Mr Geoillud had just completed 88 days of farm work to extend his Australian visa and was working on Hamilton Island when he saw the ad posted.
"I asked my manager if I could quit my job … obviously he said no, because you can't quit with one [day's notice], that's crazy," Mr Geoillud said.
"But I got home at 11pm, and I was like, OK, this is one of my life's biggest dreams.
"I'm in Australia for adventure, for doing things I couldn't do in France."
Mr Geoillud didn't sleep that night — instead, he packed all his belongings, cleaned his room and was at the dock by 7am.
"I don't have any experience … to quit everything and be in a boat to cross the world, that's kind of crazy.
" I am [excited] for the moments I will share with these new people."
Treasure hunting
Mr Gertler said the boat was originally built for a treasure hunter who went deep sea diving for sunken ships and treasures.
"She is rigged for not only heavy weather but also with a decompression chamber and dive equipment.
"It's not just in pirate movies…it's real.
"There are still sunken ships that haven't been found and people are still looking for them."
He said he found a treasure the previous owner, "the real treasure hunter", had left under the mast for good luck.
"He found a sunken ship off the coast of South America and there were Spanish silver coins.
"[The coin is] from 1740 so it's 283 years old.
"I found it and polished it and returned it to its place."
The coin is now embedded in the mast, with the intention of bringing good luck for this crew's first sailing adventure.
