Dad and daughter defy doubters on epic voyage from Newcastle to Norway

There is following in your father's footsteps, but what about sailing in his wake?

Rob Donald, 59, and his daughter Freya are sailing an 89-year-old, 9.8-metre wooden yacht from Newcastle to Norway.

Mr Donald is an avid sailor and has captained boats for more than 30 years, but said making this epic voyage with his 19-year-old daughter presented a whole new challenge.

"People said we wouldn't last a week together,” he said.

Return to roots

The pair set sail from Lake Macquarie in March, 2025 and have since logged 18,000 nautical miles (30,000 kilometres).

Mr Donald's wife Hanne is from Norway and the family lived there for several years.

But it was in France in 1988 where he found the other love of his life, a small wooden yacht he later named Misha.

He sailed the yacht back to Australia, and has since taken it on a few voyages to the Great Barrier Reef.

But it was always Mr Donald's goal to sail Misha back to the Netherlands, where she was built, and then on to Norway.

"To get back to where Misha was built, that's a real milestone, so the [sailing yard] is excited," he said.

Mr Donald said it took months of planning to make the epic adventure a reality, modernising the boat to withstand rough seas, installing an autopilot and building a new mast complete with new sails.

However, his original plan to have his wife to join him on the trip proved the first snag.

"[She said]: 'You're dreaming,'" he laughed.

But my daughter said: 'Dad, I'll go with you.'"

For Freya it was an easy decision, even if the sleeping arrangement on the small vessel leaves a little to be desired.

"I have always loved the boat, I wanted to prove him wrong that I could last more than a week," she said.

"I sleep on the double bunk when we are anchored but when we are at sea, sometimes it leaks."

Expect the unexpected

They say calm seas rarely make a skilled sailor, and it was when the father-daughter duo hit the open ocean that their biggest hurdle emerged.

Doctors told Mr Donald he had high levels of prostate-specific antigen before he left, which prompted him to get re-tested in Cape Town.

"I found out I had pretty aggressive prostate cancer; I got infected and ended up in intensive care," he said.

"It wasn't a great experience."

Mr Donald flew back to Australia in December last year for surgery, and three weeks later was back in Cape Town.

"I'm fit as a fiddle [now]," he said.

From Cape Town, they sailed to Namibia and eventually to Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, an isolated volcanic island notorious for sharks.

"We had a rudder problem, so I had to get in the water to go under the vessel to check the rudder," Mr Donald said

"I didn't see any sharks, but when we left we caught a yellow fin tuna and a massive tiger shark came and took half."

Freya said one of her cherished memories from the trip was their visit to Madasgascar.

"I was with the lemurs and being on that quiet island with lovely people … that was very fun and beautiful."

The final voyage

With their epic 15-month journey drawing to a close, the Donalds are beginning to prepare for what is next.

Mr Donald said he intended to stay in Norway for a while, while Freya looks to begin her own career.

"I want to get a job on a boat and hopefully become a captain one day," she said.

As for the future of Misha, a tough decision still needs to be made.

"I've offered the boat to my kids, to see if they want to continue the legacy," Mr Donald said.

"It's still in great condition, but I'm sort of ready to walk inland with my anchor until someone stops me to say, what is that."