Couple living in van after abandoning dream - and yacht

Covid put paid to Jenni and Chris Foster's adventure, and they are currently living in a small van at Acle, saving up for a second stab at a sailing and mountain biking odyssey.

Jenni and Chris Foster are currently living in Acle and intend to sail the world (Image: Jenni Foster)

Mrs Foster said: "Due to Covid lockdowns we could not bring the boat back to the UK to do final preparations for the trip, so we had to leave her in Spain and fly back.

"Subsequently we’ve been living in a small unconverted van with no facilities or heating in the UK winter as we renovate our Broads cruiser ready for selling her along with the rest of our land life."

Mrs Foster, 33, who is originally from Scotland, was recently made redundant from her job as a research and innovative manager in Norwich, while her 40-year-old husband's work in the boat building industry has dried up.

Jenni Foster (Image: Jenni Foster)

The couple, who met in the northeast and married in 2018, hope to sell their cruiser and 1909 Press River Cruiser Class traditional Broads yacht to fund the trip.

But Mrs Foster said they would set off even if these did not sell, and look to pick up work during their travels, whether this was "boat work, outdoor work, media work or flipping burgers".

Jenni and Chris Foster have had to temporarily leave this boat in Spain due to Covid and fly back to the UK (Image: Jenni Foster)

"It's certainly a pretty challenging dream which has been made even more challenging by Covid," Mrs Foster said. "We have spent quite a lot of time planning and have sold everything to allow us to go. We have always been into adventure and the extreme side of things."

This is the boat called BERZERK which Jenni and Chris Foster are planning to travel on (Image: Jenni Foster)

Their intended journey will see them travel from Almerimar in Spain to the Balearics, then onto Morocco. As mountain biking enthusiasts, the couple hope to travel to Madeira which Mrs Foster described as the "mecca" for biking.

They then plan to sail to the Canary Islands, ready to cross the Atlantic by the beginning of 2022. Mr Foster also hopes to sail across Cape Horn, but his wife thinks they will need a bigger boat first.

Jenni and Chris Foster are hoping to travel this summer after Covid disrupted their plans (Image: Jenni Foster)

Mrs Foster said: "Obviously this is going against the norm and is so far out of many friends and families comfort zones. I swear they all think we are mad but are also proud and behind us."

Their travel adventures can be found by following @deep.blue.dirt on Instagram.