Hi folks, as you have just seen in the video, I am planning to take my beautiful but challening 9 year old son Koa who is autistic, non verbal and who also has severe ADHD, global development delay and an overarching neurological imbalance away on our boat for 3 months.

We plan to sail north from Iluka NSW to the Whitsundays and back over three months with Koa and the help of support workers along the way. We will be documenting and sharing our adventure on YouTube etc..

There have been some extremely tough years behind us as a family, Koa's behaviour at times has pushed us all to the verge, and we have tried every therapy, sport, activity we can think of and the only thing that seems to settle him is being on the boat or near the water and for some reason when being with me more than others.

The truth is I have been struggling with my mental health as well, I feel an enormous amount of pressure to hold everything together and the fact that Koa seems to be very dependent on me makes that pressure relentless at times.

Koa's sister Aila, and his mother bare the brunt of his negative behaviours which include intense and violent breakdowns, spitting, hitting, swearing and screamingly traumatic episodes that don't occur when he is with me and particularly when we are on the boat. They need a break, some time to recover and connect without the extreme stress of these moments.

I really cant afford to undertake this journey without help. Expenses onboard and at home while away and without income from my trade work are unmanageable.

Those that know me know I am not one to ask for help ever really, I have always been independent and worked very hard to get by. So its not easy to ask, but if you can help by supporting us with whatever amount you can afford I can not express my gratitude enough.

My hope is that I can share with you all the highs and lows, the beauty and the adventure and that possibly this could be an ongoing experience if it all works. You will be supporting an entire family that has had an incredibly challenging experience with a beautiful boy we all love deeply but who also tests us in a way that is hard to describe.

Thank you so much for getting this far.

With enormous gratitude and love,

Nharyan, Koa, Aila and Ayumi.