I was born on the 14th of May, 1978, in Zagreb, which is a perfectly nice place but not renowned for its rolling waves or encounters with albatrosses. I grew up in a family of committed landlubbers, the sort of people who regard the sea as something best admired from a postcard.
My downfall came courtesy of my sister, who invited me along on a sailing trip when I was twelve. I went, enjoyed it, and—unlike her—never really came back. Somewhere between the creaking of ropes and the gentle realisation that land is vastly overrated, sailing lodged itself firmly in my system.
At some point, I realized that sailing was more enjoyable than studying structural engineering, which involves a lot of mathematics and almost no sunsets. So instead of graduating, I took a bold and well-considered career path known as “working in yacht charter,” where I became a skipper, sailing instructor, and base manager—jobs that require confidence, experience, and the ability to say, “This is perfectly normal,” while nothing appears to be normal at all.
I also started a sailing club called Dobro More and began writing blogs, mainly to reassure people that this was a lifestyle choice and not a prolonged cry for help.
For years, sailing around the world seemed like an impossible dream, on the same list as owning a sensible car or having free time. Then, one day, I decided to actually do it. This is how the HIR3 project began: a plan to cross three oceans and probably get into trouble somewhere along the way.
My way around the World 