Having lived aboard Ventana and been cruising full time since 1996 we decided in 2004 to temporarily switch gears, so in October 2004 we began an entirely different adventure as we returned to the United States and began a tour of America.  With Rob flying a tiny homebuilt gyroplane and Dee driving a 35' motorhome we explored America.  A gyroplane looks like a miniature helicopter and usually flies only a few hundred feet off the ground at about 60 miles per hour.  Rob became the first person in history to fly a continuous trip by gyroplane to all 48 states in the Continental U.S. Upon completion of the trip he received the prestigious Pioneer of Vertical Flight Award from Groen Brothers Aviation.  To read about that adventure visit www.GyroAmerica.com

Early in 2006 we explored a bit more of Australia by car as well as spending 3 weeks in Tasmania--  Australia's large southern Island.  Following that we diverted to the U.S. again for an exciting 3 week kayak/raft trip down the Grand Canyon in Arizona. 

To read about our Australian adventures- click here.

In May of 2006 we returned to our sailboat in Australia to begin the long 2,200 mile sail up the east coast and over the top to Darwin.  In July of 2006 we joined the Darwin, Australia to Kupang, Indonesia rally.  From there we sailed through Indonesia to Bali. In early October we continue on to Borneo, then Malaysia with stops in Singapore, Lankgawi and on to Phuket., Thailand by December of 2006. 

About the Dubins:
Rob's background is adventure.  Mountain climbing including reaching the summit of Alaska's Denali, kayaking unexplored rivers, downhill and cross country skiing, scuba diving, piloting small aircraft,  bicycling, mountain biking and of course sailing.

Dee's background is varied from working on minority employment  programs, to banking to construction.  She too is an avid skier and mountaineer and experienced kayaker, scuba diver and sailor.

Rob & Dee were married in 1982 and at that time Dee discontinued her job as a condominium construction superintendent and joined Rob in his company, Alpine Film Productions.  Over the next 15 years they produced hundreds of TV commercials, television programs, corporate films and sports documentaries.  With Dee working as a Producer and Rob as a Director/Cameraman they traveled throughout the world for clients such as ABC, NBC, CBS, ESPN, The Travel Channel and many Fortune 500 companies.  In 1989 they launched Sailing Quarterly Video Magazine, a videotape series covering the sport of sailing.  In the process of videotaping these programs the Dubins learned sailing from their program hosts including America's  Cup veteran  Gary Jobson and ocean veterans Tristan Jones, Hal  Roth, Don Street, John Rousmanierre, Robert Perry and others. Spending 10 -15  days of each month on the water from 1989 - 1995  the Dubins had the opportunity to sail on hundreds of boats from Tonga to Norway, Romania to New Zealand.  The boats  included typical charter boats to circumnavigators to America's Cup and Whitbread racers resulting in a broad experience covering all aspects of the fascinating sport of sailing.  In 1995 the Dubins put down the cameras sold the house, bought a new boat and began to live the life they had been filming.  

Through the incredible wonders of technology you can see a map of the world showing exactly where we are in near real time. 

In addition to seeing a map locating Ventana you can also find out
our latitude and longitude and sailing conditions.

For an explanation of latitude and longitude click here.