MOST of us dream of taking a break from the rat race and travelling the world. But for one Chatham family that dream will become reality when they set sail for the high seas on Sunday.

William and Catherine Calver and their children Thomas, six, and two-year-old Patrick have sold their home in Princes Park and will spend the next three years travelling the world in their yacht, Finale.

The dream has taken about three years to flourish and come to fruition and Mr and Mrs Calver are excited about the prospect of spending more time watching their children grow up.

William said: "We tend not to see the children, so we decided we wanted to spend some time with them watching them grow up."

William said Thomas is not keen on the idea to travel but they hope he will enjoy the experience once it gets into full swing.

"He is still quite young and thinks he will miss all his friends," he said.

Family and friends initially reacted with shock at the family's decision to go on the once-in-a-lifetime adventure but have been swept along by the couple's enthusiasm.

William stressed: "It is not the conformist thing to do, but we were both getting itchy feet and opted to jump off the treadmill. It's good to do these things."

The family will set sail on their yacht from Chatham Maritime Marina and head to Ireland to see Catherine's family in Co. Tipperary.

The couple are no strangers to the travelling bug and have both notched up an impressive check list of places they have visited between them.

Catherine has given up her job as a senior sister in the Oliver Fisher Baby Unit at Medway Maritime Hospital to take the trip, while William is leaving his job in a marketing company in Croydon.

Thomas will now be educated by his parents during their travels. Once they have left Ireland, they hope to sail down to Northern Spain before heading off to Portugal and Gibraltar.

William added: "We will decide in Gibraltar where we want to go next, but we think possibly the Bahamas. It's an adventure. If we find somewhere we like we might just stay there."