A couple from Indiana is upping sticks and embarking on a year-long boating trip in the Caribbean.

Harry and Melinda Schell’s only link to the world they are leaving behind - which includes their two daughters - will be a satellite phone.

"All my life I’ve seen too many people who wait for retirement, wait for retirement and when retirement comes, they’re too sick to do anything," Mrs Schell told tampabays10.com.

"So to be able to explore the world on our boat and live on our boat and take our time and see what we want to see…man, it just doesn’t get any better."

The couple have been planning the trip for five years, and have been living in their 42-foot sailboat for the last two after selling their house and most of their belongings in order to finance the expedition.

The duo plan to sale from their base in Bradenton to the Bahamas, then Puerto Rico, and on to Venezuela before turning back to the States.

Mr Schell is confident that the boat will last journey.

"The boat can handle just about any kind of weather. It can sail through a hurricane if it had to," he said.

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