An Ilkley family are finally setting sail on their yacht for an 18-month voyage to Australia, where they will settle.

The Campbell-Ross family had planned to start two weeks ago but bad weather held them back.

Sue and Rod Campbell-Ross and their three children, Pippa, nine, Harry, six, and Emily, two, were casting off today in their 44ft aluminium yacht called Tintin.

Their first stop is Guernsey before they continue on to France, where they intend to cruise for a few months.

Sue said: "We had to delay our departure by two weeks. The windows in the saloon needed replacing and we had to wait to get a slot in the boatyard to have the Perspex cut.

"As Rod began to take the windows out, the rain started and then continued solidly for two weeks, sometimes accompanied by gale force winds.

"He needed dry weather to put them back in again. So poor Tintin sat draped in tarpaulin."

She added: "Last week I was feeling quite concerned we were not going to get the boat all sorted in time. The interior looked like a building site and it was hard to imagine that it would be home to a family of five. At least I will have windows that let light in and a fridge that works."

The boat was finally put back in the water last week in Totnes, Devon, and the family sailed it down the river to Dartmouth to commence their longer voyage.

The family, formerly of Westwood Drive, Ilkley, decided last June to buy a boat and sail around the world. Now, with their visas, sorted, they are off.

Accountant Rod was made redundant last June and this prompted them to take the life changing step. Sue has no sailing experience, but has been attending courses to prepare herself for the voyage, and Rod is an experienced yacht master.

They bought their 20-year-old yacht in November for £80,000 and since January Rod has been working on the boat to give it a complete make-over.

Their voyage will take them through the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean, then to the Carib-bean and the Pacific Ocean.

Leaving Ilkley was sad, said Sue. "I am leaving behind so many fantastic friends."