Don’t wait for retirement to follow your dreams

“If you don’t do it now, you may never do it.”

Carpe diem is a phrase that’s become something of a modern mantra.

For generations, life followed a familiar script: work hard, build a career, raise a family, retire, then finally pursue the adventures you’d always dreamed about.

Today, that narrative is changing.

Across every industry, more professionals are pressing pause – not because they’re stepping away from their careers, but because they’re recognising that some opportunities won’t wait until retirement.

Whether it’s hiking the Camino de Santiago, backpacking around the world, cycling through Europe or sailing across oceans, a growing number are choosing to invest in experiences while they still can, while still building successful careers.

For Nick Hatfield, Managing Director of Sanlorenzo Yachts UK, that moment came with an unexpected phone call.

His younger brother Charlie, a professional yacht captain, was preparing to deliver the yacht he runs – a Swan 90 – from Europe to Antigua and wondered whether Nick fancied joining the crew.

“The honest answer was that I immediately wanted to say yes,” Nick recalls. “But my first thought was that work simply wouldn’t allow it.”

Like so many people juggling careers, family life and responsibilities, the sensible answer might have been no. Except this wasn’t just another sailing trip. Crossing the Atlantic had been on Nick’s bucket list for years.

“I’d always dreamed of doing it,” he says. “I just never thought the opportunity, the timing and everything else would ever come together. When it did, I knew it was an itch I had to scratch.”

Rather than dismissing the idea, Nick spoke openly with his boss. “I somehow managed to convince our Group Managing Director that it was a good idea to let me go,” he laughs. “Luckily, he is an avid sailor, so he probably looked upon it a bit more favourably!”
The result was a two-month sabbatical that gave him something increasingly rare: time, perspective and a renewed sense of purpose before beginning the next chapter of his career.

Saying yes

The journey began weeks before the yacht ever left the dock.

Nick joined the Swan 90, Nefertiti, in Vilanova, Spain, where the yacht was ashore preparing for the crossing. For several weeks, he became part of the yacht’s crew, helping complete maintenance jobs, preparing sails, loading containers and working through an ever-growing list of tasks before departure.

“For that period, I was very much the day worker,” he says. “My little brother was effectively my boss, which, unsurprisingly, worked well. We have sailed together a lot over the years, we make a great team, fully trust each other and know each other’s strengths.”
From Spain, Nefertiti headed to Lanzarote to collect the owner and guests for the Atlantic passage.

Light winds meant plenty of engine hours initially, followed by an unexpected fuel stop in Cape Verde where the island’s fuel dock had run dry.

“We ended up ferrying jerry cans from a Shell garage back to the yacht by tender,” Nick remembers. “It wasn’t quite how I’d imagined refuelling a Swan 90, but like with everything, you have to adapt to the situation and find a solution.”

Once clear of Cape Verde, the real crossing began. Eight days later, Nefertiti arrived in Antigua.

A different rhythm

Life at sea quickly settled into a simple routine. The crew operated a three-hours-on, six-hours-off watch system, with Nick leading one of the three rotating watches. For someone who enjoys structure, it suited him perfectly. “I adapted almost immediately,” he says. “When I wasn’t on watch I’d usually be on deck, doing little jobs, fixing things or grabbing the odd nap.”

Without constant notifications, meetings and endless diary invitations, life became remarkably straightforward. The focus narrowed to weather, sails, navigation, food, sleep and the next watch.

“I realised I really didn’t miss being constantly connected,” he says. “I actually enjoyed not knowing exactly what each day would bring.”

That isn’t to say he disappeared entirely.

“I still kept an eye on emails and dealt with anything that genuinely needed my attention, but the team back in the UK were brilliant. They did everything they could to let me enjoy the experience.”

The hardest part wasn’t work. It was home.

“I missed my wife Jemma and our children the most. Sometimes I’d be offline for several days at a time, which was difficult. Probably harder for them than for me.”

His children tracked the yacht’s progress each day using AIS, while his wife encouraged him throughout. “She simply said, ‘Go for it – you might never get this opportunity again.’”

Moments you’ll never forget

Ask Nick for the single greatest memory of the crossing and he struggles to answer. There isn’t one. Instead, there are dozens. Driving the yacht at night, barrelling down large Atlantic waves beneath a sky full of stars. Watching an asteroid streak across the night sky in the middle of the ocean. Landing his first big fish – a Dorado that the crew then had for lunch.

Reaching towards Guadeloupe under Code Zero in perfect conditions. “I actually stayed on the helm for an extra hour because I was enjoying it so much,” he admits.

And the wildlife proved equally unforgettable. “We saw dolphins almost every day, whales, turtles and countless different fish. One of the biggest surprises was the flying fish. During the day they keep away from the boat, but at night they become flying torpedoes. More than once I got smacked in the face by one while driving, much to the amusement of my watch mate.”

Of course, not every moment was idyllic. One night, with winds building beyond 30 knots, the crew needed to put in a second reef in darkness and rough seas. “It was challenging,” he says. “But everyone knew their role, everyone did their job and we were quickly back underway. It reminds you how important teamwork really is.”

The value of stepping away

For many professionals, taking time away from work can feel uncomfortable. There is often an underlying fear that everything will stop without you.

Nick discovered the opposite. “What the crossing really reinforced was that there has to be a balance,” he says. “It’s very easy to become completely absorbed in work, but sometimes stepping away actually makes you more productive.”
The experience also changed how he views leadership. Having spent years leading a team, this time he was simply one member of a larger crew.
“It was interesting being part of a team that I wasn’t leading,” he reflects. “You realise that everyone has something different to contribute.”

He also discovered a few things about himself. “I learned that I can turn my hand to a lot more than I perhaps realised. Whether it was fixing something I’d never tackled before or helping someone through a difficult moment.”
Those lessons came with him into his new role at Sanlorenzo Yachts UK. “I’m sure I arrived feeling far more energised than I otherwise would have.”

A shared passion

For someone whose career revolves around helping clients commission some of the world’s most elegant luxury yachts, the crossing offered another valuable perspective. “Our owners all share one thing – they have a genuine passion for being on the water. That’s something I completely understand.”

And when they learned of his journey across the Atlantic, Nick’s clients were all very encouraging. “I think they appreciated that I wasn’t just someone selling yachts. I genuinely love being out there myself.”

That shared understanding matters. Increasingly, yacht ownership isn’t simply about owning the yacht. It’s about creating the freedom to enjoy extraordinary experiences – whether that’s exploring remote anchorages with family or simply escaping everyday routines. Nick’s crossing reinforced exactly why those experiences matter.

Seizing the moment

Life rarely presents perfect timing. There will always be reasons to postpone an adventure.

Yet sometimes the biggest investment you can make in life isn’t another meeting, another sale or another promotion. Sometimes it’s giving yourself permission to step away – confident that when you return, you’ll bring back something far more valuable than another item on your CV. You’ll return with a new perspective. And perhaps that’s what carpe diem really means after all.