Former Australian delegate Peter Barnes celebrated his 95^th birthday with his wife Valerie and visitors Bob, Wes and Michael at Limosa House, IRT Sarah Claydon, in Milton on September 30.

Champagne and cake was served by Valerie as friends told tales about Peter's seafaring adventures and looked at images from his life as a navigator and naval communications.

His love of the sea began when he was a boy after his family migrated from New Zealand. His family lived in Brighton, Melbourne, close to the sea.

"I got my father to build me something that floated. It turned about to be a sort of sailing boat and that's how it all started really. From then on I did it all myself."

Just after Christmas in 1974 Peter bought the boat which was his home for one his life's biggest challenges. Valerie was visiting her widowed father in England when a call came out of the blue.

"I flew to England. Chichester, as a matter of fact and I've bought a boat. It's a Westerley Cirrus called the Solent Dove because of the original owner's name and the fact that he sailed it along the Solent and round the Isle of Wight. I need to do a bit of work on it first but eventually I plan to sail it back to Australia," Valerie wrote in her second memoir An Antipodean Affair.

From April 1975 to October 1976, Peter completed his solitary sail from England to Pambula. Valerie joined him at various ports when her job as a simultaneous conference interpreter with the United Nations allowed.

"Oh, she's a very good traveller," he said.

"It's a bit demanding at times, but she managed very well."

While crossing the Atlantic he was hit on the head by the boom, lost the rudder off the coast of Venezuela and was attacked by sharks in the Pacific.

However, it was the overall test of navigating across the oceans that appealed to Peter.

"Well, it was challenging, it was the challenge of it," he said.

"I've been through some stormy places, but I never had any severe troubles."

When Peter arrived in Brisbane in 1976 he was swarmed by television, radio and newspaper journalists and his "hairy appearance" was recognised whenever he went.

"I have even been interviewed by the Women's Weekly magazine. Many of the facts in the newspaper and television stories have been widely exaggerated," he wrote in a letter to Valerie dated October, 1976.

At his birthday party Peter recalled enjoying crossing the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. But, his favourite route was up and down the east coast of Australia because of the lovely harbours.

Bob and Wes described Peter as an electronic genius. During World War Two Peter worked as a wireless operator and later on for Postmaster General's Department [PMG] on the first computer in Australia.

Company reps would advise them to buy a new part, but Peter would have spares of everything a sailor needed.

"He fixes radars, gear, autopilots," Bob said.

Wes fondly remembered Peter having to swim to shore in Ulladulla Harbour after his dinghy had issues.

"He was always pretty fit," he said.

Never afraid of heights Wes also recalled Peter climbing to the highest crow's nests in Ulladulla Harbour without any issues. Although Valerie said his climbing would concern neighbours.

'When he was 92 he was still climbing on the roof. We had all sort of antennas."

Recently Peter has also been sharing his stories with a local Red Cross volunteer. Michael, who visits once a week through the Australian Red Cross community visitors scheme, has a chat or walks with the intrepid sailor, and both reported enjoying the company.