Their week-long sailing trip lasted 16 years

It was supposed to be a week away sailing, just to test the water.

Could Clive and Jane Green live together without a cross word in the cramped cabin of a 35ft (10m) yacht?

Now 16 years after setting off for a quiet cruise to Spain, the couple have returned to Pembrokeshire - covering 51,000 nautical miles (94,450 km) as they criss-crossed the globe, reported the BBC.

In that time they have sailed pirate-infested seas, watched volcanoes billow, and studied Komodo dragons. All while learning how to become accomplished global seafarers on their boat, the Jane G.

The couple pose in their cramped home since 1998. Photo: BBC

Mrs Green told the BBC: "We have been very lucky to see our planet in such an amazing way - we didn't ever plan to sail around the world - it just happened.

"We would sail to a place and then through word-of-mouth from other sailors hear about somewhere else to go to.

"This has been our life for the last 16 year- it's been an amazing experience."

Tight budget

But the pair, both in their mid-40s at the time, had to live on a tight budget. At times they had to barter their belongings for supplies, reported The Mirror.

Mrs Green, now 60, revealed how their best deal was exchanging one of her M&S bras for a sack of fresh fruit and vegetables on a small island off Fiji.

The adventurers had originally left Neyland for a trial week in Spain in July 1998 and decided to just keep going. . 

And no - in all that time - there was never a single row in the tiny cabin that was their home.

Source: BBC, The Mirror