Kelly grew up in Australia, and began her Maritime career on the Great Barrier Reef. After moving to Thursday Island she became the youngest and only female Captain to work for the Queensland Pilot Service at that time. After many years guiding ships through the treacherous waters surrounding Cape York in the remote far north, she moved to the Whitsunday islands to sail as a Captain for Charter Company Prosail. Whilst there Kelly won a Master Mariners “Excellence in Marine Training” award and completed her Master Class 5 ticket. 

After meeting her husband-to-be, Kelly moved with him to the United Kingdom where she again worked on the water, delivering new Oyster Yachts around the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. She then qualified as a Royal Yachting Association Instructor working on the South Coast teaching all levels of students from novice to Yachtmaster. After several years in the United Kingdom Kelly headed home to Oz, where she now successfully balances the commitments of family life with her husband and two children, and her continued association with the marine industry and love of the ocean.