Could you ever imagine yourself living at sea for a week or two on a cruise ship, and even more, living on one for years?
Brian and Karin Trautman have been doing that exact thing for over a decade.
Their boat is set up so that they can live off the grid in remote places for months at a time with solar and wind power providing electricity, allowing them to travel everywhere from the Tropics to their latest adventure in the Arctic.
What makes things even more idyllic and remarkable is the fact that they have made sailing a family matter, taking with them their one-year-old baby girl Sierra on this great adventure.
“She is a little sea baby,” said Brian in a video interview made recently.
“She lives the ocean and she loves sailboats.”
Brian is from Flagstaff, Arizona while his wife used to live in Sweden.
One day, when Brian was making plans for a trip, he was unaware of the fact that this approaching “adventure of a lifetime” would lead him to the love of his life, and an adventure greater than just that.
He planned a trip to New Zealand which would last for 18 months, and where he would end up meeting Karin.
The pair found a common love of sailing, and it was then that they fell in love with each other, and the hobby.
From there, Brian made a four-year plan, and their vision for living the good life on the high seas started to shape itself!
Today, they sail on an SV Delos, a 53′ sloop rig ketch (a specific type of sailing rig), and they have been recording their adventures on YouTube from the start.
Altogether the family has traveled over 83,000 nautical miles, which equals circling the Earth at the equator more than three times!
The setup includes solar and wind power on the boat, multiple freezers and big storage space for food, and also a small washing machine.
Also, their boat even includes (I hope this doesn’t make your jaw drop) a water maker that turns salt water into fresh!
Unbelievably, you can buy these desalination machines online.
This model, in particular, produces massive 1.5 gallons of fresh water per hour — which is enough for two to three crew members, and ideal for a family like the Trautmans.
Find out more or buy one of these devices by clicking here.
Despite Challenges, Brian and Karin have no regrets and wouldn’t do anything different
Even though their way of life may look perfect and so simple considering the gear they have outfitted their boat with, Brian and Karin warn that living this way is not easy at all.
Friends from around the world help them out in many different ways, repairing their ship when it is time for that and assist them with getting back out on the open sea.
The two of them have a large amount of food stored up, but sometimes many months pass without having fresh fruits or vegetables.
The permanent changing of the winds and the tides means that even the simplest and most important daily use objects are hard to keep in place, and that includes cooking equipment, glasses, and more.
“Cooking is an extreme challenge,” Karin said to Insider.com, explaining that her stove is on a gimbal that allows it to move with the water.
Teaching their baby Sierra to walk has also been a hard task.
“The most challenging thing has been the movement of the boat and the movement of the baby together,” she said.
But as time passes Sierra is growing and learning, and she gives so much entertainment and joy to her proud parents.
Despite these challenges, the pair wouldn’t have done it any different.
The Trautmans try to stay away from living on land whenever possible, especially because of the huge adjustment that needs to be done.
The aim is always to get back to the ocean as soon as it is possible.
“The land scares me a little bit,” Karin laughed.
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