When Karla Koziura’s husband, Sebastian, brought up the idea of spending a year and a half at sea and crossing the Atlantic with their family, she had to think long and hard about how that would work. The Evanston family would be leaving behind their life, their jobs and their friends. Their kids, Benjie, age 4, and Sofia, age 7, would be pulled out of school and put in a new, completely foreign environment. The Koziura family harnessed their grit and gumption to make this decision: Fear of the unknown is not a good enough reason to say no to a dream.
“I grew up sailing and racing,” says Sebastian. “I learned how to walk on a boat in Argentina. I’ve sailed from Patagonia to Brazil and from Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico.”
Sebastian, an experienced, hands-on sailor who doesn’t shy away from challenges and risks, had always wanted to cross the Atlantic. He read stories and has friends who’ve done it, so when the opportunity arose, he wanted to jump on it and live out his dream with his family. The Koziuras are in the real-estate business and at the time had a successful business in construction and flipping houses. When the real-estate crash happened, they decided it was a good time to make Sebastian’s longtime goal happen. They already had their beloved boat “Begonia” in Florida and they had previously taken several short trips to the Caribbean. So, in December 2010, the Koziura family rented out their house, got rid of their cars and excess furniture and belongings they didn’t want to store, set their bills to auto-pay, stocked their boat with food and supplies and set sail on an epic family voyage that would last until June 2012.
While on their quest, the Koziuras met more than 55 other inspiring families who were also living out their dreams at sea. Initially they thought that taking a year and a half to live on a boat with two small children was an incredible feat, but they came to realize that many others were doing the same thing — some families had more children, were traveling around the entire globe multiple times and were living at sea for seven or more years! And so, a camaraderie and mutual respect between these other sailing families was built. The Koziuras found that at times they’d be on the same path, arriving at the same ports, as other families; sometimes they would make plans to meet at ports so the children could interact. A community was fostered.
“We figured out how to communicate with other kids; we spent time with different families of different ages,” says Sofia.
Karla says she was very proud of her children in those situations — the ones where the kids had to overcome language and background barriers to find a common ground.
“We still talk to people we met on the trip,” says Benjie.
Life on a boat isn’t always rosy. Living in a tight space, without the normal comforts of home, can be difficult at times. Fresh and affordable food isn’t always plentiful and laundry can be a nightmare — feeling clean and dry became a luxury. Karla also had to deal with terrible seasickness. She used a scopolamine patch every day initially but then she developed an adverse reaction, along with an allergy to the latex.
“After months of using the patch on my neck, my skin started to reject it,” says Karla. “I think this is why I didn’t enjoy the Atlantic crossing so much — while I had grown accustomed to the movement and waves, and I no longer was nauseous, I still had a kind of uneasy, uncomfortable feeling when we sailed.”
Karla spent the entire 16 days, the longest stretch at sea, lying down, only getting up for her night watches and to use the bathroom.
Benjie also got really sick, alongside Karla, when the family was traveling from Morocco to the Canary Islands. When they left Rabat, their boat got caught in fishermen’s nets. The Koziuras were met with furious men who were yelling and pumping their fists. The timing couldn’t have been worse, with Karla and Benjie both stuck in the cockpit, passing a bucket between them, leaving Sebastian to free their boat, deal with the angry fishermen and direct the Begonia to safe territory alone.
“Benjie started throwing up in his bed, so I ran down to help him, but the movement of the boat, the smell of trying to take the sheets off, was too much for me, so then I started — it was a chain reaction,” says Karla.
Fortunately, the Koziuras learned and experienced so much that they agree the expedition’s benefits far outweighed its discomforts. The trip exposed the family to the significance of living more simply and being more environmentally conscious and deepened their understanding of the importance of helping others and being more generous.
While at sea, Karla faced head-on her two greatest fears: the ocean (Karla almost drowned as a child in the Pacific Ocean) and financial insecurity.
“I am very fiscally conservative when it comes to my own money; it is very difficult to let loose and be OK with living without real income and not knowing what we were going to expect financially upon our return,” says Karla.
Sofia grew up on the boat, learning how to pass the time engaging her creative passions — she made her own paper doll line, sewed stuffed animals out of reclaimed materials, made and wrote books and learned how to interact with adults and children from all over the world. Sofia also developed environmental and conservation awareness and a love and respect toward animals.
“When water is rationed, you think about waste,” says Sofia. “Now I understand that I have so much.”
Benjie started the trip as a little boy and ended it an integral member of the crew, participating in night watches, driving the dingy and sailboat and helping out where needed. Benjie also developed a concern for ocean life — he learned to swim and to remove glass bottles and waste from the ocean.
As for Sebastian, the steadfast captain, he finished the trip as he started: confident anything is possible when you set your mind to it. With any adventure, there will be logistical challenges, obstacles and details to figure out but the bottom line is: Life is short. If you have dream, a passion, a goal, don’t wait — go for it.
“You’ll always regret the stuff you don’t do,” says Sebastian. “If you want to do something, you can find a way.”
The thrill-seeking Koziura family traveled 13,000 nautical miles, visited 21 different countries and completed a trip that has inspired a future “retirement” travel goal: a sailing trip around the globe!
“Traveling by boat is the way to go through the back door of a country,” says Karla, the self-described “reluctant sailor.” “This trip was the best gift we could have given our children and ourselves.”
Always the assiduous family record keeper, Karla shares some of her favorite photographs and memories from the trip:
Homeschooling project — The Sea Mural
Many people asked us about homeschooling and how I prepared for this aspect of our voyage. There are great resources and pre-made curricula available online, with themes and projects pre-planned by age. The unit we began with was “The Sea.” The children would color a mural of each theme, which would then be taped up to a wall of our salon. As we worked through each unit, we would add things to the mural, such as pictures of plants and animals living underwater; we would do all the math problems and all reading related to the sea. It made perfect sense to start with this theme, so the kids could get accustomed to living at sea, and understand its flora and the fauna. They developed their knowledge about life on and in the ocean from the onset. This unit in particular was also fun because we were doing it as we traveled through the Bahamas. We were very lucky to visit a marine biology center in Bimini, where the kids could talk to scientists about their research and actually see many of the creatures in real life.
Filbert, Île-à-Vache, Haiti
At many of the places we stayed, the local residents, eager to meet a sailing family, would greet us. Upon our arrival in Île-à-Vache, a tiny island off the southwestern coast of Haiti, we were greeted by Filbert, the 12-year-old son of a fisherman. The first day he came to our boat rowing a dugout canoe and offered us breadfruit. The next day, he came to offer us bananas. Sofia and Benjie looked forward to his visits because they always enjoyed playing with new and different friends. Little by little Filbert got closer to us: The kids would swim with him around the boat, then they would jump into the water from our boat, then Filbert would be in our cockpit hanging out and then pretty soon he was inside the boat watching movies with the kids. He introduced us to his local fruit and vegetables, and we introduced him to peanut butter sandwiches! Filbert won us over with his beautiful smile and sparkling eyes, and while we didn’t speak Creole and he didn’t speak English, we were able to communicate with him with broken French and hand gestures. Filbert had never been to school before because his job was to help his father fish to help support his large family and his family could not afford the school. Filbert confided in us that he really did want to study, and we felt we had to help him somehow. Through an interpreter, we were able to talk to the “directrice” of the local primary school and pay for his studies. We will never forget Filbert and are grateful to have met such a wonderful boy!
A typical street scene in Santiago de Cuba
This was one of Begonia’s most interesting ports, since it was not on our original itinerary. Here, Sebastian, Benjie and Sofia are seen standing next to a 1950s car so typical in Cuba. Though the island is only 90 miles from Key West, Florida, Castro’s ban on foreign vehicle imports made it nearly impossible for residents to buy new, foreign-made vehicles. It also made it difficult to buy new parts and fuel for the old-school American cars Cuba is known for. Classic American cars are ubiquitous here, from Oldsmobiles to Chevrolets, Buicks to Fords with a nice sampling of Chrysler’s old Plymouth brand. Historically Santiago de Cuba has long been the second most important city on the island after Havana, and still remains the second largest. It is on a bay connected to the Caribbean Sea and is an important seaport. The city had a very important role in the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1953.
Sofia reading during the Atlantic crossing
One of the first questions people often ask us is how the children entertained themselves living on a boat with infrequent contact and communication with other children. But in a world away from electronic devices and soccer carpools, children get surprisingly creative with how they pass their time! Both Sofia and Benjie enjoyed playing with their toys, reading, playing dress-up and inventing games. In fact, the kids created fictional “lands” out of the boat’s berths, each with different rules and culture, which they would “visit” with their animals. I also remember doing a lot of dancing in the cockpit when we were underway! I find that I personally miss this unstructured time for the kids to just “be.”
The Koziura family being welcomed at a village along the Gambia River in Africa
We were always amazed at how hospitable people were in the various places we visited. Here, an entire village in The Gambia, a country in western Africa on the Atlantic coast, came to the shore to welcome us to their home, where they live in thatched houses. The men were drumming their handmade instruments while the ladies invited me to dance with them. They then led us to the village leader to greet him.
Leaving their mark in Horta, Faial, Azores
Like the hundreds of sailors of different nationalities who stop in the Azores Islands each year on their voyages across the North Atlantic Ocean, the Begonia crew painted a sign to show that we too passed through.
Many years ago, the crew of a sailing vessel anchored in the harbor wanted to leave a souvenir of their visit to the island. This first painting was followed by others, gradually occupying the whole sea wall, which has been transformed into a brightly colored mosaic of drawings evoking the many boats that have stopped off in the marina.
Playing with iguanas in Staniel Cay, Bahamas
This picture was from the beginning of our journey cruising through the Bahamas. We couldn’t believe we were in such a paradise and able to share it with the locals of the island — hundreds of iguanas! The only way to access this island of less than two square miles is by boat, which makes it relatively “untouched” except by the sailors who come to see this incredible sight!
“Window shopping” at the Rabat Medina in Morocco
Morocco was one of our favorite spots because not only was it a unique cultural experience, we met an incredible family of eight who were also sailing around the Atlantic at the same time. Sofia and Benjie had some playmates and a lifelong friendship was formed as we “buddy-boated” for a few months from Morocco to Senegal, The Gambia, Canary Islands and Cape Verde. We were pleasantly surprised to find many sailing families who shared our same crazy dream. Here we are at Rabat’s medina, or old town marketplace, where they sell everything imaginable: from dates and raisins to colorful cloths, Louis Vuitton knock-offs and even lamb’s heads!
The Captain in Trinidad and Tobago
Here is Sebastian, the captain of the Begonia, in all his glory. A true picture of accomplishment as he catches a fresh lobster dinner for us, it also broadly represents the realization of his lifelong dream to take time off and sail with his family.
If the Koziura’s adventure has you yearning to take to the water with your family, check out our 2016 Chicago Boating Guide for the easiest ways to do it.
