We took our children, 15 and 10, to live on a 35ft boat and our dog came along too
MANY people dream of traveling the world, but one family actually did it and moved with their two children and dog onto a 33-foot boat.
Nicky Piccalilli, 46, realised she wanted a new life for her family after she was placed in intensive care in 2017 after contracting meningitis.
3
3
3
She told how she texted her husband Chris, 48, saying: “When I get out of here I’m going to sail around the world.”
Two years later, in 2019, Nicky, Chris and their two youngest children Beau, 15, and Bear, 10, plus their Doberman Buddy did just that, and set off from England.
During her recovery, Nicky and Chris taught themselves to sail and went in search of the perfect boat.
Once they found Pickle, a 35-foot Prout Snowgoose catamaran, they knew they had found the one.
They spent a year getting the boat ready for their home, including repairing sails and ropes.
Although it may seem small compared to living in a house, Nicky points out that Pickle is like a Tardis – the time machine from Dr Who that is bigger than it looks from the outside.
It has two small bedrooms with double beds, a kitchen, toilet, shower room and a large sitting area.
SAILING
The family began their adventure by sailing along the south coast of England towards France.
Nicky and Chris decided to capture the highs and lows of their travels on YouTube and created an account called Sailing Pickle Family.
Early on they were confronted with the challenge of navigating the Bay of Biscay, located off the west coast of France, where the weather can often be “unforgiving”.
Speaking with Company InsiderNicky said: “In the Bay of Biscay the waves were bigger than us. We were just unlucky to get caught in one of those storms.”
At one point, Pickle nearly capsized and the cockpit filled with seawater.
Nicky remembers clinging to the dog Buddy with tooth and nail and admits that at that moment she had doubts about their sailing plan.
TRAVEL ADVENTURES
The Sailing Pickle family survived the ordeal and have since enjoyed traveling to countries such as Spain, Italy, TunisiaAnd Turkey.
Fortunately, they have not yet experienced a storm as bad as the one off the coast of France.
On the bucket list next because the family sails across the Atlantic Ocean and visits North and South America.
FINANCING THEIR LIFESTYLE
Nicky and Chris can finance their new lifestyle anywhere in the world.
Chris works remotely and the family also receives money from YouTube And Patterns.
They are currently homeschooling their children, but the plan is for Beau to go back to England for a while to be with Nicky so she can do her GCSE exams, while Chris and Bear stay on the boat in Europe.
Although they enjoy life on the high seas, there are still some things they miss about living in a traditional home.
Nicky admitted that she misses having a garden and growing food for her family.
Chris admitted that he missed having to worry less about the weather and the impact it would have on their sailing and safety.
Admitting that Chris checks the weather forecast regularly throughout the day as it can change quickly, Nicky said: “It’s constantly on your mind. Even when you’re sick and dying, you have to check the weather.”
