While some families might go to Disney World or sit down for more meals together, Rhiannon Davies and her husband Sebastian Ambtman took their kids on a 17-country sailing trip for extra family time.
Davies and Ambtman sailed 15,000 nautical miles (nearly 28,000 km) from Amsterdam with their kids Emma, 12, and Max, 10, in just over a year.
“I was traveling an enormous amount and missing out on some of the family things that I would have liked to participate in more, so it was important to us,” said Davies about their decision to leave their corporate lives behind in Amsterdam and set sail.
As one might expect, Davis and Ambtman had plenty of concerns about spending more than a year at sea, including the kids’ education. That’s why they decided to home-school Emma and Max, a decision they say brought them even closer together.
“Teaching your own children is incredibly rewarding,” she said. “It gives you a much deeper understanding of who they are.”
The family has finally dropped anchor in Halifax, N.S., though their waterfront home still affords them a place to dock the sailboat right on their property. They’re eager to settle back into life on land.
They’re also looking forward to sharing memories of their travels with friends and family, like when they visited Gambia.
“The little things they had, they shared with us,” said Ambtman. “That was really quite incredible.”
With a report from CTV Halifax’s Suzette Belliveau
