A family of 4 learned to sail and now call a 35-foot boat home as they travel the world with their dog
Nicky Piccalilli, her husband, two of her kids taught themselves to sail and now live on a boat full-time while traveling around the world.
Nicky Piccalilli
- Nicky Piccalilli, her husband, kids, and dog live on a 35-foot catamaran and travel the world.
- They learned how to sail and fixed up the boat after Nicky had a serious health incident in 2017.
- Nicknamed the Sailing Pickle Family, the group has seen many countries around the world.
The Sailing Pickle Family lives a life that many dream of: They sail around the world and explore new countries on a regular basis.
But their exciting adventure started from a low point. In 2017, Nicky Piccalilli, 46, caught meningitis and was placed in intensive care and isolation.
She said the infection caused damage to her brain, eyesight, and hearing — but it was something of a pinnacle moment in her life. She texted her husband, Chris, 48, and told him, "When I get out of here, I'm going to sail the world."
Nicky, Chris, their youngest children, 15-year-old Beau and 10-year-old Bear, plus their Doberman, Buddy, began doing just that in 2019.
It was love at first sight when they found their boat
Nicky Piccalilli
As Nicky began her recovery, she and Chris researched how to sail and started looking for a boat.
Just a week after Nicky left the hospital, they arranged to look at Pickle, the 35-foot Prout Snowgoose catamaran that they'd eventually buy.
"I literally just fell in love," Nicky told Business Insider. "She needed a huge amount of work. It was a really good thing that I was so naive."
The family got a great deal on the boat but spent the next year fixing sails, ropes, and everything else to get it into sailing condition.
"The only thing we didn't do was completely rewire it," Nicky said.
Nicky Piccalilli
Nicky described the inside of the boat as being like a Tardis, the time machine on "Doctor Who."
It has futuristic curved shapes, a large seating area, a kitchen, toilet, showering area, and lots of storage. There's enough space for two small rooms to have double beds and private areas for their kids.
The Pickle family has weathered some storms and explored many places already
Nicky Piccalilli
The family began their journey by sailing across the South coast of England and toward France.
One of the biggest challenges they faced early on in their journey was crossing the Bay of Biscay, a stretch of water along the western coast of France notorious for its unforgiving weather.
"In the Bay of Biscay, the waves were bigger than we were," Nicky said. "We were just unlucky that we got into one of those storms."
She described how the boat nearly went onto its side and the cockpit filled with foamy seawater — she clung onto her dog for dear life as waves crashed over the boat.
Nicky Piccalilli
It was the only moment when Nicky doubted what they were doing, but getting past it helped them appreciate the journey more.
They've now seen a lot of places, from Spain and Italy to Tunisia and the western Turkish coast — and they haven't experienced a storm that bad since.
The family has shifted their lifestyle, but there are some things about living on land they miss
Nicky Piccalilli
To fund their new lifestyle and adventures, Chris works remotely, and the family shares their journey on YouTube and Patreon.
Nicky and Chris homeschool their children, and Beau and Nicky plan to return to England this year so Beau can complete her GCSEs while Chris and Bear stay on the boat in Europe.
Even so, the family misses a few things about living on land. Nicky misses having a garden and growing her own produce for the family.
Nicky Piccalilli
Chris misses not having to worry about the weather. The weather at sea has a tremendous impact on the ease of sailing and is something the family has to consider at all times. It can change in the space of just an hour or two, so they have to check the forecast regularly throughout the day.
"It's constantly on your mind. Even if you're sick and dying, you have to check the weather," Nicky told BI.
Even so, the family doesn't plan to stop their adventures anytime soon. Next, they hope to sail across the Atlantic and visit North and South America.