Setting Sail and Schooling: A Family's Distance Education Adventure

How do you combine a life of adventure at sea with consistent, high-quality education? For one ACC Distance Education family, the answer is a sailing catamaran named Silver, a Starlink mini, and the flexible structure of online learning. Having moved aboard full-time in December 2024, they are currently based in Southern Tasmania and are slowly making their way back to Perth, exploring the coastline as they go.

We spoke to Pre-Primary student Zion’s dad about their unique lifestyle.

Q&A: Schooling on the Water

Q: How and where do you do your schooling while on the boat? 

A: We access ACC DE using a Starlink mini powered by solar panels. Our ‘classroom’ is the saloon - the main living area of the catamaran. It's very cosy and serves as our office, lounge room, dining room, and playroom all in one!

Q: How many hours a day do you school for and how do you navigate this with a sailing schedule? 

A: When we are safely at anchor or on a dock, we typically do lessons for 2-3 hours in the morning. Our afternoons are for exploring ashore in our dinghy, “Dingadoo,” or visiting parks for exercise and play.

Respecting the weather is key to safe travel. The flexibility of the ACC DE program is essential here. If a sailing day requires us to be underway, we can simply shift lessons to the evening or catch up over the weekend. This allows us to let the weather dictate our travel schedule without compromising the quality of formal education for Zion and next year, his brother, Zander.

Q: What are some of the biggest upsides (or even downsides) to living this way? 

A: The biggest upside is the experiential learning that comes from being constantly connected to nature. The wind, water, wildlife, and forests are constant companions, gifting us incredible learning opportunities and pointing to God’s sovereignty over creation. As it says in Job 12:7-10, we can "ask the animals, and they will teach you."

On the flip side, boat maintenance and journey planning require a significant amount of time and effort. Zion is already a very capable trades assistant and even built and paddled his own wooden boat, "Dingafun," for the Australian Wooden Boat festival this year.

Q: What is the most rewarding part of the experience? 

A: It is rewarding to leverage the skills God gave us alongside technology (Starlink, Solar Power, and ACC DE online learning) to experience a way of living that brings us closer to nature and fuels curiosity in learning. It has truly unlocked more time for us to grow and heal together as a family. Working with the ACC DE team to support Zion in his formal education this year has been very rewarding.

A Simplified Lifestyle

Living on a boat promotes a very simple lifestyle by necessity. To afford this, the family sold large belongings and rented out their house for a stable income while traveling. When it is too windy and cold for safe exploration, they take a break from Silver, traveling to visit family in Asia and Perth during the winter months. They are a family of three - Dad, Zion, and Zander. Zion’s Mum went to heaven in April 2024 as they were planning their trip - and they sail conservatively, always prioritising safety with gear, training, and strict rules.

Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” This family is living proof that distance education can enable a life of incredible adventure while instilling strong values and an excellent education.

If you would like to follow this amazing family on social media, you can find them at @sailingwiththeboys. 

Have a look through some photos of their epic adventures!