Seventeen years ago, on a whim, Pat Schulte and his wife cashed out of landlocked Minnesota, bought a boat and circumnavigated the globe. They’ve been living aboard ever since. In this episode of Trawler Talk, catch their unlikely tale of landlubbers turned liveaboards, and learn all about the joys and challenges of the liveaboard life while raising kids aboard.

Sponsored by Outer Reef Yachts

Today’s Guest: Pat Schulte

“This is us. I’m Pat. The other adult is Ali. She started dating me when we were sixteen and knew she had herself a winner, so at twenty-three she finally married me. A couple of Minnesota suburban kids with a world-view that extended all of about twenty miles. It was big news when we upped and moved all the way to the big city of Chicago.

Bigger news still, when we announced to the family just a couple years later that we were going to sail around the world. For four years we circumnavigated the globe aboard Bumfuzzle, our 35′ catamaran, returning a little more world-wise.

Not ones to settle down, we then went for a drive from Alaska to Argentina to Europe in a ’58 VW Bus. As tends to happen in hippie buses, a child was conceived—so we drove to Mexico in a ’65 Porsche 356C to give birth to our Mexican baby girl Ouest (pronounced West). We soon moved onto another sailboat, and had ourselves a Mexican baby boy named Lowe (pronounced Low). We sailed all over Mexico together before eventually selling that boat. Ready for some more action on land, we spent a couple years driving all over the place in a ’66 Dodge Travco motorhome. Ready for another new adventure and mode of transport, we moved on to a ’66 22-foot Airsteam towed with our ’68 International Travelall. As tends to happen every three or four years, we got the itch for more water and moved on to a 1986 Grand Banks trawler to cruise the islands, where we are now.

Bumfuzzle—seventeen years under our keels and wheels. A life this good, we’re happy to have shared it all this time, and to have made so many friends over the years.” —Pat Schulte

Follow the Shulte family on their travels at bumfuzzle.com

About Our Sponsor

As the leading manufacturer of long range motoryachts, Outer Reef Yachts combines excellence in building robust, blue-water yachts while offering luxury, efficiency, and technological ingenuity. With our collection ranging from 58′ to 115′, you will be sure to find the yacht that suites your cruising lifestyle. As the owner of an Outer Reef, you will rest assured your yacht is built to the highest standards possible, and in turn, each adventure is fulfilled with a backdrop of safety, fun and peace of mind.

For more information, visit outerreefyachts.com