A German-speaking Swiss family has lived on a sailboat for 25 years, traveling the seas around the Globe to raise awareness of the environmental cause. The documentary “Home is the Ocean” is dedicated to him and is on display at the Zurich Film Festival, which lasts until Sunday.
The Schwörer family left Norway, where their sailboat is currently located, to attend the premiere of the documentary in Zurich last Saturday.
“There is a strange feeling of belonging on the boat. You know that you are in the same boat, literally. You have to pay attention to everyone”, explains Sabine, the mother and co-captain of the “7:30 p.m. Pachamama.
Sabine and her husband Dario, mountain guide and climatologist, embarked on the adventure 25 years ago. Their goal: to study the climate in the four corners of the world and raise awareness among the world’s children about environmental protection.
A journey of 260,000 kilometers
Today, the project continues and is supported by donations. The family of sailors has already traveled 260,000 kilometers on the seas of the Globe. In the meantime, six children have been born between Chile and Iceland.
“The boat is my home, no matter where I am,” emphasizes Noé, 15 years old.
The two eldest have now left the boat to study in Switzerland, rich in a youth spent on the ocean, far from the internet and screens. “We learned about new cultures. We opened ourselves to other opinions. It’s so important in our world today,” says Salina, 19.
“We are only dealing with nature”
This odyssey appealed to German-speaking director Livia Vonaesch. To make her film, she followed this family for seven years.
“What impressed me the most is how these children are connected to nature, what they perceive and what I do not perceive,” notes the filmmaker. “Home is the Ocean” will be seen in French-speaking theaters next year.
“It’s in the middle of the ocean that we feel safest,” says Dario, the father. “We’re only dealing with nature. And when you’ve been around it for 25 years, it’s your friend.” Next goal for the Swiss family of explorers: Antarctica.
Julien Guillaume/friend
