Sarah Moreira and Renato Matiolli, two former business partners, made the decision to end their “crazy office hours” and sailed away into the sunset.
Sarah, 34, left her PR position for an international hotel company, while Renato, 38, left his strategy consulting job soon after buying a yacht.
They left all they knew behind when they set sail six months after purchasing the boat, save for their dog, who went with them.
Amazingly, before meeting a Swedish couple who taught them to sail in three weeks, neither Sarah nor Renato had ever been on a boat.
On April 30, 2015, the Brazilian pair formally left Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro, their hometown, and have been traveling ever since.
While they waited for their dog Feijao’s puppy passport, Renato briefly went back to pick him up.
Feijao, according to the couple, has acclimated well to life aboard a sailboat and enjoys relaxing on the deck and at the beach but is not a keen swimmer and instead prefers paddleboarding.
Sarah, Renato, and Feijao have visited 21 nations and territories so far.
The duo has been experiencing some of the best waves and underwater sights in addition to exploring the local cuisine and culture.
Being together constantly, according to Sarah and Renato, has strengthened their five-year relationship more than before.
And teamwork is undoubtedly important when confronting enormous waves and unpredictable weather, as they did during their Atlantic journey.
Since they were actually thrown into the deep end at the beginning of their tour due to their newly acquired information, they acknowledge that not everything has gone smoothly.
They don’t keep count, but they’ve already traveled about 5000 kilometers.
The 15-day Atlantic journey was the furthest they had ever traveled without touching down on land.
The pair, who had saved money before leaving, pay for their voyages by inviting strangers to join them for a stretch and experience life at sea.
Renato acknowledges that his best course of action in tense situations is to take to the waves on his surfboard and spend some time by himself.
“This journey has been really fantastic thus far,” Sarah stated. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
