“When we have a dream, we also have to believe in it. We will face storms along the way, but we need to have the willpower to reach for our goals.” This was how Vilfredo Schürmann, the Schürmann Family’s sailboat captain, led their meet-and-greet event with 25 children, between patients from the Instituto de Cegos da Bahia and kids from the nearby Solar do Unhão community. The kids were really excited as they listened Vilfredo tell stories of his time at sea, asked questions about the family’s life aboard the Kat, which is currently docked at Bahia Marina.
The captain talked about important topics on sustainability. According to him, during his voyages around the world and especially more recently his Expedition to the Orient, he was able to notice how our oceans are polluted, particularly by plastic, and he highlighted the importance of protecting the water and the marine ecosystem. Additionally, he warned the kids about the dangers of blast fishing, a practice that is still very common in the Baía de Todos os Santos region, and emphasized that “the bay has clean waters, thanks to its marine currents.”
According to Vilfredo, the Kat was built to be a sustainable sailboat, equipped with a seawater desalinator, solar panels, a waste reuse system, LED lamps, stationary bikes connected to bike-powered electricity generators, an herb garden, and an instrument that measures the water pollution level through wherever the boat sails.
Visiting the sailboat
Divided into groups, the children were taken by parents and teachers to the Bahia Marina pier, where they were able to visit the Kat, an 80-feet sailboat. In each of the boat’s cabins, the visitors listened closely and paid attention to every single detail.
The kids were really impressed by the boat’s infrastructure and asked questions about how things worked, such as the oven and the bathroom, and about the Schürmann family everyday life on board. “I’d love to sail one day,” said one of the little visitors before saying goodbye.
The children’s visit to the Kat was organized by the Bahia Marina through the Environmental Education and Communications Program. For the occasion, the Bahia Marina director Leilane Loureiro extended the invitation to the kids from the Instituto de Cegos.
