I received this book as a gift from one of my best friends who was about to embark on a cruising vacation on a catamaran in the Cyclades. Talking passionately about my first sailing experience in the Greek islands, I convinced him that chartering a boat is the best way to explore the Aegean Sea. A regular sailboat seemed a bit small  and uncomfortable in rolling for my friend Mihai and as a consequence he made up his mind for a big cat. Wanting to get some prior experience about living on and sailing a catamarn, he came upon this book on Amazon and had a blast reading it.

At the same time I felt a bit overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge and skills that guys like Slocum and Chiles possessed and wanted to know if it is possible to go sailing around the world even if you don’t know all the things that they knew. I told Mihai that some day I dream of undertaking a circumnavigation of my own and that I was trying to find accounts of regular people who at some point in their lives decided to change their monotonous existence on land for a more vagrant lifestyle afloat. “Then Bumfuzzle is for you” Mihai shouted, and he bought me a copy .

Being based on a series of blog posts, it is a funny, easy to read account of a classic circumnavigation undertaken by a young couple without any prior sailing experience. They bought a catamaran based on its aesthetic features, that later turned out to have some serious problems, and learned to sail on their own after a one-day sailing lesson. Little by little, while underway, they got used to their boat and learned the basics, sometimes under trying circumstances, that helped them complete a full circumnavigation. No longer novices on their return, they proved that motivation is the main driver to accomplishing anything. It is an entertaining tale about a life changing decision, the determination to carry it over and the thrills of following one’s passions.

Many years later the Schulte family is still travelling with their kids, only on land this time. Their adventures can be followed at www.bumfuzzle.com.

Amazon link