Felipe Bouzon and Bruna Sanches first met in Australia at a diving school on the Gold Coast two years ago. Felipe (32) is a business manager and a keen surfer from São Paulo while Bruna (27), a maritime lawyer and swimmer who comes from Rio de Janeiro. They came to Australia for different reasons; Bruna to learn English and Felipe to live in the country that he considers one of the best surf spots in the world.
The young Brazilians quickly discovered they shared the same dream: to live on a boat and travel as much as possible.
“I always had this dream and was inspired by my godmother who made international trips on her sailboat,” says Bruna. 
Felipe’s inspiration and taste for adventure came from his deep connection with the sea as a surfer. He also grew up following the adventures of the famous Schürmann family (the first Brazilian family to circumnavigate the world on a sailboat and the only Brazilian family to do it three times).
Bruna and Felipe: "Returning to Brazil by boat was always on the horizon, the pandemic just sped things up" Source: Supplied
“We were also inspired by the incredible journey of Jessica Watson who went around the world when she was 14, arriving back in Australia at the age of 16,” says Felipe.
The couple has called their small boat home for a year now, including the period of COVID-19 lockdown across Australia.
“It was challenging to go through the pandemic on our boat but at the same time we were able to more easily comply with the rules of social distancing," Felipe told SBS Portuguese.
"We would leave the boat only to buy groceries. We were happy because we were naturally isolated, surrounded by water," he says boasting about the fact that they pay a mere $40 weekly fee and are anchored in one of the town’s finest spots, Bulimba.
Life on board ‘Car 54’
"Felipe and Bruna are living on board of ‘Car 54’ since July 2019: "This boat is our home and we want to take our home to Brazil" Source: Supplied
Felipe and Bruna are both in Australia on a student visa. They moved into ‘Car 54’ in July 2019 with the aim to return to Brazil by the boat. However, their income taking a hit due to the coronavirus pandemic, they had to alter the timeline of their plan.
Car 54, the name given by the former owners of the boat, was the title of an American TV comedy from the 1950s where vehicle 54 was always lost, running wildly through the city streets with the police station calling over the radio "Car 54 where are you?".
Bruna and Felipe's sloop-rigged sailboat is 33 feet long with a 3.28m beam and a 1.58m draft. The vessel is a popular cruiser/racer and has a cabin at the rear where a bedroom is located. A corridor on the side of the boat connects the living room, kitchen and bathroom. The design of Mottle 33 is planned to be compact and functional.
When asked if the small boat can handle the crossing from Oceania to South America, Bruna says: “There's only one way to find out: by doing it.”
Source: Getty Images
The couple's plan is to leave Brisbane in April 2021. Car 54 will head to Cairns, and then to Indonesia via the Torres Strait and Darwin.
“In Indonesia, we have to stay at least nine months due to the weather conditions and wait for what we call the ‘climate windows’ so that we have the best conditions to travel. From Indonesia to Christmas Island, Cocos Keeling, Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean, then Durban and Cape Town in South Africa, and from there to Salvador, Brazil, ending the trip in Rio de Janeiro,” explains Bruna.
They are also aware of the emotional toll of being isolated, crossing the oceans for a long period of time.
Felipe says that the main challenges of spending 2.5 years on the boat are loneliness, tiredness and making decisions when you are tired.
"You always have to be alert to the movement of the boat on the open sea.”
“We will have to take turns when we go to sleep, one always has to be on alert, save fresh water when crossing long routes and, finally, the challenge is the 'unknown' in general in the sense of not knowing exactly 100 per cent what awaits you in the adventure, both in relation to the sea, to places, peoples and situations," he says.
They are also challenging themselves to use the engine and fuel as little as possible.
Felipe and Bruna moved to ‘Car 54’ in July 2019, they’ve been anchored at Brisbane River, and are in Australia on a student visa. Source: Supplied
“It is common among sailors and a reason for the pride that when travelling by sail, not to use the engine, just the wind power,” says Bruna.
They expect their voyage to cost about $100,000. The couple is hoping to generate the funds by working their jobs in outdoor recreation - their area of expertise - and hospitality industry.
Bruna and Felipe also have the support of followers on their social media channels “No experience on board” and they are also launching a crowdfunding campaign.
