The Harris brothers, freshmen Ryan and Wesley Harris, set sail on their journey to various parts of the world after finishing fourth grade in 2005.

After renting their house and then packing, the Harris brothers finally began their journey to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located in between Portugal and Africa.

The two encountered their first storm while sailing through the Mediterranean Sea.

“It nearly sank the boat. It damaged the navigation system and our captain had to resort to primitive ways to navigate,” said Ryan Harris, while recounting the experience.

The brothers spent a lot of the beginning of the trip traveling to parts of Spain, visiting places like Cadiz and Rota. They met many new people and became more familiarized with the Spanish culture and the language.

After some travel in Spain, the Harris family voyaged north to France.

“We skied at the French Alps almost every day for three months,” said Ryan.
“Then we went home for two weeks,” added Wesley.

The visit was short, but they soon ended up moving back to Ventura.

The two were enrolled at Cabrillo Middle School for the remainder of their sixth grade year. This was their first time back in public schooling in a year and a half. However, as soon as summer rolled around, the two went back to travelling with their parents for half the summer. They did begin school with their peers again in the fall of 2007, but left after the second quarter to continue their travels.

The Harris brothers visited Greece, Turkey, and Egypt, skipping Italy because of time delays prior to the trip. They also spent some time roaming Central America, visiting Panama and the (Pearl Islands).

The continued their journey through Mexico and eventually returned to Ventura again at the end of the 2008-2009 school year.

“Something is always breaking on a boat. It is not all fun and games,” said the brothers when asked what traveling was really like.

The twins were constantly having to keep up with school work.  Even with scarce internet access, the brothers were required to take online tests to show they understood the required subjects.

“The internet was rare. We probably got it once a month depending on the area,” said Wesley.

The oddities of living the life of a sailor are outweighed by the exceptional experience of traveling and meeting new people of different cultures.

To read and learn more about the travels of the Harris brothers visit their blog, detailing their experiences, here.

Photo: Ryan and Wesley Harris finally return to Ventura in May 2009. Photo courtesy of Ryan and Wesley Harris.