Schurmann Family
Encyclopedia
The Schürmann Family are the first Brazilian family to circumnavigate the world on a sailboat
and the only Brazilian family to have done it twice. A household name in Brazil
, the Schürmann Family has been active around the world through their online school program, as well as their films and TV programs.
In 1984 Vilfredo
, Heloisa and their children left their home, their work and school and set off from Florianópolis
, the capital city of the State of Santa Catarina, in southern Brazil, to pursue their dream: circumnavigate the world on a sailboat. Their children, Pierre, David and Wilhelm, were 15, 10 and 7 years old, respectively. On this first adventure, the Schürmann Family spent 10 years at sea.
In 1997 the Schürmann Family began their second great adventure Magellan Global Adventure
. The goal was to retrace the route sailed by Ferdinand Magellan
’s fleet, the first complete circumnavigation of the planet. For this adventure, apart from the parents only their son David Schürmann
and Kat, their 5-year-old daughter went along. Magellan Global Adventure was followed by more than 1,5 million people, from 44 countries. Every month the adventure’s filmed reports, broadcast internationally, had an average of 40 million television viewers in Brazil and many more around the world. After 30 months, the Schürmanns' yacht returned to Brazil.
In 2011 The Schürmanns led the expedition that for the first time in Brazilian history a World War II
German U-boat
was located in its waters. After 9 years research and 2 years of seagoing searches the U-513 was located 85km east of their hometown of Florianópolis
. The find was announced worldwide on June 17th 2011, when the Schürmanns produced images of a Side-scanning sonar.
In Vilfredo’s words, “the bond that keeps our family so united is that we were, are and will be dreamers. Forever.”
The Family members are: Vilfredo, Heloisa, Pierre, David, Wilhelm and Kat Schürmann (d. 2006).
They have released 4 best sellers in Brazil and one box office hit documentary film:
Sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails. The term covers a variety of boats, larger than small vessels such as sailboards and smaller than sailing ships, but distinctions in the size are not strictly defined and what constitutes a sailing ship, sailboat, or a...
and the only Brazilian family to have done it twice. A household name in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, the Schürmann Family has been active around the world through their online school program, as well as their films and TV programs.
In 1984 Vilfredo
Vilfredo Schürmann
The skipper has a B.A. in Economics. He owned a company that planned and carried out the implementation of factories as well as provided financial consulting to existing industries...
, Heloisa and their children left their home, their work and school and set off from Florianópolis
Florianópolis
-Climate:Florianópolis experiences a warm humid subtropical climate, falling just short of a true tropical climate. The seasons of the year are distinct, with a well-defined summer and winter, and characteristic weather for autumn and spring. Frost is infrequent, but occurs occasionally in the winter...
, the capital city of the State of Santa Catarina, in southern Brazil, to pursue their dream: circumnavigate the world on a sailboat. Their children, Pierre, David and Wilhelm, were 15, 10 and 7 years old, respectively. On this first adventure, the Schürmann Family spent 10 years at sea.
In 1997 the Schürmann Family began their second great adventure Magellan Global Adventure
Magellan Global Adventure
The dream to retrace the journey of Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan was born in 1995 during a walk on the beach which coincidentally was the same date in which Magellan himself was born. Vilfredo Schurmann and Heloisa Schurmann were talking about the amazing feats of some of the adventurers...
. The goal was to retrace the route sailed by Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer. He was born in Sabrosa, in northern Portugal, and served King Charles I of Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands" ....
’s fleet, the first complete circumnavigation of the planet. For this adventure, apart from the parents only their son David Schürmann
David Schurmann
David Schurman first showed a passion for film making at age 13, when he started filming the adventures during the Schurmann Family first circumnavigation of the world. After learning the secrets of the profession hands-on, he got a formal degree in Cinema in New Zealand. Afterward, he completed...
and Kat, their 5-year-old daughter went along. Magellan Global Adventure was followed by more than 1,5 million people, from 44 countries. Every month the adventure’s filmed reports, broadcast internationally, had an average of 40 million television viewers in Brazil and many more around the world. After 30 months, the Schürmanns' yacht returned to Brazil.
In 2011 The Schürmanns led the expedition that for the first time in Brazilian history a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
was located in its waters. After 9 years research and 2 years of seagoing searches the U-513 was located 85km east of their hometown of Florianópolis
Florianópolis
-Climate:Florianópolis experiences a warm humid subtropical climate, falling just short of a true tropical climate. The seasons of the year are distinct, with a well-defined summer and winter, and characteristic weather for autumn and spring. Frost is infrequent, but occurs occasionally in the winter...
. The find was announced worldwide on June 17th 2011, when the Schürmanns produced images of a Side-scanning sonar.
In Vilfredo’s words, “the bond that keeps our family so united is that we were, are and will be dreamers. Forever.”
The Family members are: Vilfredo, Heloisa, Pierre, David, Wilhelm and Kat Schürmann (d. 2006).
They have released 4 best sellers in Brazil and one box office hit documentary film:
Books
- Em Busca do Sonho (2006) not yet translated
- Momentos De uma Aventura (2001) Portuguese/English
- Um Mundo de Aventuras (2002) not yet translated
- 10 Anos No Mar (1995)
Films & TV
- O Mundo em Duas Voltas (The World Twice Around or The World in Two Round Trips) 2007 (Film)
- Em Busca do Sonho (Film)
- Magellan Global Adventure (TV Series)
- Schurmann Family 20 years (TV Series)
External links
- Schürmann Family Official Webpage
- The Film website The World Twice Around A Schürmann Family Adventure