4 years, 2 children and 1 times around the world in a sailing boat

In the Badi Wädenswil Samy (6) and Adam (8) appear to bet and jump from the 3 Meter Board. Water is your Element, the school, however, uncharted territory – you are sitting in since last week for the first time at a Swiss school. Until a few weeks ago, the two boys lived on a sailing ship in new Zealand to Whangarei. There they were, the children of Columbus and the sons of Magellan, as Peter Reber sings. Now are you boys ordinary Zürisee -.

father Herbert Bay (44) from Kreuzlingen and mother Asma Jebali (40), a native Tunisian, have an extraordinary way. Bay made a mechanics apprenticeship at Mowag in Kreuzlingen, and screwed to the tanks. In the sailor scene, a trained diesel mechanic apply in addition to Physicians as the true gods. Then Bay made it to an unconventional way of apprenticeship over a degree at ETH Zurich, the micro-technology for the degree of doctor in recognition of images. At the ETH in Lausanne, he met Asma. She has obtained his PhD in applied optics at the ETH Zurich and the IBM research laboratory in Zurich.

Zurich of the year

in 2007, founded by Herbert Bay with ETH-colleague Till Quack, the Startup Kooaba. Their idea was to develop with a clever image recognition software is a kind of Google for mobile phones – at that time there was no iPhone. The two won research awards, were invited to Giacobbo/Müller and selected 2009 people of Zurich of the year.

the first Date the romantic idea of a boat trip on flashed with Asma and Herbert. It's just a ship and a lot of time were missing. Some years and two children later – when the little Samy could still barely walk – opted the two to realize the dream. But how to Finance it? Herbert Bay, had invested all his money in his high-tech company. After all, Asma had as a project Manager at Helbling Technik Wil a wage, in order to secure the Survival of the family.

But the two had Mark TWAIN's wisdom in mind: "You will never be disappointed about the things you've done, but just about things you've done." With only 50 francs to the account of Herbert in 2013, bought in the South of France, a 26-year-old sailing boat on the installment plan, a Bavaria 41. Maya, the two have named it, the "water" in Arabic. A day after the Bays had signed the purchase contract, suffered Asma a stroke.

Maya: this sailboat in the Bay, travelled all around the world. Photos: PD

After the initial shock, the two engineers began to think logically: "The stroke came home safely on the Sofa, what can a no-risk world happen to trip into a still worse?" Just in time Herbert and his co-founder were able to sell their company to the American chip maker Qualcomm, and Asma quickly recovered from your stroke. And so got Asma and Herbert in June 2014, her two boys from the children's crib and drove the rental car to the South of France, where Maya was.

"We were sailing Greenhorns – Asma and the children were afraid of the waves, and I was much too impatient," says Herbert. The first stage out of the Mediterranean sea, in the direction of Corsica, pure Horror. First of all, the guys were jumping around like wild on the rocking boat, which led to States of permanent fear of the parents. The Kids had to get used to always wear lifejackets and to be on a leash. Then the Mistral struck with brutal 35 knots. Samy was terribly seasick, and Asma would go right back home. Herbert ran the stop: "We had no autopilot, I had to control the whole night by Hand."

A flying squid landed in the Cockpit in front of his feet, splashed ink everywhere and gleamed phosphorescent, such as a blue police siren.

The next crisis came on the Crossing from Tunisia to Menorca. Since the two realized that on a small sailing ship are always two elements, the shortage of electricity and water. Crisis three, and four came in Morocco: First of all, a fishing net was caught in the ship's propeller; Herbert had to go straight to the lake with the Swiss army knife diving. And then the weather conditions were so bad that the customs officers took away the passports – well-intentioned – to stop you at the Exit. After you may leak but had devastated the severe weather on the Moroccan coast and asked 30 people Dead. Maya escaped the disaster.

After the Canary Islands, the Maya, and the Bays found to the relaxed circumnavigator mode. A wind propellers and solar cells, provided there is always sufficient power, an Autopilot controlled day and night. For the Route in the Caribbean, the old sailors ' rule: "Drive first to the South till the Butter melts on the bread, then tax keep on-Board." Where it is gradually tropical and warm, at the height of the Cape Verde Islands, because the Zone of the Passat winds from the northeast, carrying the boats almost automatically across the Atlantic begins. Since it branches off to the right across the Atlantic.

in the Meantime, all were accustomed to the high waves that came rolling in from an angle from the rear, the boys sang through the Repertoire of the Trio Eugster and played despite the annoying Rocking motion for hours of Lego. Herbert took advantage of nights in the tropical to develop new Apps. Only once he was terrified, madly: A flying squid landed in the Cockpit in front of his feet, splashed ink everywhere and gleamed phosphorescent, such as a blue police siren. - Bred for 16 days after the Start of the Cape Verde Islands Maya arrived in the Marina of Le Phare Bleu, the former "10 before 10"-Head of Jana Caniga on Grenada.

to each other, the boys talk about today in English, with the native French or Tunisian, and the father Swiss-German.

Almost a year family Bay remained in the Caribbean. Then crossed the Panama canal and sailed and motorte – northward to Costa Rica. "No Wind, boiling hot, the water is 30 degrees hot and the crocodiles that swim in the port," says Herbert. Adam received on Board of school hours with the books that arrived by Post from the USA.

In the South seas, developed in Herbert in the absence of the Internet, a program for computing exercises for Adam. Samy was jealous, and imitated his big brother and could soon count yourself to 100. Among the boys speak today, in English, with the native French or Tunisian, and the father Swiss-German. After three days of school in Wädenswil, Adam reported: "The others say, I speak a hodgepodge."

Was how his brother always daring: Adam at the helm.

Navigate, repair, teaching, fishing, shopping, baking, cooking, and much spend time with the kids – this is the life of the Sailors. However, in the case of Herbert it was serious. His second company Shortcut, which he oversaw as Chairman of the Board, came out of the rudder, and he had to take the control back into their own hands. The search for investors, brought the family to the idea, to fly for three months in Silicon Valley – a culture shock for the boys, who had looked in life, never TV. The commercial breakthrough was however, "no one has invested more in advertising technology. Facebook and Google dominate so much of you", Herbert Bay. So he downsized the company so that he could bring you from the ship itself.

live in Paradise

What followed now was the best time of sailing across the South Pacific, swimming with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands, scuba diving with stingrays and sharks on Moorea or anchors on all of the smallest atolls. The boys were always stronger and more daring. As the four once – the Maya anchored outside of the reef with the small rubber Dinghy räuberten on a wave of surfing through the razor-sharp coral-lined Pass into the lagoon, joked Herbert: "Now we must remain here forever." Since the boys cried enthusiastically: "Oh yeah!" The joke had a very serious Background. "The entrance was very daring," recalls Herbert.

About two years in the South seas, such as Robinson lived in Paradise. Except for a few huts and pearl farms, there was nothing. They spent the days in addition to childcare and school activities such as diving, fruits and vegetables picking, baking bread, making cheese, wine, collecting coconuts and open. Herbert perfected by the way, the Shortcut App, the more Users and revenue generated.

Wädenswil instead of the-world trip: After four years, we went back to Switzerland.

As you after the Paradise in new Zealand arrived that had to be the Bays to decide: Settle down or return to Switzerland? "I would also like to have a friend", wanted Adam. "More would have drained me sailing," says Herbert. Sailing with small children is not stressful as long as you could yourself with the Dinghy ashore. Asma would be sailed to. Because high-tech Jobs in new Zealand are rare, the Bays in the spring of this year to the homecoming, in a terrace apartment in Wädenswil – after all, with a view of the lake.

Adam is in the third and Samy in the first class. Asma manages everything and wants to bring the adventure in book form, before accepting a Job. Herbert has been working recently for the US-based company, Magic Leap. The company develops computer-generated 3-D images that are projected using a digital light field in the eyes of the user. Herbert told how if he would have done in life, never anything else. However, on the question of Maya his voice falters, and he gets teary-eyed. You is sold.

*This article first appeared on 29. August 2018 to Tagesanzeiger.ch/Newsnet. In the context of an annual review, we publish selected texts again. (Tages-Anzeiger)

Created: 01.01.2019, 13:27 PM