Adventures at sea: remote working, parenting, and sailing across the world

January 28 2025

Do you have a dream? Are you living your best life or waiting to action your wish list until you reach that next career rung or even retire? Well, Charlotte Philpott didn’t wait. The BMC chartered structural engineer believes life is meant to be lived.  

It was this mindset, following Covid interruptions to the original travel itinerary of Charlotte and her husband, Daniel, that led to their family trip of a lifetime with a twist. Remote working while sailing for 2 ½ years from Croatia to Tahiti with a baby on board anyone? 

And, while many might shudder at the prospect, Charlotte, who along with Daniel, grew up on the water sailing small one-person boats, says prior experience isn’t always a prerequisite. 

“We prepped for our first ocean crossing next to some people who had no sailing experience. We were worried about all of these things and prepping for many different situations because we knew what could happen, whereas they were so relaxed because they probably didn’t know. In some ways the naivety is good – provided you make it.” 

We asked Charlotte how she made flexible working and an ocean-crossing adventure a successful reality, and if she had any tips for others wanting to jump on board the remote-working dream. 

How did it all begin? 

“Daniel and I grew up sailing little boats – dinghies, optimists, P class – but we hadn’t done any big boat sailing. So, in a sense, we jumped off the deep end.  

“It was always a dream of ours. We were supposed to go before Covid and our plan was quite different – smaller trip, smaller boat, no baby. And then Covid hit, and the borders shut. Our flights were booked but then cancelled during the lockdown. 

“So, I returned to BMC and asked for my job back. Amidst all the uncertainties Covid brought, they said yes without hesitation. We then focused on our careers and had Jessica. But, once she was born and we were both healthy, the trip was all on again. 

“I’d never imagined myself as a stay-at-home parent so I would have returned to work and Jessica gone to daycare if we didn’t head away. The cool thing about doing the trip was that Jessica had both of us around all the time. This was a big factor - to have time with her and show her the world before she went to school. 

“We bought a boat in Croatia when Jessica was 3 ½ months old and, within six weeks, we’d moved out of our house, left the country and were living on the boat. Purchasing and preparing a seaworthy vessel in a foreign country while navigating the complexities of parenthood required meticulous planning and resilience. It was a huge step for us to pack up our lives and move to a boat on the other side of the world.  

“You become dictated by the seasons, so we spent our first winter (November to March) in Turkey and Greece. Everything we did for 2 ½ years was governed by the weather – you go where the weather is good. 

"During our travels, I managed to complete engineering projects remotely while navigating 15,000 nautical miles across 19 countries and 13 time zones." 

Why did you decide to keep working while travelling? 

"Balancing career continuity with a life-changing adventure was a deliberate choice. Maintaining my chartership ensured that I stayed at the forefront of the industry, ready to reenter the workforce seamlessly. A chartered structural engineer needs to do a certain amount of work to retain their chartership, and I didn’t want to take steps back in my career because I’d taken time out. Daniel also held directorships, so he attended virtual board meetings every month. He worked about one to two days a week.  

“I tailored my availability around our sailing. If we were crossing the ocean for three weeks, I’d let them know when I’d have a window of availability to work. And I’d do packages of work. I might do full-time for a week and then touch base for a few weeks after that, by which time another project had come up and I’d do another week’s work. Above this, it would be an hour here and there to keep projects rolling over.” 

Were BMC supportive? 

“Yes. There was a lot of trust involved. BMC has offices in Christchurch and Wānaka, so pre-Covid there were already requirements for people on the same project team to work in different locations. 

“I think the mindset of wanting to offer remote working existed before Covid, but the reality was harder because our servers, processes and technology weren’t sufficient. When Covid happened, everything became accessible online and most of our work is fully computerised now. Apart from having to occasionally visit a site, you can take your laptop and work anywhere. BMC’s support was instrumental to making the remote working viable.”   

What equipment did you need to be able to work while sailing? 

"Harnessing Starlink's global connectivity allowed me to collaborate on engineering projects in real-time, even in the middle of the Atlantic – a testament to the potential of technology in modern work environments. Daniel also had video calls in the middle of the Atlantic, which is mind-blowing.” 

Have other employees followed your lead? 

“Mine is an extreme case but BMC is great. Most people have some kind of flexible working arrangement. And then there’s one-off flexibility such as someone from overseas who wants to visit their home and do some remote work.” 

Was there a key ingredient to working remotely successfully? 

“Communication. At BMC we’re big on communicating so talking to someone on Teams is very normal. It doesn’t have to be a formal meeting. This helps ensure there are no breakdowns in communication due to working in different places. I put more effort into the communication side because it wouldn’t have worked if it was easier for them to do the work than send it to me."

What were the benefits of this trip to your life now? Were there any standouts? 

"Experiencing diverse cultures and high-pressure situations has made me a more empathetic leader and a more decisive problem solver. These traits now influence my approach to team management and project execution." 

Did you ever want to throw it in and head home? 

“A couple of times we questioned why we were doing it. One of these moments was during a three-day passage from the Marquesas Islands to the Tuamotu Islands in French Polynesia. It was the middle of the night, and a random storm came through from the opposite direction we were expecting. All our wind instruments stopped working. It was pitch black, horizontal rain and lightning, and very windy. Our bearings were all mixed up. It's amazing how much worse a situation can feel when it happens in the dark. 

“That was the day we thought we could get into the life raft if we needed to - our grab bags were packed, everyone was ready. The life raft is definitely the last resort – you'd only get off your boat if it was sinking. 

“It was a life of extremes, especially with weather events, so you learned not to panic. We’d ask ourselves why we were doing this when there was an extreme storm going on all night, things had gone, we were wet and cold and had our toddler with us. But then the weather would clear up, there would be a rainbow, and it would seem like the most phenomenal thing you’d ever seen in your life.”  

What was the biggest challenge with Jessica? 

“For Jessica, it was normal. She didn’t know any different. We had baby netting all around the boat, and she had confined areas.  Other than the fall-in-the-water part, which meant I could never take my eyes off her, a boat is quite baby-proof - all your cupboards naturally lock, and the corners are rounded. It was helpful that she didn’t know how to crawl or walk when we moved on to the boat as it gave me time to figure it out when she reached those stages.  

“Most of the time it was just the three of us, but we sometimes got people on board to help with the big ocean crossings. When you’re on passage, you need someone on watch 24 hours a day. For stints longer than five days, we’d bring on at least one extra adult to help balance the load because if something goes wrong and you need an extra set of hands, it’s a lot riskier with just the two of us. 

“Having Jessica with us also made a huge difference. People would bend over backwards to help us when she was with us.” 

And what were the day-to-day challenges? 

“Life was quite a juggle because your normal admin activities (cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping) take a lot longer when living on a boat. We had a big solar arch out the back – and lithium batteries. Solar powered everything – our water maker, cooking. We even had a washing machine. 

"The constant change of language was also a challenge. Every time you went somewhere new, you’d have to figure out the immigration and check-in procedures, rules about where to anchor, as well as where to go to fix things, see a doctor, and buy groceries. We generally never spent longer than two or three days anywhere aside from Turkey.” 

How have you adjusted to life on land again?  

“Jessica slotted back into normal life easily. Kids are very resilient. She loves preschool. I think the trip has encouraged her to make the most of any situation. She’s just so happy and adaptable. It was normal for her to walk up to children on our trip and make friends because she knew we often didn’t have long in one place. 

"I’ve found it harder than I thought it would be to adjust. Sitting in traffic jams, having to be in places at the same time every day, booking a coffee with a friend three weeks out. Schedules have been quite an adjustment. But we’re getting there. Working hard and challenging my brain has been a nice thing about coming back.”  

Would you encourage others to pursue their dreams? 

"Yes, the experience underscored to me that waiting for the 'perfect time' often means missing the opportunity altogether. Pursuing our dream early has allowed us to live fully and return with skills and memories that will last a lifetime. 

"My journey demonstrated how remote work can empower professionals to achieve personal dreams without compromising career growth, paving the way for more flexible working models in engineering."