The brothers have been sailing around the world on a yacht called Fat Susan since 2017 — sometimes in rough, stomach-churning seas.
Sam said there had been times when he had been so long on the boat he felt seasick when he stepped on to dry land.
"The longest passage was 32 days from Panama to Polynesia, and when we got off the boat, for literally two days the floor felt like it was moving under our feet.
"It was very strange."
The duo are travelling with their parents Dez and Floss and an uncle. They have spent the past four years travelling from Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, around 22 countries in three different continents, and finally arrived in Whangārei early last year.
They had planned to continue their journey by sailing around much of New Zealand, but when they arrived they discovered their yacht was in need of some major repairs.
So while the repairs were being made, they took the opportunity to enrol at Huanui College for the year and take a break from home schooling.
"The plan was to do a lot of sailing around New Zealand during these holidays, but boats have this annoying habit of not working when you want them to."
So instead, they came to Dunedin on the advice of their school careers adviser, who suggested it would be good for them to attend a University of Otago Hands-On course.
Sam has been revelling in the surveying course, while Evan has been absorbed by the microbiology course.
He said they had seen many amazing places and experienced a lot of different cultures.
"But it’s time to start thinking about finishing our education and looking at future careers.
"I’d like to stay because we’ve also made some good friends here."
Sam said sailing a yacht over long stretches of open ocean had taught them a lot about leadership, teamwork, responsibility, resilience, problem-solving and making friendships with total strangers.
"People joke about how you can just set the sails and then just not touch them for a couple of days.
"But there’s always a lot going on."
He said each family member had to take shifts on the boat and be on watch, particularly at night, making sure the boat stayed on course and out of the way of passing ships.
"You also have to pay attention to the weather, because if a big squall hits it can damage the sails and if that happens, you’re buggered, basically.
"It’s a brilliant experience that’s taught us a hell of a lot of stuff. I recommend it."
