living on a sailboat with family

Living on a Sailboat With Kids: This Family Loves Life on the Water

Could you downsize from your current home to a living space less than 500 square feet? How about trading the yard for a spot in a marina? That’s what the Powers family did when they bought a liveaboard sailboat back in 2009.

With two children under the age of 4, Frank and Jody Powers made the decision to try boat living and have never looked back. The family maintained this lifestyle through several cross-country moves as Jody, an officer in the U.S. Navy, was assigned to new duty stations.

The kids are now 12 and 14 years old, and after more than 10 years living aboard a sailboat, they still love it! In fact, Jody retired from the Navy in 2019, and the family is now cruising full time .

I had the opportunity to interview Jody and understand how living on a boat can be an option for a family. In the first of this two-part interview, find out why this sailing family decided to move onto a boat, how they adjusted to their new lifestyle, and most importantly, what’s it’s like living aboard the “Lehe Paine” full time!

First things first: tell us about your boat!

In real estate terms, “Lehe Paine is a 3-bed, 2-bath, cozy mobile home on the water with great views!”

She’s a 2006 Beneteau 393. She is 39’ long with a beam of 13.5’. There are three cabins (bedrooms) and two heads (bathrooms).

We had looked at some two-cabin boats when we were shopping, but when we saw this boat, we could imagine being on it 10 years later when teenagers would want their own space. It has worked out!

Frank and I sleep in the forward cabin on an odd-shaped bed that takes full size sheets, while the kids each have a cabin back aft with their own odd-shaped beds that take queen sheets. When we transit offshore overnight, the forward cabin can be a bit bouncy in the waves, so we will all bunk in the aft cabins for those times.

One head is forward, en suite with the master cabin. The other head is accessible from the main salon of the boat. Neither head has a separate shower; the sink faucet pulls out from the sink to be used as the shower. Bonus: you can clean the bathroom pretty easily while taking a shower!

There is also an outdoor shower on the boat’s transom (the flat surface on the stern of the boat). When we are in salt water, this is a super convenient place to rinse all the salt off to keep from tracking it inside the cabin. Anything that has salt on it will never dry and leads to mildew inside a boat!

How did you first decide to live aboard a sailboat?

In 2009 we were approaching a military move/permanent change of station (PCS) from Gulfport, MS to Everett, WA.

We had been stationed in Washington before. Jody lived in a 15’ x 20’ cabin at that time, and we still owned it. Frank wanted to sell the cabin. I wanted to keep it.

We had also owned a 20 ft sailboat right when we got married, but we sold it during a PCS. Frank had said he wanted to get another sailboat in the future.

I put together my desire to keep the cabin and Frank’s desire to buy a sailboat and came up with the idea to move onto a boat!

My justification? We needed the cabin as a back-up home for our young family (with an infant and a toddler), just in case living aboard a sailboat didn’t work out.

So, the idea really came from my scheming to keep the cabin, and Frank loved it. Win-win!

Fun fact: we loved living on the boat so much that the cabin went on the market within the first year of living aboard!

What was your family and work situation at the time?

I was active duty military (Navy Meteorology/Oceanography Officer), transferring to a sea tour on the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Frank was working with the Army Corps of Engineers in Louisiana and seeking a job in the Seattle area when we made the decision. He ended up accepting a position with the National Park Service in Seattle.

Our daughter, Katreina, was 3 years old, and our son, Trent, was 15 months.

What were the most challenging adjustments to boat living?

It was definitely an adjustment! We went from a 2400 sq. ft. house with a yard to less than 500 not-so-square feet.

The “stuff” was the first hurdle. We had all the trimmings: shop tools; rooms of furniture; piles of toys; closets jammed with clothes; and every kitchen appliance a bridal registry can dream of.

We decided to keep our furniture items in storage just in case boat life didn’t work out. But the smaller stuff was sold, given to friends, and donated.

My fond memory: I had worked so hard “purging” to the bare minimum one day and proudly showed Frank. His response? “Nice job! Now get rid of half of what’s left.” I was crushed!

Household chores require a little more planning. Laundry is ashore so we had to haul it up the dock and across that marina in some cases.

Our refrigerator is small, and our stove has only two burners, so buying groceries and meal planning took more consideration.

Also, the only counter space is actually the door to the refrigerator, so you must have everything pulled out before you set to chopping and measuring. I forgot things frequently in the early days and would have to juggle everything or move it to the table to get into the fridge for that one last ingredient.

How do you keep everyone safe aboard the boat?

Life jackets are the most critical safety gear that we all use onboard. When the kids were younger and we were in Washington, they would wear them all the time on the dock—it was just too easy to have a toddler, well, toddle into the chilly water! Just ask Trent—he fell in twice there!

In Maryland, once winter set in, we would go back to wearing them on the dock, as just a little frost makes for a very treacherous walk to the parking lot!

When we are underway, unless it’s super calm, we are nearshore, and there is more than one person on deck, we wear life jackets. Every family member has a life jacket that auto-inflates and the kids’ jackets have built-in AIS rescue beacons. We all also have tethers to connect us to holding points on the boat.

The adults exchange a personal Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) as we take over the watch from one another offshore, and there is another EPIRB registered to the boat that will go off automatically if submerged.

We have throwable flotation devices in the event of a man overboard, and the big purchase no one ever wants to use—the life raft—is mounted on the deck with a hydrostatic release mechanism to launch it in the event of a capsize.

But most days, safety is about deliberate, careful movement! There are plenty of cleats to stub your toes on or lines to get a bad burn from if it starts running fast through your hands. The best way to stay safe is to move cautiously and always keep one hand on the boat!

How does the cost of living on a sailboat compare to a regular home?

The answer to this one is “it depends.”

Are you comparing living on a boat to a rental property or to a house you own? Are you staying at anchor or at a fancy marina with lots of amenities? Are you in a temperate climate, or one where winters are harsh?

When things break on a boat (which seems frequent), anything with “marine” in the front of the name (e.g., marine plumbing parts or marine alternator) is more expensive!

Also, boats depreciate in value, so you will never gain equity like you will if you own a home.

In our experience it is nominally cheaper to live on a boat, but I would never recommend someone move aboard for the purposes of saving money; the financial impact isn’t worth it!

Some expenses and price ranges (outside of the initial cost of buying a sailboat) when living on a boat in a marina:

• Insurance. This will vary widely based on who you insure with, where your boat is stored, where you plan to cruise, how old your boat is, what level of coverage you want, and what its replacement cost is, among other things. Marinas require proof that a vessel is insured, so this is not optional! Our boat’s annual premium is $4,300.
• Dockage/Mooring . Marina costs vary widely depending on their location, the amenities they offer, and the quality of their docks. Also, a bigger boat means a more expensive slip. Docks are leased nightly and weekly (for transient boaters), monthly, seasonally, or annually. Military marinas can offer some of the cheapest rates, but many don’t allow full-time liveaboards. Our old slip on the Chesapeake Bay at a marina with a full suite of amenities (pool, gym, water sports, laundry, on-site restaurant) was ~$5500/year.
• Liveaboard Fees . This only applies to annual slips, but some marinas charge a liveaboard fee on top of the dock fee. Ours was an additional $100/month.
• Fuel . If you’re on a power boat, this can be a huge part of your budget if you intend to move around at all. On a sailboat, we can choose to move only when the winds are favorable and therefore limit our use of fuel. We also need fuel for our dinghy and for our portable generator, which we use to fuel our watermaker. When we lived aboard in Washington and Maryland in the winter, our fuel use was way up due to needing to run our heater.
• Routine Maintenance . The running joke is the “BOAT” means “break out another thousand!” Systems on a boat must be able to withstand the wet, salty, rocky environment. The ability to work on critical systems yourself can save money, but for jobs that require the boat to be out of the water, you have to pay for it to be hauled, blocked on stands, stored on land for however long your work takes, and re-launched. For a boat our size, that’s typically $500-$1000 for haul/launch and 1-2 weeks on the hard.

You really can do this on a range of budgets and comfort levels.

In what ways was your day-to-day life living aboard a boat different from other families?

We didn’t really feel like our life was too different. We always felt like we just lived in a really small apartment that moved in high winds!

The kids went to daycare, Frank and I went to work. When they were older, the kids were enrolled in local school, and the bus picked them up at the marina.

We had chores like everyone else. We don’t have a dishwasher or washing machine onboard, but some small apartments are like that, too.

The biggest difference was probably just that we needed to keep our water tanks filled and our holding tanks empty.

How did you arrange a space in the marina when moving to a new location? Did you ever have trouble finding a spot?

The whole marina search is like looking for an apartment or home. We looked at amenities (laundry, parking, pool, community space, nearby groceries) as well as school info for the kids.

When we moved from Washington to Maryland, Frank flew out to Maryland and looked at marinas. He did online research first, visited the ones he was interested in, and signed a contract.

Knowing the local conditions, just like in real estate, helps. Some places have a great location, but a really long wait list for slips or liveaboards (some marinas limit the percentage of slips in which they allow liveaboards).

So, you either have to know about a place from someone you know, or call marinas and ask around. If you’re in a “high demand” market, you might be forced into a marina further away or have to be ready with a “plan B” on land.

We were facing possible orders to Monterey, CA at one point, so we started to look at marinas for liveaboards. They were very limited and had a 1-year wait list. We didn’t get those orders but were ready to execute plan B if needed.

What’s it like to move across the country when your home is a boat?

We had three really big moves with the boat.

The first was from Washington to Maryland. I was on deployment during most of the planning, whereas Frank was on the home front choosing a marina on the East Coast, arranging yard services to prep the boat for transit, and contracting the truck that would ship our home over land; basically, executing our pack-out!

When it was time to move, the boat was lifted from the water, the mast and rigging removed, and it was loaded onto a truck. We stood by with some suitcases for the cross-country drive as our home hit the highway.

It was challenging to coordinate all of that along with getting the boat put back together on the far end, but getting re-settled was easy. We walked aboard and unpacked our bags in our old familiar rooms—that was the best part.

Our second move was from Maryland to Mississippi. We moved the boat via water over a series of journeys. Moving the boat this way was a challenge for several reasons.

We were both working, we never seemed to get the 30-days of leave between duty stations, the kids were in school, and weather is always a big factor. We had to leave the boat in Jacksonville, FL for about a month and another month in St. Petersburg, FL while we worked around these issues.

We got some good offshore and transit experience, but in hindsight, we would have rather used all those vacation days to travel rather than work as a moving service.

As an aside, while we were in Mississippi, we moved back to land for two years. We still owned the home we purchased the first time we were stationed in Gulfport (before the move to Everett when we bought the boat). We decided to live in the house to prepare to sell it, further solidify our liveaboard boater status, and minimize our stuff. We stored the Lehe Paine at a marina while we were living in the house.

Our third and final move with the boat was from Mississippi back to Maryland. Having learned our lessons from the second move, we loaded her on a truck again rather than sailing back up the East Coast. Transporting our boat on dry land also gives us a chance to do some maintenance work that just can’t be done while the boat is in the water.

Did the kids ever want to move to a regular house?

Yes! But not for the reasons we expected.

Like any military kids, they didn’t always love moving, especially as they got older, and for a bit they equated a house to not having to move. Once they realized the military would move us regardless of the type of home we had, that reason went away.

One time they wanted to move into a house so they could have a TV in their bedroom. When we crushed their dreams and told them they would not be getting TVs in their rooms regardless of where they lived, they once again abandoned the house dream.

And when we were moving from our house in Mississippi back onto the boat, our son didn’t want to move because he didn’t want to lose his Xbox. When we told him the Xbox was coming onto the boat, he was ready to move back!

They both would really love a pet, and while some boaters have them, it’s just not in our plan. We like to keep it simple! The kids would move to land in a heartbeat if it meant they could have a dog or cat!

Did you do much traveling with the boat while living aboard?

We did! As long as the weather cooperated, we would get underway most weekends and anchor near fun towns or quiet islands, even if it was just for a night. Both Puget Sound and the Chesapeake Bay offered great cruising grounds. On longer holiday breaks, we would take leave and spend a week exploring further afield.

Related Reading: Take the Perfect Getaway to Annapolis, MD

We would also leave the boat at the marina for fun trips when we could. Since moving aboard, we’ve traveled to Mexico, Costa Rica, Ireland, Jamaica, Iceland, and Scotland, and have also explored parts of the U.S. We love the MWR lodging options and recreational ticket discounts!

What are the biggest benefits of living on a boat? The downsides?

• Very close relationships within our family. We don’t have to raise voices, as we are all so physically close to each other!
• Focus on experiences rather than stuff. We don’t have huge wardrobes or stacks of toys, but we can get our home into some pretty cool places to explore.
• The boating community. When we were in a marina, our “neighborhood” was much like a land neighborhood, with all the usual characters, and someone was always available with advice, a tool, or some muscle when needed.
• A smaller environmental footprint. We use significantly less water than we did when living in a house. We sail when we can so that we don’t have to use fuel. We have solar panels to meet most of our power needs. We usually walk or take buses in seaside towns to gather our supplies.
• The physically tight space means that if someone is having a bad day, we all feel it. (But we can all also work together to bring that person up!)
• Displaying photos. We just don’t have room for them on the bulkheads (walls) and we can’t keep photo albums onboard because the humidity would ruin them. We rely heavily on digital photos.
• Maintaining a boat can be a challenge. The marine environment is hard on boat finishes, fabrics, and plastics, and humidity inside a boat can lead to mold growth quickly. You have to stay on top of cleaning, removing salt, checking sewn seams, and polishing. Engines and pumps need routine maintenance. It’s not all cocktails and sunsets!
• Repairs can get costly fast. Being mechanically inclined can help you save a few bucks, but some jobs are just impossible to do cheaply. There is also maintenance that can only be done when a boat it out of the water, incurring the cost of hauling the boat, storing the boat on land, housing the crew ashore somewhere, and relaunching the boat. You have to be ready for schedule changes, cost estimate changes, and “surprise” issues at all times.

What advice would you give to a family who is thinking about living on a sailboat full time?

Get out on a boat. Charter a boat, go with friends, take a class (most Navy bases on the water offer them).

Experience the motion, the layout of the living space, the difficulty of operating each type of boat (sail or power), the emotions of your crew when you are all together in that space.

Really ask yourself, “Do I just want to live in a marina on a boat, or do I want to get out on the water? And does my family agree?” There is nothing quite like a mutiny to destroy a good day on the water.

Make sure that boating and cruising are things you will enjoy. Not every day is a sun-filled day or a glossy magazine cover of paradise.

Eventually scenarios will come up where you will have to be a plumber, handyman, seamstress, weather guru, sewer and sanitation expert, engine mechanic, electrician, navigator, rigging inspector, deckhand, electronics technician, galley magician, etc, etc. The learning curve is steep, and the lifestyle isn’t for everyone.

Start out with a smaller boat you can use on weekends and local trips to see how you like it.

Talk and visit with couples/families who are full-time cruising and/or living aboard to see what the lifestyle is like firsthand.

A simple litmus test I like to give to people considering living aboard is to tell them to get rid of everything except what you cannot possibly live without. Then, get rid of half of what’s left! If you’re okay with that then living aboard might be a good fit.

Check out part 2 of the interview to learn about life cruising in a sailboat full-time and how they’ve dealt with homeschooling!

Follow the Powers family blog, From Sea to Shining Sea , to get more details about their adventures!

Good article? Share it!

7 thoughts on “Living on a Sailboat With Kids: This Family Loves Life on the Water”

Thank you so much for sharing. This was a pleasure to read and to learn!

Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed it!

I loved the article! Although I’m not a candidate for living aboard a boat, I’m always amazed, and intrigued by the human spirit, and one’s spirit to “just do it!

Glad you enjoyed it! I agree, the Powers family truly embarked on a unique adventure, and it’s amazing how they make it work!

Thanks for sharing our story so beautifully!

Thanks for your willingness to tell it! Can’t wait to share part 2!

A dream that I had for a long time. It might have been possible; the pros & cons listed here would seem to change my mind, but my dream was to sail all over and only marina up during bad weather periods.

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How a Middle-Class Family Is Exploring the World by Yacht

Update : Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here .

Ever since a fortune cookie I got when I was 16 told me I'd be a world traveler, I've explored every corner of the globe I could reach, from the gondolas of Venice to the rickshaws of Asia, the placid waters of Lake Lucerne to the soaring structures of Machu Picchu.

But then came three kids, an SUV, a house in the suburbs of Adelaide, Australia, and a literal white picket fence. And on a middle-class budget, I grew to accept that I would have to be content with the life I had chosen. Child-care bills, a mortgage, private-school tuitions and a crazy work schedule at a midlevel government job to pay for it all had replaced exotic vacations. Those aren't complaints, just facts.

A documentary called "Maidentrip" that we came across while flipping channels in November 2015 changed all that.

It was the story of a young girl sailing around the world, exploring foreign lands on her own boat. We had no idea traveling and living on a yacht was even possible, assuming it was reserved for pioneers, ship captains or the rich and famous. We were none of the above. We'd never owned a boat and had little savings in the bank.

Yet the idea of our family exploring the world on a yacht took hold.

For two years, we scrimped and saved until we had enough to buy ourselves an old yacht on the other side of the world, sight unseen, off the Caribbean island of Grenada. (We also saved for five airline tickets to get us there -- this is where airline miles can be very handy .) Our new home was a 1984 Moody 47. She was solid, seaworthy and had two large cabins, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a living area.

We rented out our house and convinced our bosses to give us two years leave without pay. We also radically altered our budget in the years leading up to the journey. We canceled subscriptions and memberships, applied for promotions, worked overtime and hosted international students in our home. We refinanced our mortgage and borrowed enough to supplement our savings. Eventually we had enough to buy our $90,000 boat outright with some cash left over for upgrades.

In the meantime, we researched and planned, attending sea survival, seamanship and first-aid courses where we could. We bought ourselves a 21-foot sailboat and learned to sail in our local bay, and crewed on larger yachts at the local yacht club every week. We even enlisted the help of a family of five who had lived aboard a yacht for 10 years themselves.

When we were finally ready in February 2018, we flew to the Caribbean in high spirits — the boat was all our family had talked about for two years. Yet we were also a bundle of nerves, since we were fully aware we didn't really know what we were doing. Heck, we still had no idea how to anchor or moor a 47-foot yacht! But we ignored the naysayers, and my husband, our three boys (now 9, 7 and 4) and I were unshakeable.

We visited 12 countries in our first 12 months and are still sailing. It certainly hasn't been all sunshine and cocktails. On our very first sail from the main island of Grenada to Carriacou, our engine stopped working in high winds and rough seas. We had to be towed to safety in the dark, wondering if we'd made a big, colossal mistake. Soon after, we ran aground on Union Island and needed to be pulled free by local fishermen.

The obstacles we've overcome as a family have taught us resilience, and our family bond is stronger than ever. Home schooling has created opportunities for discussions we never had at home, and the children's confidence has soared. We are healthier than we've ever been, and we've never felt endangered while at sea or on land. That's partial due to the safety training courses we took before we even purchased on our boat.

Our children once always had their hair short and their clothes neat but now look wild and carefree, with shaggy blond mops and tanned skin. We've hiked mountains and volcanoes, peered into craters and gone swimming with turtles as they grazed gracefully on seagrass. We've walked barefoot around deserted islands, climbed palm trees as our wet hair dripped down our backs and sand covered our feet. We've marveled at iguanas basking in the sun and danced to calypso tunes under starry skies.

Truthfully, the farther we travel, the less we want to return to the rat race we once knew. On the water, we are free from schedules and expectations. Free from judgment and little things like haircuts and ironed school uniforms. We are the captains of our own ship figuratively and literally, free to use our time as we please.

The days aboard Roam, our home on the sea, are precious and irreplaceable. Living this way has truly opened our eyes to what's important in life.

You Can Sail the World With Your Family, Too

We weren't sailors or hedge-fund babies, yet here I am, writing to you from the cabin of our boat. We had a dream, so we planned and made it work. There's nothing inherently special or unique about our situation, so if we can do it, you can, too. Don't wait until it's too late.

I don't mean to oversimplify the process of selling everything and sailing the world. There are a lot of interim steps and tons of planning and learning, but all you need to get started is a dream and the guts to make it happen.

Here's how to begin drawing up your plan for traveling aboard a yacht with your family:

• Decide whether you want to sail the world.
• Overhaul your entire budget and look for every little way you can scrimp and save. Be prepared to make sacrifices.
• Set a date -- this is an important part of the plan. Don't make it too far away, but give yourself enough time to save and prepare. Two to five years should be enough.
• Be honest about what you're getting into. Sailing can be dangerous even without children involved, so you need to have a frank discussion with your family about the responsibilities you'll all be taking on not just as a family but as members of a sailing crew.
• If you don't already know how to sail, pay a visit to your local yacht club and offer to crew in their weekly yacht races.
• Start reading. Research everything from boat types (for example, do you want a monohull or catamaran?) to storm tactics, toilet maintenance to chainplates.
• Teach your kids to swim and get them comfortable in the water.
• Learn as much as you can about diesel mechanics and electrical and plumbing systems. If you are in a remote place, you will need to be able to fix your own boat.
• Consider selling your home or renting it out. Look into Airbnb or student rentals to increase your return. ( Thinking of becoming an Airbnb host? Here's how to do it right. )
• Apply for leave without pay if it's an option. Having a safety net is always a good idea. If your job allows remote work, talk to your company about whether it's possible to work remotely (as long you're honest with yourself that internet access and time zones will often work against you). In some cases, you may have to leave your current job entirely to make this dream a reality, so build up that savings cushion as much as you can.

Resources to Get You on Your Way

Videos and podcasts.

• Laura Dekker's documentary, "Maidentrip"
• YouTube videos. such as Sailing SV Delos , Sailing La Vagabonde and Sailing Millennial Falcon , for inspiration
• Podcasts, such as the Family Adventure Podcast or The Family Travel Podcast – A Big Peachey Adventure , to keep you on track. Listen to an interview with Sailing to Roam here .
• "The Voyagers Handbook" by Beth Leonard
• "Boat Owners Mechanical and Electrical Manual" by Nigel Caulder
• "World Cruising Routes" by Jimmy Cornell
• "Voyaging With Kids: A Guide to Family Life Afloat" by Behan Gifford, Michael Robertson and Sara Johnson

Facebook Groups

• Women Who Sail
• Liveaboard Sailboat

Find a Coach

• Employ the services of a coach, such as Sailing Totem, and be sure to check out her blog. It's a wealth of information.
• Partake in an offshore sailing expedition with an experienced sailor, such as John Kretschmer .

Read Our Blog

• Follow Roam's adventures for inspiration, tips and advice.

Secure a Good Credit Card

• Since you'll likely be sailing in foreign waters, be sure to carry one or two credit cards that don't charge any foreign transaction fees, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Premier® Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard or the Platinum Card® from American Express (see rates and fees).

Bottom Line

Find your own adventure, be it a week in Hawaii, a year in an RV, a hike through the Himalayas or a new life on a boat. Make a date to begin your adventure and work backward from there. You'd be surprised what you can achieve as a family when failing isn't an option. Work harder than you ever have to make it happen, and don't give up. I promise you this: You will never regret living life differently, and embarking on a travel adventure with your kids is just the right place to start.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.

Living on a Boat: Beginner's Guide for Liveaboards

It’s easy to romanticize the idea of living on a boat full-time; however, it's an alternative lifestyle like that takes preparation, organization and an ability to roll with changes. When you commit to moving aboard, make checklists of necessities and talk to your partner about deal-breakers. Prepare the boat for life aboard well before you make the move.

Factors to Consider Before Living Aboard

Before moving onboard your boat, you should ask yourself some questions:

• Is this just for a period of time before you go cruising or is this a lifestyle choice?
• Are you comfortable with repeatedly defending your choice to your friends and family?
• Are you living in a climate that is boat-friendly year-round?
• Are you handy and a good problem solver?
• Who will accept your Amazon deliveries and are you ready to grocery shop frequently since there won’t be room to stow much?
• Are you ready to become your own maid?
• Will you feel comfortable with your kids being in this new environment?
• What’s Plan B if it doesn’t work?

After moving aboard, you may be hauling the laundry to the laundromat or groceries from the parking lot with no dock cart nearby. You’ll need to go to the pump-out station regularly as well as to the post office for your mail. Small doesn’t translate to easy so mentally run through a typical week and write down solutions to the issues.

Essentials: Stowage, Comfort & Connectivity

When you move from a 2,000-square foot house to a 40-foot boat, all the closets are smaller, the cupboards are fewer and there’s no two-car garage. In preparation, you’ll need to de-clutter kitchen gadgets, tools, mementos and clothing. Keep winter clothes in off-boat storage and your business attire at the office if possible.

Make sure the boat is warm and dry with plenty of ventilation. Mildew and condensation will become a part of life and you’ll need a whole new set of cleaners and tools.

Plan your connectivity needs. Whether a dish for TV or high-speed internet access via the marina WiFi, you’ll need a connectivity solution so you’re not cut off from work, friends, family and entertainment.

Beneficial Skills to Have for Living Onboard

Maintenance on a boat may be worse than in a house in terms of frequency and specificity. Basic plumbing, electrical and mechanical skills will be needed because boat systems are generally less reliable than their household counterparts. The alternative is calling a contractor for every issue.

Cost of Living on a Boat

Don’t assume that you’ll save money by moving aboard. Here's some expenses you may incur by living on your boat:

• Boat mortgage payment
• Boat insurance
• Waste management
• Food and water

The best way to manage expenses is by making a budget and sticking to it. Depending on the size and value of the vessel, boat insurance may be just as expensive as house insurance. Property taxes will usually be less as will electricity since you’ll not be heating/cooling/lighting as big a space. You’ll probably save money on waste management, gas and water as well.

Where costs rise dramatically is maintenance . Marine parts and labor are usually more expensive—sometimes 20% more, than typical household counterparts. If you take on the tasks yourself and you’re self-employed, every hour you spend working on your boat is an hour you don’t make money.

Learn More in our Boat Insurance Guide

Safety & Security

You’ll need to decide whether to invite strangers inside, and if kids and pets will be safe around the docks. Install CO2 and smoke alarms and a propane sniffer, check the fire extinguishers periodically, and keep an eye on the basics like bilge and battery levels. You may also want to consider the following:

• Will you be safe walking from the parking lot to the slip at night?
• Will your nice car be okay outside the garage 24/7?
• Who will call you if your boat starts to list when you’re on vacation?

There aren’t really more or fewer safety issues, just different kinds.

Daily Life & Socialization

Socializing is easier in a marina than in a neighborhood. Neighbors help neighbors in marinas but it’s a two-way street so be ready to lend a hand when needed. If you’d rather live anonymously, consider an end tie in the forgotten corner of the marina. Although there are challenges to living on a boat, if you’re prepared, you may find it a perfect fit.

I already have a boat in a slip in a marina, so can I just move aboard?

Most marinas require an application for you to move aboard permanently. In some areas, liveaboards aren’t permitted or there are long waiting lists. Liveaboard slip fees are usually higher and your insurance rates may increase if your boat becomes your primary residence.

How do I live aboard a boat with a pet?

Dogs, cats and other pets need to acclimate to their new environments. They need exercise, private space and easy access to food and a potty. Make sure stairs and docks are safe for them and that they know how to get on the boat or dock if they fall in the water. Be careful of small spaces where they can get trapped and wires they can chew. Teach them about their new environment and be patient.

Learn more in Boating with Pets and Tips for Taking Your Dog Boating .

Read Next: Boat Owner's Guide

Looking for more information on boat ownership? Read...

• Boat Owner's Guide
• Costs of Boat Ownership
• Boat Maintenance Guide
• Insuring Your Boat
• Boat Safety Guide

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Kristyn Christiansen paddles a row boat with his son, Boden, at a marina in Vancouver, British Columbia. Boden is waving at his mother, Sophena Kwon.

This family lives on their sailboat. Here’s how they make it work

Photographs by Tanin Kayvan Story by Kyle Almond, CNN April 22, 2022

Nestled inside a marina in Vancouver, British Columbia, among the charter boats and commercial vessels, a couple is raising their two young children.

For nearly a decade, this 60-foot-long sailboat has been home for Kristyn Christiansen and Sophena Kwon. And they love it.

“It's our place in the city,” Christiansen said.

Inside, the boat is about the size of a small apartment. There isn’t a ton of space, but they make the most of what they have.

“They live such a creative lifestyle,” said photographer Tanin Kayvan , a Vancouver native who has been documenting the family’s life on the boat and on a nearby island where they’re building their next home. “There's really a lot of thought and intention that went behind everything that they've created for themselves.”

Vancouver’s housing market was recently ranked as the most expensive in North America, and living on a boat has allowed Christiansen and Kwon to save quite a bit of money. But this couple’s lifestyle is not about necessity. It’s always been a choice.

“They're actually two very successful business owners,” Kayvan said. “Kristyn, he's an artist and he builds signs for different businesses around the city. And then Sophena (helps run) a family business where they sell clothing made from natural fibers and natural dyes. They do very well off of that.”

Christiansen, who grew up in Saskatchewan and lived in the Canadian prairies until he was about 30, had always dreamed of living on a boat. It was one of the reasons he moved to Vancouver.

He got his first boat by trading in a motorcycle he had restored. He later traded that in for a larger vessel, and then in the early 2010s — right around the time he met his future wife — he sold that boat and got the one they live in now.

“With a boat like this, I can take it anywhere in the world and have my home anywhere that I wanted to,” he said. “It's just nice to have that option to move it around.”

Kwon was born in Vancouver, sailed as a child and has always lived around water. It didn’t take her long to adapt to life in the harbor.

“This boat is a pretty special boat,” she said. “I had a really nice apartment in the West End of Vancouver, and the boat topped that for sure. It immediately felt like home.”

Early on in their relationship, Christiansen and Kwon would spend time working on the boat.

“I’m quite a hands-on person as well and I love working with my hands, and it was a nice process to do together,” she said. Afterward, they’d go diving and swimming. “There's so much to explore close to Vancouver,” she said. “We regularly go to Hornby Island and Salt Spring Island and kind of island hop along the way. It's such a great part of the world to sail in.”

She moved in, and the two married. They now have two young children. Their son, Boden, is nearly 3 years old. Their daughter, Calico, just turned 1.

Kwon delivered both of her kids on the boat, with the assistance of midwives.

“One night I was just like, 'I want to give birth somewhere that I feel the most comfortable,’ ” she recalled. “And that place is my home, and the energy on the boat is where I feel most comfortable. And when you're giving birth, you want to be most comfortable.”

There are other families in Vancouver who also live on boats, but Kwon and Christiansen say they’re the only one in their marina. For a monthly fee, the marina provides them with electricity and access to fresh water that they can use to fill up the tanks in their boat.

“In most marinas, the power's included,” Christiansen said. “You pay the marina fee. It's probably anywhere from CA$1,000 to $1,500 a month depending on where you are. But you can't get an apartment in Vancouver for $1,500 that, to me, is anywhere near as nice as living on a boat in a harbor.”

Other costs of living on a boat include boat insurance, which Christiansen says goes for about $800-$1,000 a year, and fuel, which he says for a sailboat is relatively small. They also bought an antenna that allows them to connect to high-speed internet service.

Perhaps the most important thing about living on a boat is taking proper care of it.

“There's a lot to know about maintaining your boat and getting to know your boat,” Christiansen said. “It's no different than owning a house. You might have to redo your roof. Or you might have a leak or rot.”

The family lives a happy, comfortable life on the boat, but they have had to make a few adjustments over the years.

The boat’s electric heaters can only do so much on the coldest winter nights, so they have a wood stove on board. On those nights, Christiansen has to wake up every three or four hours during the night to keep the fire going.

And their hot water only lasts for so long.

“You can have exactly a seven-and-a-half-minute hot shower,” Kwon said with a laugh. “So I either wash and condition my hair, or I do other things. It's one or the other. Not enough hot water there to do everything.”

But those are minor inconveniences to them.

“You just make do,” Kwon said. “It's really not much of an adjustment. I feel like we haven't given anything up for this.”

Right now, the family all sleeps together in the same big bed. Christiansen and Kwon say they are appreciating this phase of their life, but they know that as the kids get older they’ll need more space.

“Four years ago, we were kind of looking at property, like what would be the next step, what would it look like if we did want to have kids?” Kwon said. “I love the idea of living on a boat, but I was thinking: ‘Is a boat it? Or do we need to find a place maybe with a backyard? Where do the kids go to school?’ Certain questions were coming up.”

So they’re starting to build a new home this year on Bowen Island, a rural community that is about a 20-minute ferry ride from Vancouver. They already have an off-grid place on the island, a property they call Moonshine Kingdom, that they use for weekend getaways.

“The proximity (to Vancouver) is nice. On the other hand, it also feels removed from the city,” Christiansen said. “Apart from when you enter off the ferry and a little town, there's like no street lights. No traffic lights. It's a beautiful island.”

Moonshine Kingdom is right on the ocean, and it is boat access only. It got its name because of how bright the setting moon will shine off the water, filling the entire property with light. There is a glass yurt, a kitchen, a sun deck and even a hot tub.

It gets its water from an underground aquifer that flows close to the property, Kwon said. Power comes from the sun or a generator when needed. Like on the boat, the family uses a wood stove for heat. Fire also warms their hot tub.

It’s a special place that gives the family a chance to get away from it all.

“We love Bowen and always have,” Kwon said.

The family’s new home on Bowen Island is still two or three years away. Christiansen will do much of the building himself, hiring a few trade workers along the way.

“We're not building a big house either,” he said. “It's pretty much like a boat, it's pretty compact. We'll try to make it as thought-out as we can as we build it.”

The plan is to keep their boat after that, just so they always have a place to stay in the city. And they want to start sailing on it again; since the babies were born, the boat hasn’t been taken out to sea.

“I think it would be nice if municipalities made more of an effort to make it easier for people to live on boats,” Christiansen said. “Because it is a lighter footprint, I think, on the planet to live on a boat. You're being a little bit more self-sustaining. You are using power, but generally boats are more compact and more efficient than say a land home would be. There's a lot of benefits environmentally.

“I think it’s a great way to live.”

Beginner’s Guide: How to Live on a Sail Boat and Embrace the Ultimate Seafaring Lifestyle

Alex Morgan

Living on a sailboat offers a unique and adventurous lifestyle that allows you to connect with nature and experience a sense of freedom and flexibility. It also comes with its own set of challenges and requires specific skills and preparation to ensure a safe and comfortable experience.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the ins and outs of living on a sailboat, from the benefits it offers to the practical considerations and essential skills needed. Whether you’re considering a permanent or temporary sailboat residence, this article will provide you with the information you need to make the most of this alternative lifestyle.

First, we’ll delve into an introduction to living on a sailboat, highlighting the allure and unique aspects of this lifestyle. We’ll then move on to discuss the benefits of living on a sailboat, including the freedom and flexibility it offers, the cost-effective nature of this lifestyle, and the opportunity to live in closer harmony with nature.

Next, we’ll delve into the preparation required before embarking on a sailboat living adventure. This includes choosing the right sailboat, ensuring safety and emergency preparedness, and acquiring the necessary sailing skills. We’ll provide tips and guidance to help you make informed decisions in each of these areas.

Once the preparatory phase is complete, we’ll explore the essential skills needed for living on a sailboat. This includes navigation and seamanship, weather forecasting and planning, as well as anchoring and docking techniques. These skills are crucial for ensuring a smooth and enjoyable sailboat living experience.

Moving on, we’ll cover practical considerations for living on a sailboat, such as managing limited space, basic maintenance and repairs, and staying connected with the outside world through internet and communication. These insights will help you navigate the unique challenges associated with living in a confined space and maintaining a comfortable living environment.

In addition to practical considerations, we’ll address the specific aspects of living comfortably on a sailboat. This includes managing power and energy, ensuring a steady supply of water and conservation practices, and handling cooking and food storage efficiently.

We’ll emphasize the importance of staying safe and healthy while living on a sailboat. We’ll cover topics such as first aid and medical preparedness, dealing with seasickness, and maintaining sun protection and proper hygiene.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have the knowledge and understanding needed to live on a sailboat confidently and enjoyably. So, let’s embark on this exciting journey and discover the wonders of sailboat living.

Key takeaway:

• Living on a sailboat offers freedom and flexibility: It allows individuals to have a nomadic lifestyle and explore different locations at their own pace.
• Living on a sailboat is a cost-effective lifestyle: Compared to traditional living arrangements, the expenses associated with living on a sailboat can be significantly lower. This includes reduced or eliminated housing costs and decreased energy consumption.
• Living on a sailboat brings you closer to nature: With the ability to anchor in remote locations and experience breathtaking landscapes and wildlife, living on a sailboat allows for a deep connection with the natural world.

Benefits of Living on a Sailboat

Living on a sailboat brings a world of incredible benefits. Imagine the freedom of exploring new horizons, the flexibility to chart your own course, and the sheer joy of being closer to nature. These are just some of the advantages that come with this unconventional lifestyle. Discover the untethered experiences and cost-effective living that await those who choose to call a sailboat their home. Get ready to embrace a life filled with adventure , simplicity , and a deep connection with the open waters.

Freedom and Flexibility

Living on a sailboat offers the ultimate freedom and flexibility. Here are the key benefits that come with this unique lifestyle:

1. Exploration: Living on a sailboat allows you to freely explore various destinations and coastal areas at your own pace. You have the freedom to change your location whenever you desire, embarking on new adventures whenever the mood strikes.

2. Flexible Schedule: One of the greatest advantages of living on a sailboat is the flexibility it offers. You can set your own itinerary, adjusting plans based on weather conditions and personal preferences. This means you can fully embrace spontaneity and have the freedom to make the most of every moment.

3. Adaptability: With a sailboat as your home, you have the incredible ability to adapt to changes in your environment. If you find a location that captures your heart, you can choose to stay longer, fully immersing yourself in the beauty and charm of your surroundings.

4. Financial Freedom: Living on a sailboat can also be a wise financial choice. By eliminating expenses like rent and utilities, you have the freedom to allocate your resources towards other priorities or unique experiences that bring you joy and fulfillment.

5. Connection with Nature: Imagine waking up to breathtaking sunrises, listening to the gentle sounds of waves, and being surrounded by the tranquil beauty of nature. Living on a sailboat allows you to have an intimate connection with the natural world, providing you with a sense of peace and harmony that is hard to find elsewhere.

6. Independence: Living on a sailboat fosters independence and self-reliance. As you navigate the waters, handle the boat, and manage limited resources, you develop a strong sense of confidence and sharpen your problem-solving skills. This newfound independence empowers you to embrace challenges and overcome obstacles with grace and resilience.

By embracing the freedom and flexibility that living on a sailboat offers, you can truly lead a fulfilling and enriching lifestyle. It allows you to fully embrace your adventurous spirit, appreciate the awe-inspiring beauty of nature, and live in a more flexible and cost-effective way.

Cost-Effective Lifestyle

Living on a sailboat offers a cost-effective lifestyle due to several factors. It significantly reduces living expenses. Unlike traditional housing, there are no mortgage or rent payments when living on a sailboat. Marina fees often cover utilities such as electricity and water. Sailors can also adopt alternative methods like solar power and rainwater collection to further cut down on costs.

Sailboats have minimal maintenance costs. While regular maintenance is necessary, the expenses associated with repairs are generally lower compared to maintaining a house or apartment. Sailors can learn basic maintenance skills and handle many tasks themselves, reducing the reliance on expensive professional services.

Owning a sailboat eliminates the need for a car in many cases, resulting in lower transportation expenses. Sailors can rely on their boat for transportation and freely explore various destinations without incurring additional travel costs.

Living on a sailboat also encourages a more minimalist lifestyle , promoting reduced consumption. With limited space onboard, sailors are compelled to carefully consider their possessions and only keep what is necessary. This approach helps trim spending on non-essential items.

Living on a sailboat fosters a closer connection with nature. It allows individuals to enjoy the beauty of nature and explore coastal areas. This lifestyle offers opportunities for engaging in free activities such as fishing , swimming , and beachcombing , as opposed to costly entertainment options.

Embracing a cost-effective lifestyle on a sailboat requires careful budgeting and prioritizing experiences over material possessions. By choosing to live on a sailboat, individuals can lead a more affordable, adventurous, and fulfilling life.

Closer to Nature

Living on a sailboat provides the advantage of being closer to nature. This proximity allows individuals to naturally appreciate the beauty of the natural world and immerse themselves in it. Here are some ways in which living on a sailboat brings you closer to nature:

1. Spectacular Scenery: Just imagine waking up to breathtaking sunrises over the open sea or witnessing stunning sunsets. Living on a sailboat means constantly being surrounded by majestic views and ever-changing landscapes.

2. Marine Wildlife: Being on the water offers the opportunity to observe marine wildlife up close. From dolphins and whales to sea turtles and colorful fish, you can witness the wonders of the ocean from your own floating home.

3. Sound of the Waves: The soothing sound of waves lapping against the hull creates a calming ambiance. The gentle rocking motion of the boat further enhances this serene experience, creating a deep sense of peace and tranquility.

4. Disconnecting from Technology: Living on a sailboat often means limited access to technology, enabling you to disconnect from the constant buzz of devices and fully immerse yourself in the present moment. This freedom from distractions allows for a deeper connection with nature.

I had the incredible experience of living on a sailboat for a few months. One morning, as I enjoyed my coffee on the deck, I was amazed to see a pod of dolphins gracefully swimming alongside the boat. I felt a sense of awe and gratitude for the opportunity to witness such a magnificent sight. It was a truly magical moment that reminded me of the beauty and harmony of nature. Living on a sailboat brought me closer to nature in ways I never thought possible, and those memories will forever be cherished.

Preparing to Live on a Sailboat

Preparing to live on a sailboat involves important considerations that will make your experience smooth and enjoyable. We’ll dive into various aspects of this adventure, including choosing the right sailboat that suits your needs, ensuring safety and emergency preparedness for peace of mind, and mastering the art of sailing . Buckle up as we navigate through the essentials of preparing for an incredible life on the open seas!

Choosing the Right Sailboat

When choosing the right sailboat, consider key factors:

• Size: Choose a sailboat size based on your needs and use. Smaller sailboats are easier to handle and larger sailboats offer more space and comfort.
• Design: Consider the sailboat’s design, including the hull shape, keel type, and rigging. Different designs suit various sailing conditions and purposes.
• Condition: Inspect the sailboat’s structural and mechanical condition. Look for damage or wear and ensure all components work properly.
• Sailing Performance: Evaluate the sailboat’s sailing capabilities, including speed, stability, and responsiveness. Assess the sailboat’s performance based on your skill level and sailing goals.
• Layout: Take into account the sailboat’s layout and interior space. Consider the number of cabins, galley and saloon size, and storage capacity to meet living requirements.
• Budget: Determine your sailboat purchase budget and consider maintenance, repair, and ongoing expenses like mooring fees and insurance costs.

By carefully considering these factors, you can choose the right sailboat that meets your needs and ensures a safe and enjoyable sailing experience.

Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Safety and emergency preparedness are crucial when living on a sailboat. It is essential to incorporate safety measures and be well-prepared for emergencies. Here are some key steps to ensure your safety on a sailboat:

1. Install safety equipment: Make sure to equip your sailboat with important safety equipment such as life jackets , fire extinguishers , a first aid kit , and emergency flares . These items are crucial in emergencies and can significantly increase your chances of survival.

2. Learn CPR and first aid : Having knowledge of CPR and basic first aid can be life-saving. Consider taking a course to learn these essential skills and be prepared to handle medical situations.

3. Develop a communication plan: It is vital to have a communication plan in place during emergencies. Ensure you have a reliable means of communication onboard, such as a marine radio or satellite phone . Familiarize yourself with emergency channels and protocols.

4. Maintain a float plan: Before setting sail, inform someone on land about your plans. Share details like your intended route, expected return time, and contact information. This way, authorities can be notified if you do not return as scheduled.

5. Practice emergency drills: Regularly conduct drills to prepare for various emergency scenarios. This includes practicing man overboard drills , fire drills , and emergency procedures like deploying a life raft .

Remember, prioritizing safety is paramount when living on a sailboat. By having the necessary safety equipment and knowledge, you can enjoy your sailing adventure while minimizing risks.

In April 2018, a sailing couple encountered a severe storm while crossing the Pacific Ocean. Despite facing damage to their sailboat from high winds and waves, their commitment to safety and emergency preparedness allowed them to navigate through the storm and stay safe. They attributed their successful survival to their training in emergency procedures and the presence of safety equipment onboard. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of being well-prepared and equipped for emergencies while living on a sailboat.

Learning to Sail

Learning to sail is crucial for individuals living on a sailboat. Acquiring proficiency in sailing is necessary to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience on the water. It is important to consider the following key points when embarking on this journey:

1. Mastering basic sailing techniques: It is essential to grasp the skills necessary to properly trim sails, steer the boat, and control speed and direction. Learning these techniques will allow for effective navigation and maneuvering.

2. Prioritizing safety measures: Acquiring knowledge about wearing a life jacket, understanding right of way rules, and identifying potential hazards is paramount. Knowing how to handle emergencies such as a man overboard situation or sudden changes in weather is crucial.

3. Developing navigation skills: Gaining the ability to read charts, utilize navigation instruments, and plot a course with confidence is vital. Understanding buoyage systems and navigational markers will contribute to a successful sailing experience.

4. Being aware of weather conditions: Analyzing weather forecasts and comprehending the implications of different weather conditions is key in planning safe sailing trips. Interpreting wind patterns and anticipating weather changes will enhance overall preparedness.

5. Emphasizing practice and experience: Dedicate ample time to practice sailing on the water. Considering enrolling in sailing courses or joining sailing clubs can provide practical experience and valuable lessons from experienced sailors.

It is important to remember that learning to sail requires time and dedication. Both theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience are necessary components. By cultivating these skills, individuals will be well-prepared for their sailboat adventure.

Essential Skills for Living on a Sailboat

Mastering the art of living on a sailboat requires a set of essential skills. From navigation and seamanship to weather forecasting and planning, and finally anchoring and docking, each sub-section unlocks crucial knowledge for a smooth sailing experience. Discover the secrets of successful sailors and embark on a journey where precision , adaptability , and a deep understanding of the elements pave the way to a fulfilling life on the open seas.

Navigation and Seamanship

When it comes to navigation and seamanship on a sailboat, there are several essential skills and techniques to consider:

1. Understand charts and navigation tools: Familiarize yourself with nautical charts, compasses, and GPS systems to plot your course and determine your position.

2. Use navigational aids: Learn how to interpret and use navigational aids such as buoys, beacons, and lighthouses to navigate safely.

3. Maintain a proper lookout: Always keep a lookout for other vessels, obstacles, and navigational hazards to ensure safety.

4. Master sail trim: Learn how to adjust the sails to optimize performance and maneuverability in different wind conditions.

5. Understand wind and weather patterns: Analyze weather forecasts and recognize wind patterns to make informed decisions at sea.

6. Practice effective communication: Establish clear communication protocols with your crew to ensure safe navigation.

7. Navigate in different environments: Gain experience in various environments to adapt to different challenges and conditions.

8. Master basic boat handling: Develop proficiency in maneuvering your sailboat to safely navigate in tight spaces.

9. Understand collision regulations: Familiarize yourself with international rules of the road to prioritize safety.

By honing these navigation and seamanship skills, you can confidently navigate your sailboat for a safe and enjoyable experience on the water.

Weather Forecasting and Planning

Weather forecasting and planning are crucial skills for living on a sailboat. It is important to stay updated by regularly checking weather forecasts and updates to stay informed about current and upcoming conditions. This will help you plan your sailing trips .

To understand weather patterns , study different weather patterns and their impact on sailing . Learn about wind directions , tides , and currents in your area. This knowledge will aid navigation and decision-making at sea.

Use multiple sources such as meteorological websites , radio broadcasts , and weather apps to gather information and cross-check forecasts. Different sources may provide slightly varying predictions, so it’s important to have a comprehensive understanding .

Consider local knowledge and seek advice from experienced sailors familiar with the area you’ll be sailing in. They can offer valuable insights into local weather patterns and help anticipate potential challenges.

Prioritize safety when it comes to weather conditions. Avoid sailing in severe weather , storms , or strong winds that may endanger you or your vessel. Have a contingency plan in case weather conditions suddenly deteriorate while at sea.

To enhance your sailing experience , develop your ability to interpret weather data and make informed decisions. Take sailing courses or attend workshops on weather forecasting and planning to improve your expertise in this area.

Anchoring and Docking

Anchoring and docking are essential skills to acquire when living on a sailboat. Mastering these skills requires considering various factors for successful anchoring and docking:

1. Location: When choosing a spot for anchoring, it is important to find a suitable area that offers shelter from wind and waves. Look for a bottom that is sandy or muddy to ensure a secure hold.

2. Anchor Type: It is crucial to select the right anchor for your boat and the conditions you will face. Popular anchor types include plow anchors, Danforth anchors, and mushroom anchors.

3. Anchor Size: Ensure that you use an anchor that is appropriate in size for your boat’s length and weight. As a general guideline, the anchor should weigh 1 pound per foot of boat length.

4. Scope: The scope refers to the ratio of anchor rode length to water depth. For calm conditions, use a minimum scope of 7:1, but in rough weather, increase it to 10:1 or more.

5. Setting the Anchor: Drop the anchor, release enough rode, and slowly reverse the boat to firmly set the anchor in the seabed. Give it a strong tug to confirm that it is securely in place.

6. Docking: Practicing docking skills is essential to safely maneuver your boat into a slip or alongside a dock. Approach the dock slowly and use fenders to protect your boat from any potential damage.

7. Lines and Fenders: Before docking, make sure to prepare your lines and fenders to facilitate a smoother process. Properly secure the lines using cleats and knots.

8. Wind and Current: Consider the direction of wind and current when maneuvering your boat for docking. Utilize them to your advantage in order to control the movement of your boat.

Regular practice is key to mastering anchoring and docking. With time and experience, you will enhance your proficiency in these skills, ensuring a safe and enjoyable life on a sailboat.

Practical Considerations for Living on a Sailboat

Living on a sailboat requires a unique set of practical considerations that make this lifestyle both challenging and rewarding. In this section, we’ll dive into the nitty-gritty details of managing limited space, mastering basic maintenance and repairs, and staying connected while sailing the open waters. Get ready to sail into a world where every inch counts, where self-reliance is key, and where the constant motion of the waves becomes a way of life.

Managing Limited Space

Managing limited space is crucial on a sailboat. Here are steps to effectively manage limited space:

1. Organize: Keep belongings organized and declutter regularly. Use storage containers, shelves, and hanging organizers to maximize vertical space.

2. Choose multi-purpose items: Opt for furniture and equipment that can serve multiple purposes. For example, select a table that can also be used for storage.

3. Use space-saving storage solutions: Utilize under-bed storage compartments, collapsible boxes, and vacuum-sealed bags to make the most of limited storage space.

4. Embrace a minimalist lifestyle: Prioritize essential items and avoid unnecessary clutter.

5. Get creative with storage: Look for hidden compartments and use every available space. Consider wall-mounted hooks and nets for hanging and storing items.

6. Utilize vertical space: Install wall-mounted shelves and hooks to store items off the floor. Use hanging organizers for small items like toiletries and kitchen utensils.

7. Choose compact appliances and fixtures: Opt for smaller-sized appliances and fixtures designed for small spaces, such as compact stoves, mini fridges, and foldable furniture.

By following these steps, you can effectively manage limited space on a sailboat and create a comfortable living environment.

Basic Maintenance and Repairs

Basic maintenance and repairs are crucial for living on a sailboat. Here are some important tasks to consider:

• Clean and inspect the boat regularly to prevent mold, mildew, and corrosion.
• Check and clean the sails to ensure good condition.
• Inspect and maintain the rigging, including the mast, boom, and standing rigging.
• Check the hull and keel integrity for cracks or damage.
• Test and maintain the boat’s electrical system, including batteries and wiring.
• Clean and service the engine regularly for smooth operation.
• Inspect and maintain the plumbing system, including freshwater and waste systems.
• Perform routine maintenance on onboard equipment and systems, such as navigation instruments and safety equipment.
• Promptly repair any damage or leaks to prevent further issues.
• Keep a supply of spare parts and tools onboard for quick repairs.

Taking care of these basic maintenance and repairs tasks will keep your sailboat in good condition and always ready for your next water adventure.

Staying Connected

When living on a sailboat, staying connected is crucial for communication and accessing information. Here are some ways to ensure you can stay connected while sailing:

1. Mobile Internet: Get a reliable mobile internet plan or hotspot device for internet access onboard. This allows you to stay connected to email, social media, and browse the web.

2. Satellite Communication: Consider getting a satellite phone or satellite internet service for offshore communication. This ensures a connection even when you’re far from land or in remote areas.

3. VHF Radio: A VHF radio is essential for marine communication. It lets you communicate with other boats, marinas, and emergency services. Make sure you know how to use it properly.

4. Wi-Fi Boosters: Install a Wi-Fi booster antenna on your sailboat to amplify Wi-Fi signals from nearby marinas or hotspots. This can help you stay connected when you’re close to shore.

5. Weather Updates: Stay updated with weather forecasts for safe sailing. Use weather apps or listen to weather broadcasts on marine radios to plan your routes.

Staying connected is important for safety and convenience on a sailboat. By using the right tools and technology, you can maintain communication and access information wherever your sailing adventures take you.

Fun fact: Sailboats have been used for transportation and exploration for thousands of years. Ancient sailors used the wind’s power to navigate and explore the seas.

Living Comfortably on a Sailboat

Transitioning to a life at sea can be an exciting adventure, but how can you ensure a comfortable living on a sailboat? In this section, we’ll be exploring key aspects of living comfortably on a sailboat, including managing power and energy , water supply and conservation , as well as cooking and food storage . So, get ready to dive into practical tips and strategies that will enhance your sailboat living experience, making it a smooth journey all the way!

Managing Power and Energy

Managing power and energy on a sailboat is crucial for a comfortable and efficient living experience. Consider the following to effectively manage power and energy:

1. Invest in solar panels or wind generators to harness renewable energy and reduce reliance on fuel-powered generators. This sustainable approach promotes eco-friendly practices while ensuring a continuous power supply.

2. Utilize LED lights to minimize power consumption while providing bright illumination. LEDs are energy-efficient and contribute to a more sustainable power usage on board.

3. Opt for energy-efficient appliances , such as marine-specific refrigerators and fans. These appliances are designed to consume less power while still meeting your needs on the sailboat.

4. Implement smart battery management strategies by turning off lights and electronic devices when not in use. Consider utilizing a battery monitoring system to effectively keep track of battery usage and ensure a steady power supply.

5. Incorporate energy-saving techniques for heating and cooling , such as insulation and natural ventilation. These measures help minimize energy wastage and maintain a comfortable onboard environment.

To illustrate the effectiveness of these methods, let’s consider the experience of John , an experienced sailor. John installed a combination of solar panels and wind generators on his sailboat, allowing him to meet his energy needs sustainably. By also using LED lights and energy-efficient appliances, he successfully minimized power consumption. John implemented smart battery usage practices, which ensured a consistent power supply throughout his journey. With these measures in place, John was able to enjoy a comfortable and sustainable lifestyle on his sailboat, significantly reducing his environmental impact while embarking on his adventure.

Water Supply and Conservation

Living on a sailboat requires careful consideration of water supply and conservation. Water supply and conservation are crucial factors to keep in mind when living on a sailboat. Here are some important factors to consider in order to prioritize water supply and conservation:

1. Water storage: Sailboats have limited space, so it is important to plan for adequate water storage capacity. It is recommended to install additional water tanks or collapsible containers to maximize storage capacity.

2. Monitoring water usage: Being mindful of water consumption is essential. It is important to keep track of the water used for various activities such as dishes, personal hygiene, and others to avoid wastage.

3. Water filtration systems: Investing in a reliable water filtration system is highly recommended to ensure clean and safe water. Look for systems that can effectively remove impurities and harmful elements.

4. Rainwater harvesting: Utilizing rainwater is a great way to conserve water. Installing a collection system on the boat can help in collecting rainwater and using it for non-potable purposes like rinsing equipment or cleaning the deck.

5. Desalination: Installing a desalination system can provide a sustainable source of drinking and cooking water on longer journeys. This system can convert seawater into freshwater, ensuring a constant supply of water.

6. Conservation techniques: Implementing water conservation techniques is vital. Save water by taking quick showers, turning off faucets when not in use, and reusing water whenever possible. These simple practices can make a significant difference in conserving water.

7. Educating crew members: It is important to ensure that everyone on board understands the importance of water conservation and actively promotes responsible water usage. Educating crew members about the significance of water conservation can go a long way in achieving sustainable water supply.

By prioritizing water supply and conservation, sailors can maintain a steady and sustainable source of water while minimizing their environmental impact. Always remember, every drop counts!

Cooking and Food Storage

When living on a sailboat, cooking and food storage are essential considerations. Here are some important factors to keep in mind:

1. Storage Space:

Efficiently organize food storage on a sailboat using bins, baskets, and containers.

2. Non-Perishable Food:

Stock up on canned foods, dried fruits, nuts, and grains with longer shelf lives.

3. Meal Planning:

Plan meals in advance to avoid wastage and ensure you have enough provisions. Create a menu and shopping list to stay organized.

4. Galley Equipment:

Equip the sailboat’s kitchen with essential cooking tools such as pots, pans, cutlery, and utensils. Choose compact and multi-purpose items.

5. Fresh Produce:

Include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. Opt for produce that can be stored without refrigeration, like apples, potatoes, and onions.

6. Cooling Options:

Invest in a reliable cooler or refrigerator to keep perishable items fresh. Consider energy-efficient options or portable ice chests powered by solar panels.

By considering these factors, you can enjoy an efficient and enjoyable cooking and food storage experience while living on a sailboat.

Throughout history, sailors have mastered cooking and food storage to sustain themselves during voyages. They stock up on non-perishable items, utilize clever storage solutions, incorporate fresh produce, and invest in cooling options. By following these practices, you can enjoy delicious meals and ensure your food remains fresh and accessible during your sailboat adventure.

Staying Safe and Healthy on a Sailboat

Navigating the high seas and living on a sailboat is an exhilarating adventure, but it’s essential to prioritize your safety and well-being. In this section, we will explore some crucial aspects of staying safe and healthy on a sailboat. From first aid and medical preparedness to tackling seasickness and ensuring sun protection and hygiene, we’ll provide you with invaluable tips to keep you in top shape while exploring life on the water. So, get ready to set sail with confidence and peace of mind!

First Aid and Medical Preparedness

Living on a sailboat requires being prepared for medical emergencies. First aid and medical preparedness are vital for the well-being and safety of everyone on board.

• Knowledge and Training: Basic knowledge of first aid techniques and procedures is essential. This includes CPR, wound care, and handling common injuries on a sailboat.
• First Aid Kit: A well-stocked first aid kit is imperative. It should include bandages, antiseptic solution, adhesive tape, pain relievers, and necessary prescription medications.
• Emergency Communication: Reliable communication with onshore medical professionals is crucial. This could involve a satellite phone, a VHF radio, or access to a nearby marina’s communication system.
• Medical Evacuation Plan: Have a plan for medical emergencies that may require evacuation to a hospital or medical facility. Familiarize yourself with local emergency services and understand their response time and capabilities.
• Seasickness Prevention: Seasickness can be debilitating for some individuals. Have remedies on board and know how to prevent and manage this common condition.

By being prepared and equipped with necessary knowledge and supplies, you can handle any medical situation that may arise while living on a sailboat.

Dealing with Seasickness

– Stay hydrated: To deal with seasickness, stay hydrated. Drink enough water to prevent dehydration, as it can worsen symptoms.

– Choose your position wisely: Position yourself in the middle of the boat where the motion is least pronounced to minimize motion sickness.

– Focus on the horizon: Fix your gaze on a stable point in the distance, like the horizon, to reorient your senses and reduce seasickness.

– Get fresh air: Step outside onto the deck and breathe in fresh air. Being in an open area with good ventilation can alleviate seasickness.

– Acupressure: Apply pressure to specific points on your body, such as the wrist or inner forearm, to relieve seasickness symptoms. You can use acupressure bands or try massaging these points.

Fact: About 60% of individuals experience some level of seasickness when exposed to boat or ship motion. It is a common condition that can be managed with the right strategies and preparation.

Sun Protection and Hygiene

Living on a sailboat requires prioritizing sun protection and hygiene for a safe and comfortable experience.

• Wear sunscreen: Prioritize sun protection by using broad-spectrum sunscreen with a high SPF to safeguard your skin from harmful UV rays. Apply generously and reapply every few hours, especially on deck.
• Protective clothing: Ensure sun protection by wearing lightweight, long-sleeved shirts, pants, and hats to shield your skin from direct sun exposure. Look for clothing with built-in UV protection for added defense.
• Sunglasses: Invest in sunglasses that provide UV protection to safeguard your eyes from glare and prevent eye strain.
• Keep clean: Maintain good hygiene in close quarters by regularly washing your hands with soap and water to prevent the spread of bacteria and germs.
• Shower facilities: Check for onboard shower facilities. If unavailable, plan for regular visits to marinas or other facilities for your personal hygiene.
• Proper waste disposal: Follow responsible waste disposal practices to keep the environment clean. Use designated areas for waste disposal and opt for biodegradable toiletries when possible.
• Water conservation: Conserve water onboard by taking shorter showers and using water-saving techniques for dishes and laundry. This ensures an adequate freshwater supply.
• Stay hydrated: Prioritize sun protection by drinking plenty of water to prevent heat-related illnesses and stay hydrated in the sun.

Prioritizing sun protection and maintaining good hygiene practices enables a safe and healthy life on a sailboat.

Additional Resources

Here is a list of resources for living on a sailboat:

• Books: Highly recommended titles include “ The Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat ” by Mark Nicholas, “ The Cruising Life: A Commonsense Guide for the Would-Be Voyager ” by Jim Trefethen, and “ The Boat Galley Cookbook ” by Carolyn Shearlock and Jan Irons.
• Websites: SailNet , CruisersForum , and The Liveaboard Life provide resources, advice, and support for liveaboard sailors.
• YouTube Channels: Sailing La Vagabonde , Sailing Uma , and SV Delos offer entertainment, educational content, and real-life experiences related to living on a sailboat.
• Sailing Courses: The American Sailing Association and the Royal Yachting Association offer courses for all levels of sailors.

When I decided to live on a sailboat, I found a wealth of resources that provided guidance and support. Books, websites, and online communities gave valuable tips and insights from experienced sailors. Sailing courses helped me develop necessary skills. Now, I live my dream, sailing to new destinations and enjoying the freedom of living on a sailboat.

Some Facts About How To Live On A Sail Boat:

• ✅ Living on a sailboat can be a more affordable option for those who want to live on the water without paying coastal house prices. (Source: Atomictunayachts)
• ✅ It is important to avoid buying a fixer-upper boat as it can be costly and time-consuming to fix any problems. (Source: Atomictunayachts)
• ✅ Choosing a smaller boat can be beneficial as it is easier to handle, cheaper to buy, and can fit in more marinas. (Source: Atomictunayachts)
• ✅ Renting a slip in a marina is cheaper than coastal rent, but there can be a long waiting time for a slip in popular areas. (Source: Atomictunayachts)
• ✅ It is essential to have sailing experience and knowledge before moving onto a boat, including taking courses and being comfortable with the boat. (Source: Atomictunayachts)

Frequently Asked Questions

How can i reduce my living expenses by living on a sailboat.

Living on a sailboat can be a more affordable option compared to coastal house prices. It allows you to minimize your lifestyle, reduce monthly rent costs, and save on utilities by being mindful of water and electricity usage.

What should I consider when choosing a sailboat to live aboard?

When choosing a sailboat for liveaboard purposes, consider factors such as the size of the boat, its accommodations, and its condition. A smaller boat may be easier to handle and fit in more marinas. Buying a used sailboat in good condition can also help reduce costs.

What utilities do I need on a liveaboard sailboat?

On a liveaboard sailboat, you will need power, water, and sewage systems. Most liveaboards hook their sailboats up to shore power and water, while storing water and sewage in tanks. It’s also possible to install alternative energy sources like solar panels or wind turbines to reduce dependence on shore power.

How long is the waiting time for a slip in popular marinas?

The waiting time for a slip in popular marinas can vary, but it is not uncommon for there to be a long waiting time. It is recommended to inquire about slip availability and visit marinas in person to get a better understanding of the waiting times in your desired area.

What maintenance tasks are involved in living on a sailboat?

Living on a sailboat requires staying on top of maintenance tasks. This includes regularly checking for leaks and repairing them promptly, as well as conducting routine maintenance on safety equipment, electronic systems, and the overall condition of the boat. It’s important to be prepared for the ongoing maintenance involved.

Can I make money while living on a sailboat?

Yes, it’s possible to make money while living on a sailboat. Many liveaboards engage in remote work, freelancing, or even boat repair to support their lifestyle. Finding ways to work remotely or within the sailing community can provide financial stability while living aboard a sailboat.

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What it’s like to live full time on a 400-square-foot sailboat

Living on a boat has a way of shifting your perspective, say those who do it, by freeing you from excess stuff and forcing you to exist in the moment.

A previous version of this story misidentified Karen Audette as Carolyn. This version has been corrected.

Bruises are unavoidable when you live on a sailboat. You get banged around using the bathroom, cooking dinner, feeding the dog — and then you struggle to put each contusion together with a specific incident. Where did this one on my shin come from? There’s often no telling.

Ballet is required to live in about 400 square feet: My boat Pelican measures 40 feet from stem to stern and 12 feet at its widest. My wife, Perry, and I lived aboard it full time for six months during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, before buying a house in New Bern, N.C. Along the way, we met various other people who’d also opted for the floating life. Like us, they found that the benefits of making a sailboat your home often outweigh the sacrifices (of space, possessions and small comforts like long showers). Plus, much of what sailing teaches you is just as applicable on land.

How to make a small space feel happier, according to mental-health pros

“When I moved aboard Obelix, I had one bag,” says Mads Dahlke, a former IT professional from Denmark who now sails full time, of his first boat. “That was scary, to downsize to that extent. But it was also a very liberating feeling.”

‘A large-scale balancing act’

Unlike a van or a tiny house, a sailboat moves almost constantly. While under sail, the vessel can heel — meaning lean — for hours at a time, and sometimes violently surge in one direction or the other. Everything in the galley is designed not to fall onto the floor. Even so, my wife and I have had whole pots of coffee slide off the stove.

Your house serves as your transportation as well as your protection from the wild sea around you. Steve Audette, who lives aboard a 45-foot sailboat named Angelfish with his wife, Karen, likens it to camping — you’re in the elements and attempting to carry as little as possible, while ensuring everything you need is close at hand. “Living on a boat is a large-scale balancing act,” he says.

The confines of a sailboat have a way of showing you how little you actually need to be content. Seats and bunks overlay lockers where food and tools are kept; many sailors tuck away canned goods and bottles of wine beneath the cabin floor. Balancing what you take to sea requires a lot of editing, since there is no room for the extraneous items that tend to sit unused in closets and basements on land.

Heath Phillips has lived aboard boats for four years. His current home is Philyria, a 35-foot, 1967 Alberg — which is spacious compared to his first vessel, a 25-foot Catalina. “I have always liked the idea of living in small spaces that were a little unusual,” he says. “I find living on a boat really makes me feel like a kid in some ways. Almost like Peter Pan or Tom Sawyer. It is my home and also my gateway to adventures.”

Phillips keeps three pairs of shoes (deck boots, flip flops and sneakers) and two drawers’ worth of clothing. “Even your clothes have to serve multiple purposes,” he says. “Possessions are a funny thing onboard.”

‘I thought the only plan was buying a house, having a mortgage’

Dahlke, the sailor from Denmark, ended up living on a sailboat after a fall caused severe damage to his back. “I started thinking that I could have died from falling down those stairs, and was I doing what I wanted to do?” he says. “After much contemplation, I concluded that I wanted to go sailing.”

He lived on his first boat for two years before undertaking the refit of a 38-foot Warrior named Athena about five years ago. His fiancee, Ava Corrado, joined him last year. “For a long time, I thought the only plan was buying a house, having a mortgage, getting a job, and that was it,” she says. “But now, we get to enjoy the freedom.” (Dahlke makes enough money through his YouTube channel, Sail Life , that they can afford to cruise full time.)

When we spoke, Dahlke and Corrado were stuck in Spain, awaiting favorable winds to Portugal. Being at the mercy of the elements can be frustrating, but relinquishing some control is part of the allure of sailing. A motor provides some surety if you need to hurry into port before dark or outrun a storm, but for the most part, sailing forces you to go with the flow.

Audette and his wife decided to take to the sea after the death of a son and the confines of pandemic living. “We had a very materialistic life in a kind of semi-upscale town, and all was going well, but we sort of in the back of our mind said, ‘You know, maybe at some point in our lives we want to go on one more adventure, one more lifestyle change where we are not experts, where we grow and learn and adapt and re-challenge ourselves,’” he says.

The pair — retired from lucrative-but-sedentary office jobs in Massachusetts — sold their house, gave away most of their possessions and bought Angelfish. Audette invested $100,000 into the vessel above what he paid for it, but for good reason: “It has to be working as well as it can be to keep you and your family afloat and alive.”

Indeed, when you live on a cruising sailboat, your senses become tuned to notice the slightest change. My boat is outfitted with an autopilot, which will keep it relatively on course but isn’t totally reliable. That means my wife or I must always be at the wheel, looking out for obstructions. Even when anchored or tied to a dock, we subconsciously listen through the white noise of the boat’s groaning for the odd sound that might indicate trouble.

“Living on a boat, you start learning to live in the present,” says Audette. “A couple of nights ago, our anchor dragged during a big windstorm, and I had to get up at four o’clock in the morning to reset our anchor. As we were doing that, I happened to notice that the moon was a quarter full and when I saw it earlier, it was a full moon.” He realized he was witnessing a lunar eclipse: “So we just stayed up … and watched the rest of [it]. You can’t imagine having an experience like that if you weren’t living in the moment.”

‘You develop a rhythm’

Not every moment has been so beautiful, of course. Even for a couple as long- and happily married as Audette and Karen, cohabitating in such a tight space took some getting used to. “Our living room is also our dining room which is right next to our kitchen, which is also right next to the bathroom,” says Audette. But eventually “you develop a rhythm of working around each other.”

He says the “boat yoga” required to maintain the vessel, and simply for daily life, keeps them young: “The boat has actually given me better health. In my previous materialistic land-based life, I had a very sedentary job where I would sit for 10 to 12 hours a day.”

My wife and I can relate. During those six months aboard the Pelican, we — along with our 22-pound dog, Rackham (who’s named after an 18th-century pirate) — grew accustomed to the boat ballet, figuring out how to cook, clean and even just sit and read comfortably, while respecting each other’s space.

For now, we’re weekend pirates. Pelican lives at a marina about a half-hour from our house. As two working journalists, we couldn’t keep up with the rigors of full-time sailing (or of hunting for a WiFi signal in the middle of the ocean). But from my front door, I can look down the street at the blue water of the Neuse River and dream of cutting lines for good some day.

Dan Parsons is a freelance writer in New Bern, N.C.

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I Was 6 When My Dad Decided We'd Sail Around The World. I Was Trapped On That Boat For Nearly A Decade

Guest Writer

It has taken me decades to be ready to tell this story. Until I reached the safety of adulthood and created my own family, I wasn’t able to confront my parents’ story about my past. In their telling, I was “privileged.” After all, I grew up on a beautiful boat called Wavewalker , sailing around the world.

Of course I knew their story wasn’t true. Although I had grown up on Wavewalker from the age of seven for almost a decade, I was trapped there — unable to go to school or have friends. While my brother was allowed to help out on deck, I was expected to cook and clean down below for hours each day.

My normal life in England ended when I was six years old and my father announced that we were going to sail around the world. He wanted to recreate Captain Cook’s third voyage, which would take three years. This was a long time – but we would be back, he promised, before I was 10. That meant that even though I was leaving my best friend Sarah, my beloved water spaniel Rusty, and my dollhouse behind, they would all be waiting for me when we returned.

Except that wasn’t what happened. We set sail from England a year after that announcement, and it was a decade before I returned alone at the age of 17. Most of the time in between I lived on Wavewalker and was unable to go to school. We often ran out of fresh food – and sometimes almost ran out of water – on longer voyages. When that happened, we relied on canned and dried food, and my father allowed us each a cup of water a day for drinking and washing.

One of the challenges of my childhood, I grew to understand, was that my parents’ narrative looked true – we seemed to be living a privileged life by being able to sail to gorgeous places like Vanuatu and Fiji in the South Pacific. But the reality was very different.

For a start, I learned early on our voyage how dangerous the ocean could be. A few months after we left England, we were hit by an enormous wave when my father attempted to cross the Southern Indian Ocean accompanied only by two novice crew members, my mother (who didn’t like sailing) and his two small children. I fractured my skull and broke my nose in that accident and had to endure multiple head operations without anaesthesia on the small atoll that we eventually found in the middle of the ocean.

But my life on Wavewalker wasn’t just physically dangerous. Living on a boat for a decade meant that I could rarely have friendships, I had little or no access to medical care and I couldn’t attend school.

As I turned into a teenager, I had no private space. Instead I had to share the one working toilet we had on board with my family and up to eight or nine crew, and to share a cabin with adult crew members.

As the years went on, it became clear that my parents had no intention of fulfilling their promise to return home. I had no way of leaving the boat — I had no passport or money. But more than that, I had nowhere to go.

We’d set sail when I was a small child, and after that I never saw any of my relatives again. Apart from my parents, I had no other adults in my life apart from the crew members who came and went. The only people I saw in authority were the customs and immigration officials who boarded our boat when we arrived in each new country, and they never expressed any interest in the welfare of the two children they found there.

While Wavewalker represented freedom for my parents — they could pull up the anchor and sail away whenever they wanted — it was a prison for me.

I eventually realised that the only way I would ever escape Wavewalker was if I found a way to educate myself. I tried to convince my parents to let me go to school, and six years after setting sail, they finally agreed to allow me to enroll in an Australian correspondence school. I was 13 years old.

While it was clear to me that my only possible escape was through education, studying by correspondence on a boat was very difficult. By this time my father had turned our boat into a sort of “floating hotel” to pay for our endless voyage, and my parents wanted me to work rather than spending my days with my nose in my books.

There were also more practical issues. I had no postal address and I had no space in which to study apart from the one small table in our main cabin. Sometimes I would hide myself inside a sail at the front of the boat to study, knowing no one would come looking for me there. I had to fight my father for paper, which was an expensive commodity in the South Pacific. Whenever we reached a major port, I sent off the lessons I’d completed and asked the school to send them back to the post office at our next port of call, but if my father decided to change course, my lessons went astray.

I found the correspondence lessons very challenging, partially because I had missed a lot of education and because it was very difficult to learn remotely without being able to talk to a teacher. I knew, however, that I had no choice ― it was my only way out.

After three years of studying by correspondence while at sea, when I was 16 and my brother was 15, my parents decided to put my brother into a school in New Zealand. (As my father once explained it to me, my education was less important since I would never have to support a family.)

When my parents sailed away, I was left behind to look after my brother, doing the shopping, cooking and cleaning while he went to school each day and I tried to keep studying by correspondence. For nine months, we lived alone in a small hut beside a lake in a country in which I only knew one adult (who lived several hours away). My father left a small amount of money in a bank account that I could only access by forging his signature.

I kept working through my correspondence lessons, posting them off each week. I also wrote to every university I’d ever heard of, asking them if they would let me apply to be a student. Most wrote back saying that they would not consider me.

The local universities wouldn’t consider me because I was an English citizen, and the English ones wouldn’t consider me because they thought my qualifications were too hard to assess. But eventually Oxford University wrote back and ― after I sent them two essays – offered to interview me if I could find some way to get myself back to England. So I used money I’d earned picking kiwis, together with a small contribution from my father, to buy a one-way plane ticket, betting everything on that meeting.

Amazingly, Oxford gave me a place, and I went to university the following year. By that time, however, my relationship with my parents was tenuous. I really struggled that first year at university — not only because I had almost no money and survived mainly on cans of tomatoes and dried pasta, but also because I found it hard to fit in socially after so many years of isolation.

The good news is that after that tough first year, I started to make friends, and with access at last to libraries and laboratories, I thrived academically. After finishing my degree, I went on to do a Ph.D. at Cambridge University and then joined the U.K. government, working in the Treasury. It was there that I met my wonderful husband, Jeremy. When I became a parent myself — Jeremy and I had three lovely children ― I was determined to treat my children very differently. I make it clear to them that my love will always be unconditional, and that I will always be there for them if they need me.

When my parents eventually returned to the UK, I tried several times to talk to them about the past, but they always reacted defensively, stating that it had “all worked out fine in the end.”

I knew I would probably lose the remaining relationship I had with them when I told the true story about my childhood. However, I never doubted that I would write about my time on Wavewalker.

When my children reached the same age I was when I was struggling with my loneliness and lack of access to education, I at last saw my childhood through a mother’s eyes. I knew that I no longer had an obligation to maintain my parents’ narrative: My childhood was certainly unusual, but it was never privileged.

Author’s Note: This essay is an account of my childhood as I experienced it, and based on extensive diaries and other documents from the time. Others who were present may have experienced it differently. But this is my story.

Do you have a compelling personal story you’d like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we’re looking for here and send us a pitch .

From Our Partner

Sailboat Living: 10 Things To Know Before Moving On Board

Sailboat living can sound like the dream life, and in many ways it is.

Beautiful sunsets, the freedom to travel with your home, dolphins and crystal clear seas are all a huge part of the sailboat lifestyle , but anyone who tells you it’s an easy life has obviously never really lived on a sailboat!

There are times when sailboat living can feel more like a nightmare than a dream, and no matter how much you prepare there will always be a few troublesome scenarios that you just can’t predict.

However, with a little forethought and a lot of planning, there is a lot you can do to make the transition of moving from a house to a sailboat a relatively easy one.

If you’re prepared to put in the hard work now then we promise you will reap the rewards in the future. As we learnt the hard way, we’ve put together the top 10 things that everyone should know before they move onto a sailboat so that sailboat living for you can be 98% dream and only 2% nightmare!

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We also earn from other affiliate programs. This means we may receive a small commission on products purchased through our links at no extra cost to you.

#1 A Sailboat Is Never Complete

Learn this lesson fast!

Don’t expect to finish boatyard work and stop working. A sailboat breaks. Constantly. Some days it will feel as though your to-do list is endless because unfortunately, it is.

This was one of the things Adam and I were prepared for before we moved onboard our sailboat. After living on a boat in the UK we understood the crazy amount of work that has to go into maintaining something that’s constantly working.

I think a good way of looking at it would be to think of it as a house and a car combined. It has all the working parts of a house – the pipework, the electricity, the leaky windows etc.

It also has all the working parts of a car like an engine, the tires could be the sails, the lines, and all that goes along with them.

Add to that the fact that you’re putting it under huge amounts of stress at all times, in some extreme weather conditions, and you can see why things constantly fail!

Adam and I spent the first few months of living aboard feeling as though we were just sailing from anchorage to anchorage to find chandlers so we could fix things. We made friends with some full-time cruisers who quickly put a stop to that!

They explained how if we actually wanted to enjoy time on board then we had to give ourselves time off the boat work. The broken things we could live with could wait a few days while we enjoyed a new destination.

Find out how much new sails cost

We now try to only do one or two days of boat work a week, which leaves us with a weekend ‘off’ when we’re working our jobs for three days. This suits us perfectly, but you’ll need to find a pattern that works for you to make sailboat living more enjoyable!

A bonus of living onboard is that you do have the extra time to dedicate to keeping the sailboat in tip-top condition.

Many weekend sailors find themselves with a long list of jobs at the end of the season, but (depending on how cheap/how lucky you get when you buy your boat!) if you get some jobs done every now and again through the season you’ll keep the long stints to a minimum.

#2 Sailboat Living = Tiny Space Living

Think of sailboat living as living in a glorified tent and you’ll be (partly) prepared! There is nothing glamorous about sailboat living!

You’ll be getting changed in tiny spaces where you may or may not be able to stand. You’ll be squeezing into the toilet or squeezing past people to use the kettle. It’s a juggling act, even when all your belongings are stashed away neatly.

Add to that the fact you’ll probably be ripping open cupboards every other day to find that essential item that was placed under all the other essential items and it becomes pretty hard to manage!

Our top tips for managing space onboard your sailboat are to downsize before you move in and to prioritise sailboat storage. It might be a hard thing to do to start with, but you’ll be so thankful you gave up all nonessential items before you even moved aboard.

It’s amazing how quickly you can fill a boat when you live on it! We have loads of handy tips on how to maximise limited space in our post on sailboat storage ideas – check it out before you start sailboat living!

#3 Water, Water, Everywhere But Not A Drop To Wash In

Get used to living frugally. We don’t necessarily mean your finances (though it is possible to live on a budget on a sailboat, check out what we spend monthly here).

Things like water and electricity are limited on a sailboat, especially if you’re spending the majority of your time at anchor.

Unless you have a sailboat watermaker (which we highly recommend splashing out on!) you need to get used to using as little water as possible . It’s not always easy to find when you live on the sea.

Get used to taking sea showers and washing dishes in saltwater. You can always rinse in freshwater, and washing in the sea really isn’t too hard once you’re used to it!

Set your sailboat up with a good way of making electricity as soon as you move aboard. You’ll want decent amounts of solar power and possibly a wind generator too, especially if you’re planning on spending time in countries that don’t see very much sunshine or spending winters at anchor.

You’ll also want to make sure you have a good battery bank for storing it over night, and you may even want to consider getting a small generator if you rely on power for things like charging laptops to work from.

#4 The People You Meet Will Be A True Highlight

The sailing community is what makes sailboat living. They are the most giving and generous community of people we have ever met and the best memories we have are the ones we spent with other cruisers.

It’s not always easy to meet other sailors while you’re living at anchor, so our advice is to make the effort and say hi where ever possible. People are always happy to share a drink or dinner, and a salty tale or two!

Meeting other sailors is also the very best way to learn more about sailing life. No matter how long people have cruised for they always have an experience worth sharing and learning from.

#5 The Weather Controls Your Life In Sailboat Living

We check the weather twice a day, every day. It may seem obvious that the weather is important on a sailboat, but until we moved aboard we didn’t realise quite how much it would affect our lives.

You might be desperate to move the boat and explore somewhere new but find you have no wind to sail. Or you might fall in love with an anchorage and want to stay but be forced to move because of a change in the direction of the wind.

We’ve had to leave beautiful anchorages in the middle of the night because an unpredicted storm had blown through, or been stuck in places we don’t like because the wind has meant it’s the only safe place to be.

The positives of being governed by the weather is that you’re so much more in tune with it. You get up when the sun rises, you notice subtle changes in the temperature and you learn to read the wind and clouds.

Before you move on board you should start checking the weather and anchorages around where you plan on sailing. It makes life easier if you’ve scouted out the best places to be in different weather conditions.

Check things like whether there are safe anchorages for different wind directions or whether you’ll need to use marinas (and how much they’ll be!), and check if there are any ‘bolt holes’ you can use as safe havens in the event of unexpected storms.

You’ll feel more confident and comfortable if you have all this information to hand when you start sailboat living.

#6 Sailboat Living Means Leaving Your Privacy On The Dockside

You’ll be sharing a tiny space with your crew and they will quickly learn literally everything there is to learn about you. And you them.

Before you move onto a sailboat make sure that you’re happy with sharing everything with the people you’re sailing with. I don’t mean you have to tell them about your childhood (though night passages can be pretty dull!) but be prepared to share what you eat, when you toilet, potentially what you throw up.

Expect to be walked in on while you’re changing or showering. Understand that boat toilets break – a lot – so no matter how careful you are you might well end up elbow deep in someone else’s last nights dinner!

#7 Learn To Work As A Team – Quickly

Sailboat living requires a huge amount of team work (unless you’re planning on living alone of course). You need get into a very different mindset when you live and work with the same person or people day in, day out, and when you depend on them (quite literally) to survive.

One of the biggest reasons that people quit at sailboat living is because they fall out with their partners, or call it a day before they do. Sailboat living is hard on relationships, but it can also make your relationship better and stronger if you’re prepared to work at it.

There are lots of things you can do to prepare for this change and I’ve put together a whole range of tips to help you with spending too much time with your partner .

Ultimately, one of the best things you can do is know that this isn’t going to be easy, no matter how strong your relationship is on land. Be prepared for this as a couple, and be prepared to work hard on your relationship when the tough patches come!

#8 Nature Is Incredible

I know, I know, we all know nature is incredible. But sailboat living brings you so much closer to it in so many different ways.

You see things you’d never get a chance to see on land. Every time you jump in the sea you find new sea creatures, either from snorkeling or finding them clinging on to your hull, or washed up on deck.

You see turtles, whales and rays. Birds come to find rest on your boat while you’re on long passages and dolphins swim beside you as you make waves for them to play in.

Then there’s the sunrises and sunsets, and the endless starlit skies. The thunderstorms that you’re suddenly a part of, when before you could hide inside brick walls. The constantly changing sea and sky, and the sun and wind. You become part of it, and you depend on it, and you’re terrified of it.

Sailboat living makes you feel like you’re part of the nature around you rather than just a lucky spectator. It’s certainly changed the way I see the ocean and the weather for the better and I have a new found respect and healthy fear of it’s power and awe.

#9 Prepare For Sleepless Nights

Before we set off cruising full time I had no idea how little sleep I would get. There are so many different things trying their hardest to ruin a good nights sleep on a sailboat.

Firstly, the weather. If it’s windy, you’ll be half awake all night just watching the anchor and wondering if this will be the night it pulls out and you drag into some rocks.

You’ll be waiting for the wind to shift slightly so that you’re no longer protected from the sea. And even if you’re super happy with your anchoring set up, the wind through the halyards makes a very disconcerting noise!

If the weather is calm that doesn’t mean the sea will be. You can never predict whether the anchorage you arrive in will be the rollyest place on the island, so you’ll spend a good few nights just rolling around all over the place trying your hardest to stay in your berth.

Then there’s the heat (or the cold, depending on where you sail). It can be unbearably hot inside a sailboat, so consider buying a decent hammock and sleep under the stars instead.

But if you decide to sleep outside you’re going to want a mosquito net, because those things are FIERCE. Never have I ever experienced so many sleepless nights due to a buzzing in my ears and painful bites all over my legs.

If you can find a comfortable set up with your hammock and mozzie net then sleeping outside on a sailboat is one of the most magical things ever. The stars are brighter than you could ever imagine, and there are shooting stars a plenty. The stillness of a calm night at anchor is one of the very best things about sailboat living.

If you’re sailing with a baby you can expect even less sleep – make sure you’re prepared for that!

#10 Sailboat Living Is More Difficult Than You Could Imagine (But Totally Worth It)

Difficult sounds bad, but that would be inaccurate when describing sailboat living. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done and the best. And part of what makes it the best is that it’s the hardest. Does that make sense?!

Sailboat living can feel like a constant battle at times. You have to trek for an hour to find the gas to light your oven to make a cup of tea in the morning. You then have to go back again because you forgot the tea bags. Things break and need fixing. You can’t sleep because of a storm. You can’t leave the boat for days because the winds up and you’re scared the anchor might pull out.

I think people run away to sea to find freedom, but like everything freedom can be defined in so many different ways.

Sailboat living takes away your freedom of easy access to food and water. It takes away your freedom to step out of your front door into relative safety. At times it even takes away your freedom to run and walk.

What it does give you is freedom from monotony. Freedom from daily routine. It gives you the freedom to travel where you want (if not when you want) and the freedom from material possessions.

It doesn’t matter what you wear on a boat, it doesn’t matter how flashy your boat is or how much you smell! At the end of the day, out on the sea, it’s just you surviving. And in a way, that’s the most free I’ve ever felt.

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15 comments.

I’ll be moving on a sailboat with my girlfriend this (still very new) year and I discovered your blog via Pinterest. We’re also writing weekly blog posts about our journey. Your writing is excellent, and I’d like to follow you on your mailing list. But it seems your form does not work. Fix it maybe? 🙂

Ah that’s strange! I can see people are still signing up, will have a look into that! Thanks for letting me know. Thanks so much for reading along. Where’s your boat? I’m so excited for you – those first few weeks aboard are the best!

I can’t seem to sign up for more. The web page has an error on my Android. Bummer.

Can you please add my email address to your email distribution list?

Thanks, Steve

So glad to come across you guys, finding out as much as we can before we take that leap. We are a couple coming to the end of a army career. The last 2 years will be in Kenya Nanyuki. Posted in June. Then we plan to get the dream sailing boat and travel. I am doing all my home work trying to find out as much as I can before we do this. Looking forward to reading about you both and tasking in everything any thing that we will I’m sure be incredible useful. Thank you Sandy

Sorry for the late reply, I’ve only just noticed your lovely comment. I hope you’re getting further along with your dream – would love to hear about it! If you need more help we’ve put together a huge guidebook detailing everything we’ve learnt, from the very beginning of the journey through to buying the boat and eventually living aboard and making it all work. https://twogetlost.com/guidebook

That’s really nice post. I appreciate your skills. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for the honest truth in this article. Doing all the research possible before following our dreams and in your footsteps 🙌💕⛵⚓

Thanks so much for your kind comment and really pleased we could help! Keep us updated on your journey, you won’t look back!

Wow! I am on a boat reading this while my partner is away for the first time in months, and it made me feel less insane and like there are tools to help us live our dream of minimalist sailboat life.. Thank you so much for your wise words and good tools..

I’m so pleased it helped and excited for you starting this journey! You won’t regret it, and we’d love to hear more when you find the perfect boat and move aboard! If you need more help we’ve put together a huge guidebook detailing everything we’ve learnt, from the very beginning of the journey through to buying the boat and eventually living aboard and making it all work. https://twogetlost.com/guidebook

• Pingback: How To Downsize Your Wardrobe For Boatlife | Two Get Lost

Any suggested reading on preparing your land life (home, insurance, anythin really) for departure. Sell the home or rwnt, thinks like that. Want to start preparjng a year ahead and struggling to make a plan..any blogs ir reading suggestions would be appreciated!

Hello, thanks for reaching out. First off – congratulations! You’re obviously set on your plan to move aboard and it will be amazing (and lots of other things too!!) We actually cover all this in part one of our guidebook. We go through everything we had to consider before moving aboard, things like whether to sell or not to sell, what to do with all your things, even little considerations like what to tell family and friends. We’ve included tick lists for planning the change in lifestyle. You can find it here. https://twogetlost.com/guidebook Part 2 is for after you’ve bought the boat – getting the boat ready for living aboard and all the other things that come along with living at sea. I hope it helps and please do let us know how you get on – perhaps we’ll see you out here soon!

It’s helpful to understand that when living in a sailboat, the weather controls every aspect of our lives. Not long ago, my wife and I decided to invest in a sailboat because we love the sea and nature. We’d like to buy one this year, and maybe in the future, we’ll need to read carefully your advice about living in a vessel.

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I Was 6 When My Father Decided We'd Sail Around The World. I Would Be Trapped On That Boat For Nearly A Decade.

Guest Writer

It has taken me decades to be ready to tell this story. Until I reached the safety of adulthood and created my own family, I wasn’t able to confront my parents’ story about my past. In their telling, I was “privileged.” After all, I grew up on a beautiful boat called Wavewalker , sailing around the world.

Of course I knew their story wasn’t true. Although I had grown up on Wavewalker from the age of 7 for almost a decade, I was trapped there — unable to go to school or have friends. While my brother was allowed to help out on deck, I was expected to cook and clean down below for hours each day.

My normal life in England ended when I was 6 years old and my father announced that we were going to sail around the world. He wanted to recreate Captain Cook’s third voyage, which would take three years. This was a long time — but we would be back, he promised, before I was 10. That meant that even though I was leaving my best friend Sarah, my beloved water spaniel Rusty, and my dollhouse behind, they would all be waiting for me when we returned.

Except that wasn’t what happened. We set sail from England a year after that announcement, and it was a decade before I returned alone at the age of 17. Most of the time in between I lived on Wavewalker and was unable to go to school. We often ran out of fresh food — and sometimes almost ran out of water ― on longer voyages. When that happened, we relied on canned and dried food, and my father allowed us each a cup of water a day for drinking and washing.

One of the challenges of my childhood, I grew to understand, was that my parents’ narrative looked true — we seemed to be living a privileged life by being able to sail to gorgeous places like Vanuatu and Fiji in the South Pacific. But the reality was very different.

For a start, I learned early on our voyage how dangerous the ocean could be. A few months after we left England, we were hit by an enormous wave when my father attempted to cross the Southern Indian Ocean accompanied only by two novice crew members, my mother (who didn’t like sailing) and his two small children. I fractured my skull and broke my nose in that accident and had to endure multiple head operations without anesthesia on the small atoll that we eventually found in the middle of the ocean.

But my life on Wavewalker wasn’t just physically dangerous. Living on a boat for a decade meant that I could rarely have friendships, I had little or no access to medical care and I couldn’t attend school.

As I turned into a teenager, I had no private space. Instead I had to share the one working toilet we had on board with my family and up to eight or nine crew, and to share a cabin with adult crew members.

As the years went on, it became clear that my parents had no intention of fulfilling their promise to return home. I had no way of leaving the boat — I had no passport or money. But more than that, I had nowhere to go.

We’d set sail when I was a small child, and after that I never saw any of my relatives again. Apart from my parents, I had no other adults in my life apart from the crew members who came and went. The only people I saw in authority were the customs and immigration officials who boarded our boat when we arrived in each new country, and they never expressed any interest in the welfare of the two children they found there.

While Wavewalker represented freedom for my parents — they could pull up the anchor and sail away whenever they wanted — it was a prison for me.

I eventually realized that the only way I would ever escape Wavewalker was if I found a way to educate myself. I tried to convince my parents to let me go to school, and six years after setting sail, they finally agreed to allow me to enroll in an Australian correspondence school. I was 13 years old.

While it was clear to me that my only possible escape was through education, studying by correspondence on a boat was very difficult. By this time my father had turned our boat into a sort of “floating hotel” to pay for our endless voyage, and my parents wanted me to work rather than spending my days with my nose in my books.

There were also more practical issues. I had no postal address and I had no space in which to study apart from the one small table in our main cabin. Sometimes I would hide myself inside a sail at the front of the boat to study, knowing no one would come looking for me there. I had to fight my father for paper, which was an expensive commodity in the South Pacific. Whenever we reached a major port, I sent off the lessons I’d completed and asked the school to send them back to the post office at our next port of call, but if my father decided to change course, my lessons went astray.

I found the correspondence lessons very challenging, partially because I had missed a lot of education and because it was very difficult to learn remotely without being able to talk to a teacher. I knew, however, that I had no choice ― it was my only way out.

After three years of studying by correspondence while at sea, when I was 16 and my brother was 15, my parents decided to put my brother into a school in New Zealand. (As my father once explained it to me, my education was less important since I would never have to support a family.)

When my parents sailed away, I was left behind to look after my brother, doing the shopping, cooking and cleaning while he went to school each day and I tried to keep studying by correspondence. For nine months, we lived alone in a small hut beside a lake in a country in which I only knew one adult (who lived several hours away). My father left a small amount of money in a bank account that I could only access by forging his signature.

I kept working through my correspondence lessons, posting them off each week. I also wrote to every university I’d ever heard of, asking them if they would let me apply to be a student. Most wrote back saying that they would not consider me.

The local universities wouldn’t consider me because I was an English citizen, and the English ones wouldn’t consider me because they thought my qualifications were too hard to assess. But eventually Oxford University wrote back and ― after I sent them two essays – offered to interview me if I could find some way to get myself back to England. So I used money I’d earned picking kiwis, together with a small contribution from my father, to buy a one-way plane ticket, betting everything on that meeting.

Amazingly, Oxford gave me a place, and I went to university the following year. By that time, however, my relationship with my parents was tenuous. I really struggled that first year at university — not only because I had almost no money and survived mainly on cans of tomatoes and dried pasta, but also because I found it hard to fit in socially after so many years of isolation.

The good news is that after that tough first year, I started to make friends, and with access at last to libraries and laboratories, I thrived academically. After finishing my degree, I went on to do a Ph.D. at Cambridge University and then joined the U.K. government, working in the Treasury. It was there that I met my wonderful husband, Jeremy. When I became a parent myself — Jeremy and I had three lovely children ― I was determined to treat my children very differently. I make it clear to them that my love will always be unconditional, and that I will always be there for them if they need me.

When my parents eventually returned to the U.K., I tried several times to talk to them about the past, but they always reacted defensively, stating that it had “all worked out fine in the end.”

I knew I would probably lose the remaining relationship I had with them when I told the true story about my childhood. However, I never doubted that I would write about my time on Wavewalker. When my children reached the same age I was when I was struggling with my loneliness and lack of access to education, I at last saw my childhood through a mother’s eyes. I knew that I no longer had an obligation to maintain my parents’ narrative: My childhood was certainly unusual, but it was never privileged.

Author’s Note: This essay is an account of my childhood as I experienced it, and based on extensive diaries and other documents from the time. Others who were present may have experienced it differently. But this is my story.

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My Cruiser Life Magazine

Living on a Sailboat – Cruiserlife Reality, Pros & Cons Of Boat Life In 2023

What could be more romantic or inspiring than living on a sailboat? Maybe you dream of traveling and “sailing off into the sunset.” Or maybe you dig the sailing lifestyle and are looking to join a community of like-minded people. For some, it has been a lifelong dream. Or perhaps you’ve landed here because you’re out of options, and life on a sailboat sounds cheaper than land-based obligations and a good way to save money.

Table of Contents

The dream of sailboat life, can you live aboard any boat, sail or power.

• Price Range 

Monohull or Catamaran

Dock life or off the grid, living spaces, five reasons boat life is awesome, five reasons why a liveaboard boat can be a bummer, before you do, try life on a sailboat first, sailboat life faqs.

The truth is, many reasons bring people to move onto a sailboat—or any kind of boat. If you’re unfamiliar with boat life, think of boats as floating RVs or campers. They attract all sorts of people, from wealthy travelers to people making ends meet. And just like with RVs, they range from palatial yachts to cramped, dingy things you can’t get away from fast enough.

Buying a sailboat to live on has grown in popularity in recent years and has boomed during the coronavirus era. While the global pandemic certainly slowed world travel, it has pushed more people to work from where ever they like. With unlimited data cell phone plans, you can take your boat nearly anywhere and still be connected with the world.

The first question to ask is, “What sort of boat do you want to live on?” Boats come in every shape and size to suit every boater. As a result, the choices can be overwhelming when you first consider the lifestyle.

All boats represent compromises. The vessel designer made compromises to fit all the things in the boat that they could. There are compromises in performance in favor of more creature comforts, or vice versa. 

Likewise, you’ll make compromises when you purchase a boat. You may find that the vessel of your dreams is out of your budget, so you compromise with a smaller boat or one lacking some features. You may opt for a stout bluewater boat built for ocean crossings. If that’s the case, you will invariably compromise on some liveaboard comforts that cheaper coastal cruisers might offer. 

What the boat needs to have for you to liveaboard is entirely up to you. Is your idea of the liveaboard lifestyle all about downsizing and living simply? Or is living aboard a means to an ends—a way to slowly travel the world comfortably while taking “home” with you? Do you live for the passion of actual sailing, or is sailing just a cheap way to move from place to place?

In other words, before you go boat shopping, you must narrow down your goals for the vessel. Next, we’ll look at some of the features that will make how to live on a sailboat easier, but remember that nothing is mandatory. 

Buying a Sailboat to Live On

If you’re wondering whether or not sailboat life is right for you, start by thinking about what the perfect setup would be like. Chances are you have some preconceived notions of what living on a sailboat is like. And chances are there are ways that it could be like that, but there are also ways that it could be completely different. 

Before you dive too deep into the lifestyle, don’t pigeonhole yourself into looking at only sailboats. There are tons of powerboats that you can get for similar prices as used sailboats. And motorboats have a few advantages over sailboats, especially for living aboard.

The most common types of powerboats you’ll see people living on are trawlers or cabin cruisers. First, the design of these boats means that their hull shape is better able to accommodate living space. They’ve got wide sterns and bigger interiors. They also usually have large windows and a nice view out of the living area, something most sailboats lack. 

The only thing that a powerboat can’t do is sail (obviously), and most people don’t cross oceans in them. But most people who buy sailboats to do those things never actually do them! So again, it all comes back to being honest with yourself about what you want to do with your boat. If you’re after comfortable living space and the ability to travel anywhere along the coast, a trawler should be high on your list.  

Price Range

You can’t go boat shopping (or even dreaming!) without at least some idea of your budget. You can spend anywhere from $1,000 to well over $10 million buying a sailboat. You have to narrow it down a bit!

Here are a few pointers to guide you. If you browse for a boat on Yachtworld , you can get a pretty good idea of a particular make and model’s nominal value. 

These are brokered boats, so the list prices seldom equal the sale price. But it provides a good way to analyze the market. Some will be priced very high because they are newer, have newer upgraded engines, are better maintained, or are otherwise “better.” By eliminating those, you should be able to estimate the average value of a particular make and model. 

You may find listings that look like bargains because they are priced lower. Chances are, these are project boats. Project boats require “elbow grease” or “DIY skills” to restore. A project boat is always a losing proposition because it will usually take many more dollars to get it ship-shape than it would cost to have just bought the kept up boat to begin with. 

Here’s an example. Say you’re shopping for one of the best liveaboard sailboats , like a Catalina 30, and the average price is around $18,000. Then, one day while browsing Craigslist, you see one listed for $5,000. A bargain, right? Well, it should be no surprise that the $5,000 boat “needs a little work.” But what you might not realize is that it probably needs $20,000 or more worth of work (and even that number is if you plan on putting in your own elbow grease).

The moral of this story is pretty simple—plan on paying the average price for a sailboat. Of course, there might be some bargains out there. But generally, if you want a functional, livable boat, it will cost you some cash.

Catamarans are popular choices for liveaboard boaters, especially if you plan on anchoring or traveling a lot. These boats have expansive living spaces that feel much less crowded and claustrophobic than typical boats. Even sail cats ofter raised salons with wrap-around windows and lots of fresh air flowing through.

On the flip side, it can be challenging and expensive to find a dock or repair facility in some parts of the world when you need one. So if you plan to live at a dock on a catamaran, start your search by finding the dock first. Catamarans are too wide to fit in regular slips, so marinas must put them on the limited number of bulkhead or t-head docks they have. 

Catamarans are expensive, and it’s generally not good to stretch your budget when buying a boat. If you do, you’ll have less money in the back to travel or spend on upgrades and repairs. So if the catamaran lifestyle appeals to you, double-check your numbers to ensure you can afford to do it right.

Being a liveaboard boater does not mean you must spend your life tied to a dock. You could travel regularly from your marina home base. Or you could travel and not have a home base. It all depends on how you organize your life and your obligations. 

If you intend to live as off-the-grid as possible, that should be considered when you go boat shopping. Some boats are easy to set up that way, and others are not.

If you spend a lot of time away from docks, you must come up with a plan to get some necessities. Some things are easy, and others are more difficult. You’ll have to answer questions about how you will get electrical power, fresh water, pump outs, fuel, and groceries.

Electrical Power

At a dock, you can plug in with a large extension cord and enjoy unlimited power just like you would in a home. Since all the power arrives through the one big cord, there might be some inconveniences, like you cannot blow dry your hair, make microwave popcorn, and brew coffee all at once. But generally, you’ll have outlets that work and plenty of power to run air conditioners, heaters, cooking appliances, and whatever else. 

Away from the dock and unplugged is another thing entirely. Some boats have generators that will run 24/7 to maintain the same comforts. But generators drink diesel fuel and are noisy and smelly. Most sailors who live off the grid prefer to use solar panels and a large bank of batteries to power what they need. In all but extreme cases, however, this means that some power-intensive conveniences like air conditioning and heaters are not viable options.

Fresh Water

Docks will supply city or well water for use onboard. In some cases, you plug in a hose for unlimited supply, but on most boats, you simply fill up the water tanks whenever you need to. 

Away from the dock, you’ll have to rely on the tanks alone. When they get low, you’ll need to visit a dock to refill them. Any marina will let you fill up, but most boaters combine it with a trip for fuel or a pump out. 

Some boaters catch rainwater and put it in their water tanks. Others carry jerry cans of water from shore in their dinghy. And on ocean-going boats, you can install water-making systems that desalinate seawater and make it potable. 

If water goes in the boat, it must come out, right? It is illegal to dump your toilets overboard in most parts of the world unless you are far offshore. So boats are equipped with a holding tank—the boat equivalent of the RV black water tank.

To empty the tank, you visit a pump out station. This is simply a pump that takes the tank contents and puts them in the local sewage treatment system. It is far more ecologically responsible than dumping it. 

The size of your holding tank is a significant limiting factor on most liveaboard vessels. On average, a 20-gallon tank will last a couple about one week of full-time living aboard. So plan on a weekly trip to the pump out dock. You can just use the marina’s facilities as often as possible if you live at a dock. That will extend your time between pump outs considerably.

Some places have pump out boats that will come to you. This is common in busy mooring fields or anchorages like those found in Florida. Some are provided by marinas, and others are done by local cities or counties. Interested in liveaboard marinas in Florida , visit our guide!

Living aboard doesn’t burn any engine fuel. And it’s usually easy to find gas or diesel fuel docks when traveling.

But you’ll also occasionally need cooking fuel, usually propane. You may also need fuel for your heaters during winter. Boat heaters work on diesel, propane, or solid fuels.

Finally, you’ll need a plan for groceries. For example, if you live at a dock at a marina, you might keep a car there and live like you would if you had an apartment. 

If you don’t have a car or are traveling, you will start looking for grocery stores near marinas. Walking distance becomes important, as do marina loaners cars or Uber.

You can make a lot of upgrades and modifications to make the boat you choose, but it’s not possible to fundamentally change the boat’s characteristics. If you’re thinking about living on a boat full time, you need to consider the living spaces and whether or not you and your family can comfortably live there.

Salon, Cockpit, and Staterooms

You’ll spend most of your time in the larger spaces, like the cockpit and salon. The cockpit is like the outdoor patio, and the salon is like your living room and dining room combined. Do these areas have enough space for everyone to lounge comfortably? What about regular everyday things like reading a book or watching the tv? 

Designers make boats comfortable and safe while boating, but it’s only recently that they’ve emphasized the livability aspect of their designs. As a result, many sailboats have small cockpits that are safe at sea but cramped for day-to-day life. Likewise, settees and lounges might not be engineered for comfort so much as use in rough seas. 

A common complaint that people have about boat life is the shape of the beds. Staterooms on small boats usually have v-berths, vee-shaped cushions in the bow. These can be very difficult to get in and out of, especially for couples. They nearly always involve getting trapped inside and having to climb over your partner to get out. Island berths, which stand in the center of the stateroom and can be accessed on either side, are a great upgrade. 

Galley and Head

And then there are the functional parts of the boat like the kitchen and bath (or the galley and head in boating terms). Kitchens will be much smaller than even efficiency apartments. Expect a simple gas range and small oven at the most. Some boats will have a microwave, but not all. Refrigerators are small, and on sailboats, they are often awkward top-loaders. The biggest problem you’ll find with most boat galleys is a lack of counter space and storage. 

The head is another place to analyze what living aboard would be like. Smaller boats have “wet heads.” That means that if you want to have a shower, you’ll sit on the toilet, and everything will get wet. The opposite of a wet head is a separate shower stall, which is a great upgrade if you are living aboard full time.

Pros and Cons of Life on a Sailboat

So now you’ve got some ideas about what makes up life on a sailboat—or at least a look at the variety and sorts of boats that you can liveaboard. What would make you want to take the plunge, and what would give you pause? Here are a few pros and cons to the liveaboard lifestyle.

Living on a sailboat provides an amount of freedom that people with houses can never know. Don’t like your neighbor? Change slips or move to a new marina. Sick of this town? You and your house can be in another state in a few days.

Not being tied down means you can organize your life to travel more. For example, if you aren’t tied to a local job, you could spend summers staying cool in New England and winters in Florida or The Bahamas. Or if you’re entirely untied, head off into the sunset for the Caribbean or an around the world cruise.

2. More Time On the Water

It only follows that you must like the water if you’re looking at boat life. Many people feel a special connection to nature from being near the sea, be it at the beach or on a boat. Boats provide you with endless million-dollar waterfront views that can change as much as you want to travel. You’ll enjoy your morning coffee with a whole new crowd—pelicans, dolphins, sea turtles, and manatees may be in your backyard every morning. 

3. Romantic, Slow Paced Travel

Even if you don’t cruise, there is a romantic connection to travel in every boat. Arriving in a new town by boat is unlike any other travel experience. Every town looks like the same strip malls and chain stores by car. But by boat, you can see towns like an explorer, viewing each historic waterfront and finding all the best dive bars and cruiser hangouts. 

With the right sailboat, you can travel nearly anywhere in the world. Some people dream of completing a circumnavigation, while others stick to seasonal cruising. Whatever your goal, sailboats might not be the fastest way to travel, but they are certainly the most romantic.

4. Small Space Simple Living

On the one hand, boats and RVs are the mobile equivalents of the tiny house. If the idea of downsizing your possessions and valuing experiences more than material goods appeals to you, living in the small space of a liveaboard boat might be right for you.

It might seem counterintuitive because boats are pretty complex and expensive items. But downsizing is a relative thing, and no matter how fancy the boat is, chances are the people living on it downsized their lives to get there. Boats themselves are complex, but they also prevent you from being burdened by many non-essentials.

5. Sailing Community

Finally, the sailing and boating community is full of interesting and fun people. Everywhere you go, you’ll meet boaters that come from a wide range of backgrounds who have similar interests to your own. The community is supportive and known for fun get-togethers over cocktails or pot-lucks.

1. Difficult to Find Liveaboard Marinas

If your goal is to live on a boat and stay in one place, you might find it’s hard to get a marina or anchorage that suits you. Marinas are businesses, and each one is operated to suit a particular crowd. Some welcome liveaboards while others do not. Sometimes it’s the marina policy, and other times it has to do with local city or state regulations. 

However, if you are traveling on your boat as a cruiser, you have little to worry about. Travelers and voyagers are always welcome, and transient slips at marinas for up to three months are usually readily available. 

2. Small Spaces

Wait, wasn’t “small living” a pro of living on a boat? It was, but it can suck too. Cramped spaces, storage limits, and small living get old and frustrating after a while. No matter how hard you try, you’ll wind up collecting too much stuff that you have no room to store. Downsizing is a process, not a one-time event when you live on a boat. 

And then, there are the problems that stem from sharing a small space with your partner or family. Boats offer very little in terms of private space. Even if you get off the boat everyday and travel, living together so closely for any length of time will test any relationship to the breaking point.

3. Constant Maintenance Costs and Fixing Things

Boats are constantly breaking. They float in an acidic solution 24/7, are subject to constant motion and vibration, and are full of explosive substances and toxic chemicals. Sometimes it seems like they are willfully trying to self-destruct and take you to the bottom of the ocean.

Of particular note regarding crew morale are those ever-constant maintenance issues related to the toilet plumbing. Marine heads stink—but literally (sometimes at least) and figuratively in their design and function. 

Engine problems are also a big concern, primarily for their expense. A new engine can easily cost more than you paid for the entire boat!

Repairs on boats slow down after the first year of ownership once you handle everything the vessel needs. But by then, your time will be full of preventative maintenance tasks to keep it all working well. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

4. It’s Really Very Slow

If you’re buying a boat to travel, you might be shocked at how little traveling you can get done. Boats travel at the whim of the weather, which often means sitting in port and waiting for better conditions. There’s a lot more sitting and waiting than actually sailing. If you’re coming from the land-based road world, this is a stark contrast to hopping in your car and driving off whenever you feel like it. 

Even when you do travel, moving between five and seven miles per hour is slow. What can be done in one day in a car now takes you three to four 24-hour days of constant travel.

5. Sometimes, It’s the Worst

Maybe that’s mellow dramatic, but experienced sailors will understand the sentiment. But sometimes, it just seems like the weather or entire ocean is trying to kill you.

Then, there’s the constant inconvenience of it. Just getting a cold beer out of the fridge might involve clearing the countertop, opening the lid, taking out two top shelves, and leaning down at the very bottom to find the last bottle. Then, there are marina wifi problems, seasickness in rolly anchorages, and boat parts lost in the mail or stuck in customs. 

 Like many choices you make in life, living on a sailboat is not about the boat or the place. It’s all about your attitude. Is it an adventure or a nuisance? Of course, everyone experiences inconveniences once in a while, no matter where they live. But boats make everything seem more dramatic, causing you to doubt your choices at the first signs of discomfort.

It’s hard to describe both the pleasure and the dispair that living on a boat can provide. It’s been said that for every low-low, like a back-flowing toilet, there are high-highs, like the perfect sunset with dolphins dancing just for you. 

From my observations, most people who move aboard give it up after their second or third year. Unfortunately, many don’t make it past year one, which is always the hardest due to the steep learning curve. 

The best advice is to try sailboat life before you buy into it. Charter a boat or take some sailing lessons. Find friends with boats who will take you out and share their stories with you. Do research, go to boat shows, and try it out in any way you can before taking the plunge. And no matter what you do, remember to enjoy and savor the adventure!

Is living on a sailboat worth it?

I think so, and many others do too. But living on a sailboat is not for everyone. Boats range from luxurious yachts to cramped, floating tents. No matter what size boat you choose to live on, there will be times when you doubt that it’s worth it. 

All boats are cramped and uncomfortable at times. Life revolves around the weather, the boat, and staying safe. Sometimes it means getting out of bed at 2 am to move the boat in a storm, and sometimes it means not joining your friends at the beach party because something broke and you need to fix it. 

It’s impossible to answer whether or not living on a sailboat is worth it to you—only you can make that call. This is because sailboats offer not only a way to travel but a way to completely change your life. 

Can you legally live on a boat?

Yes, you absolutely can live on a boat. But depending on where you want to live, it can be challenging to find marinas or anchorages that will allow you to. There is nothing inherently illegal about living aboard a boat, but liveaboards are frowned on by many dockmasters and local governments. However, you can find liveaboard marinas, and many have lovely, welcoming communities of people who love their vessels, the water, and the sailing lifestyle.

Matt has been boating around Florida for over 25 years in everything from small powerboats to large cruising catamarans. He currently lives aboard a 38-foot Cabo Rico sailboat with his wife Lucy and adventure dog Chelsea. Together, they cruise between winters in The Bahamas and summers in the Chesapeake Bay.

10 struggles of living on a sailboat that no one tells you about

• Karin and Brian Trautman live on a 53-foot sailboat year-round. 
• The couple has spent the last decade living on the boat.
• Along with the many incredible memories they've created, there are struggles the family hadn't considered when they moved onto the boat.
• The couple shared with Insider 10 challenges they face, from a lack of privacy to how difficult it can be to cook on a moving ship. 
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories .

Living on a 53-foot sailboat comes with extraordinary advantages, but it's bound to come with challenges along the way. 

Brian and Karin Trautman are familiar with both. The couple and their 11-month-old daughter, Sierra, live on SV Delos , a two-masted sailboat built for cruising. 

After 12 days of hard labor Delos is back in the water looking super shiny ⛵️💦✨ Huge thanks to Ryan, Brian, Greg, Jake and Jeff for donating your time and sweat! I couldn’t have done it without your hard work 🙏 @flyingbrian.svdelos . #svdelos #boatwork #sailinglife #boatlife A post shared by Sailing SV Delos (@svdelos) on Jul 7, 2020 at 3:27pm PDT Jul 7, 2020 at 3:27pm PDT

Brian told Insider he was "living the American dream." He had a corporate job in software, a car, a home, and a flat-screen TV in every room. But the 44-year-old said he "wanted to break out of that mold and travel."

So he quit his job, sold everything, bought a sailboat, and decided to travel year-round . 

In 2009, Brian traveled from Washington to Mexico and eventually to Australia and New Zealand, where he met his wife, Karin.

What had initially been an 18-month trip quickly turned into 11 years. Since then, they've explored 45 countries and traveled over 70,000 miles. 

Over the last decade, the couple, along with a crew, have explored tropical destinations around the world. They've traveled throughout New Zealand's coast , met local villagers in The Philippines, celebrated Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago, and created lifelong friendships.

But that's not to say they haven't been met with challenges. From months without fresh fruit and vegetable to a hardware store worth of supplies on the ship, Brian and Karin are familiar with the struggles of living on the ocean.

Here are 10 challenges of living on a sailboat. 

Brian and Karin live and die by the weather.

Wind, water, and storms guide Brian and Karin's daily life. Each trip they plan is based around weather and tides, and a journey can change at a moment's notice. 

"Let's say that you're sitting in your house and a big thunderstorm rolls up and lightening starts crashing and the wind starts blowing, that can be very exhilarating and cool, but you're in a house," Brian said. 

In a sailboat, it's not "cool" but terrifying. 

Mother Nature dictates where they travel, when they travel, and the route they take. 

"That's a huge challenge as a sailor, you can't bend the seasons or the waves," he said. "You have to figure out how to work with them rather than against them because you will always lose."

Everything — literally everything — moves.

When the boat is underway or traveling to its next destination, it can be a rocky experience.

Waves slap against the ship, and the boat is in constant movement.

This creates the perfect scenario for seasickness, tumbles, and loose items to fly around.

But there are smaller challenges when you live in motion. People living on a sailboat don't have the luxury of leaving a glass of water sitting on a counter or else the waves will send it flying. 

Beyond taking some time to get used to living in a moving home, there are other challenges when it comes to cooking and raising a child. 

Movement makes cooking a lot more challenging.

"Cooking is an extreme challenge," Karin told Insider.

The sailboat's kitchen has everything from a toaster to a dishwasher to a stove, but using these appliances looks different than your typical kitchen experience.

Traditional kitchen tasks are adjusted so the crew on SV Delos can cook while the boat rocks back and forth.

For example, the stove is on a gimbal, which allows it to move with the water. The pots and pans lock into the stove, so they can't fly off if a big wave hits the boat. 

Additionally, the movement makes the cooking process take longer. "You always have to do things in steps," Karin explained. 

Plates, glasses, cutting boards, and other kitchen items can't be left unattended because they'll end up on the floor. 

The movement adds a new element as they teach their daughter to walk.

Brian and Karin brought Sierra to live on their ship when she was four months old. Back then, she didn't crawl, walk, or move very much.

But a few months later, and Sierra has become an active baby. 

"The most challenging thing has been the movement of the boat and the movement of the baby together," Karin said. 

Karin explained that Sierra wants to stand, crawl, and learn to walk but that can be a challenge to learn when there's unpredictable movement on a boat. 

"She wants to move around and crawl and stand, but she's learning still," she said. "But then you have the boat moving, and the boat is rolling back and forth and back and forth."

Brian and Karin have to keep a constant eye on her to make sure she doesn't stumble or fall. 

"You have to follow her every second," she said. 

While raising a child on a sailboat has its battles, Karin said she wouldn't trade it for anything. 

"The beautiful part is that we are all together as a family 24/7," she said. "I think that's the thing I love the most."

Sometimes you don't have access to grocery stores for months, and your daily meal consists of "mush wraps."

"The biggest surprise for me was actually the food," Karin said.

Karin is from Kiruna, Sweden, and had never lived or sailed on a boat before meeting Brian. 

In her hometown and everywhere else she's lived in life, she said she's always had access to a grocery store or fresh produce.

When she moved onto SV Delos, she lost that easy access to food.

Karin, Brian, and the SV Delos crew will often set out on long trips that take months to complete. They'll explore remote islands off of Indonesia or sail across the Indian Ocean, where there isn't access to a market or grocery for months.

Fresh food can only last so long, so when SV Delos plans long trips, they pack beans, rice, pasta, lentils, and canned food.

The longest stretch was crossing the Indian Ocean, which meant no fresh food for nearly six months.

By the end of that trip, the crew on SV Delos relied on "mush wraps," or lentils and beans in a wrap.

"You're eating that to survive," Brian said. 

The lack of grocery stores also means Brian and Karin have to plan what they're going to feed their daughter. They connect with pediatricians and doctors on how to make sure she's getting all the vitamins she needs and how they can have a healthy diet on board. 

You need an entire hardware store of tools and spare parts in case something breaks, which is bound to happen.

When something on the boat breaks, there isn't anyone else around to help.

Brian and Karin have stockpiled everything they need to fix and repair all systems on the boat. Spare parts, from extra diesel oil to spare light bulbs to air pumps and steel hoses, are stored in case of emergency. 

"Stuff breaks all the time and there's no Home Depot that you can run to," Brian said. 

When you own and live on a boat, you become more than a captain.

"We have to be diesel mechanics and plumbers and refrigeration experts," he said. "Otherwise there's no way to fix it."

Living with little space means privacy is essentially nonexistent.

The SV Delos has a rotating crew that joins Brian and Karin on different sailing trips. Sometimes they'll meet strangers stopped in a city and invite them to sail, other times they'll scout out their next crew on YouTube . 

Over the decade they've had nearly 50 people from 14 different countries sail on SV Delos. So the couple has grown to know many strangers in close comfort. 

"It's impossible to have personal space," Brian said.

If someone on the sailboat is needing some space, the options are limited. You can sit on the bow of the boat, escape to your tiny room, or if the boat is anchored, crew members can swim or paddleboard to a private island. 

Some of the biggest challenges are also the biggest advantages of living on a boat, the couple pointed out. 

While a lack of personal space can be frustrating, the people they've gotten to know over the years have been worth it, they said. 

You get sick of seafood.

While Brian and Karin might not have constant access to fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood is almost always available when sailing. 

What so many people in America consider a delicacy — lobster, mahi-mahi, tuna — gets sickening at some point.

"We've eaten so much fish and lobster," Brian said. "I dream of cheeseburgers sometimes."

Money is constantly on your mind.

When Brian, Karin, and the SV Delos crew started sailing, it worked in a cycle: sail, run out of money, work, repeat.

They'd stop in places like New Zealand and Australia to save up for their next sailing adventure. 

"Just like in your everyday life, you have a certain amount of costs and money that you need to make," he said. 

Having a 9-to-5 job while living on a sailboat is nearly impossible and doesn't embody what the couple wants in life. At the beginning of their sailing journey, the couple would dock in destinations and squirrel money away for a few months.

More recently, YouTube has become their main source of income. 

Over four years, they've created a sustainable channel and audience that supports their adventures and travels. 

Unsurprisingly, the worst part is when the couple has to live on land.

Every few years, the sailboat needs to be removed from the water for maintenance. 

Since it's Brian and Karin's home, that doesn't mean they stop living in it.

"We didn't have enough money to stay in another place," Brian said. "Plus, it's our home. Imagine if your house got fumigated for bugs or ants, and you're like, 'No, I don't have enough money. I have to live here.'"

When the ship is on land, it doesn't function like your typical home. 

"You can't use anything," Brian said. "You can't use the toilets, you can't use any of the pumps, none of the systems of the boat work when it's out of water."

The couple compared it to camping. They've done it a few times but said it was one of the worst experiences. 

"We did it in Malaysia and I swore we would never do it again," Brian said.

They try to avoid living on land at all costs. 

"The land scares me a little bit," Karin laughed.

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• Main content

Boat Life Reality: 9 Things Nobody Tells You About Living on a Sailboat

Racing alongside dolphins playing in your bow waves, gazing up at the stars in remote anchorages, and sipping cocktails as the sun sets – living on a sailboat makes these dreams a reality almost every day. It’s true that living aboard has some incredible moments and gives you experiences that most would only dream of, but is living on a sailboat right for you?

When we decided to give up our jobs and homes in London nearly three years ago and move onto a rickety old sailboat in Sicily, most people thought we were crazy. In fact, I thought we were crazy! I had no idea how we were going to make this lifestyle work. Slowly but surely we ‘learned the lines’, until now, three years later, I can confidently say that living on a sailboat is right for us.

Now those people who thought we were a little insane turn a little green when we talk about the incredible sunsets and crystal clear waters we swim in every single day. It has been a very steep learning curve, and there are many things I wish I had known before moving aboard. There are so many aspects of boat life that you just can’t envision from home. 

If living on a sailboat is something you’re dreaming of but you’re not sure whether it’s right for you, here’s some of the realities of boat life that might sway you either way!

Can you live in a very small space?

Living on a sailboat is not right for you if you can’t stand being in a confined space for long periods of time! This is one of the main things about sailboat life that people can’t stand the thought of, and I can understand why!

If you can imagine being locked in your bedroom for days at a time, with a small balcony for some fresh air, a camping stove, and a composting toilet then you’ve probably started to get a good idea of what sailboat life can be like.

There will be times when it’s simply impossible to leave the boat. Perhaps because you need to guard the boat during high winds at anchor, or you might be on passage for days at a time. The boat might be constantly moving and hard to walk around on. It might be stiflingly hot or too cold. Your other half might be driving you insane!

Only you can decide whether the sunset beers and days of snorkeling will cancel out these more frustrating times for you!

Try living with limited resources

You can forget lovely, hot showers every day when you live on a sailboat. As soon as you move aboard resources become gold dust, and you start the never-ending game of trying to conserve as much as you can.

Before splashing out on a water-maker (a very expensive device that makes freshwater from seawater!), I would shower with fresh water once a week or sometimes even less. Even then, it was a case of using as little water as possible. I was proud to get my washing routine down to a single 2l bottle of water. If you find the thought of washing in the sea or not washing at all too disgusting to imagine then you might want to rethink your liveaboard dreams!

Very few sailors out there have a washing machine on board, so you’ll need to carefully consider your sailing clothes and their durability! There have been times we’ve gone several months before finding a washing machine we can use onshore – I’m not sure what suffered more, the clothes or people passing us in the street!

The electricity onboard comes from the sun and the wind, so you only have limited amounts to keep all your appliances running. If you can’t cope without watching a film every evening or can’t imagine living without a freezer then you’ll struggle with boat life.

The positive of this is that you become resourceful, and use only what you really need. I now watch the sunset instead of Netflix and I will never take a running tap for granted again. I love how much I’ve managed to reduce the resources I use and feel better for living a simpler life that is far more eco-friendly.

You’ll be totally dependant on the elements

If you’re someone who copes well with frequent change and doesn’t mind the feeling of being out of control then you’ll find living on a sailboat a lot easier. When you become a liveaboard your plans will depend heavily on the weather. You won’t have any control over when you can leave a place, how long it will take you to get to a new destination, or whether it’s possible to get off the boat and explore. You will be completely controlled by the wind, tide, waves, swell, weather conditions, and more.

Once you have accepted that, to a certain extent, you can’t control the way you live when you’re on a sailboat, you’ll find things a lot easier. If you can be flexible and patient then you’re already halfway there with the skills needed to become a liveaboard sailor!

There’s no such thing as a perfect boat

No matter how much time you spend on choosing the right boat for you , you have to accept that no boat is perfect. You will have to make compromises that might, at times, seem like a big sacrifice.

For example, you might want a bluewater sailboat that can take you across oceans and through storms . These tend to have long keels for better stability, which makes them a nightmare to maneuver in tight spaces in marinas.

You might need to go for a smaller sailboat due to your budget, which will mean living in a very small space and sacrificing some home comforts along the way. Or you might choose to spend your money on a bigger sailboat which will be slightly more comfortable, but cost more to maintain and to dock in marinas.

Can you put up with discomfort and annoyances? Because no matter what sailboat you end up with you are bound to dislike something about it, no matter your initial budget!

One of the things that shocked me most about living on a sailboat is how little sleep you actually get! Good sleep is never guaranteed onboard a sailboat!

If you’re out at anchor then you’re constantly aware of the elements. It can be a lovely calm evening until, for no foreseen reason, a swell comes into the anchorage and your lovely floating home turns into a rollercoaster ride. Or the wind might pick up in the middle of the night and you’ll be forced to stay awake and anchor watch in case your boat (or one in front of you) drags anchor and puts you in a dangerous situation.

In a marina you have to worry about your lines in bad weather, so you are constantly checking for chafe or helping other people who have found themselves in trouble. You could find yourself moored up next to a flotilla of boats that stay awake drinking into the early hours or find yourself next to a Greek wedding that goes on until 4 am – as we were once forced to (not) sleep next to!

Your sailing plans will also disrupt your sleep. You might have to leave in the middle of the night to catch favorable conditions, or to arrive at your next destination in the daylight. While on passage, you’ll take it in turns to sleep, so it’s just as taxing.

If a bad night’s sleep puts you in a foul mood for days then you might want to reconsider whether living on a sailboat is right for you.

It can be isolating

While there will certainly be times that you’ll meet incredible people, make friends for life and hear the most interesting stories, there will also be times when you’ll feel quite alone.

You can control this a little by going to popular cruising destinations and always using marinas or town quays, but if you’re on any kind of budget then there will definitely be periods of time where you’re anchored out alone.

Sometimes this remoteness can be desirable, and there’s something pretty magical about having a beautiful anchorage all to yourself. But where at home you can just pick up the phone and arrange a night out with friends when you’re bored or lonely, when you’re sailing this just isn’t an option.

Consider this when deciding whether living on a sailboat is right for you.

One of the things I miss most about my old life on land is being able to pop to the shops and buy whatever food I fancied. Finding food when you live on a sailboat is a right faff!

Firstly, you need to sail to a town or village that claims to have a supermarket. Then you need to get the dinghy in the water, put the outboard on the dinghy, lock up the boat, start the outboard (not as easy as it sounds!), find somewhere to leave the dinghy and lock it up, trek to the supermarket, do your shopping and then do it all in repeat with a heavy bag of groceries to get back!

You’ll often have to shop in small, expensive stores that don’t have much choice at all. You frequently run out of fresh food and have to get inventive with cans and dried food. And you can forget dashing out for last-minute ingredients or pick up a snack you’re craving!

On the flip side, you will appreciate fresh fruit and vegetables so much more. You will sometimes get lucky and catch a decent fish, which is the best feeling in the world! You also have the option to eat in some lovely local restaurants and cafes just as you would on holiday.

If you enjoy getting creative with food and can see the hassle of getting it as a great excuse for exercise then you’ll get on well with living on a sailboat!

As you can see, there’s no easy answer when it comes to deciding if living on a sailboat is right for you. If you can look at most of these negatives and see the positive sides to them then you’ll probably get on well with boat life, but if you read any of these and want to run a mile then it’s probably best you avoid this lifestyle! Sailboat life really isn’t for everyone.

If you still aren’t sure then why not try a long charter holiday, or join a sailboat crew before you make the commitment to buy a boat yourself. There are plenty of ways to sail for free that will give you a good understanding of the ups and downs of a life at sea. And if this article has convinced you that sailing life is for you, then we can’t wait to bump into you one day on this big, blue ocean of ours!

She writes travel guides and blogs about her experiences at sea and documents her adventures through film. You can find out more at Two Get Lost.

Exploring the Joys and Challenges of Living on a Boat

Living on a sailboat.

L iving on a sailboat is a dream for many adventurous souls. The thought of waking up to the gentle sway of the ocean, feeling the salty breeze on your face, and exploring new horizons every day is incredibly alluring. However, just like any lifestyle choice, living on a boat comes with its own set of joys and challenges. In this article, we will explore the various aspects of living on a sailboat and provide insights into the unique experiences it offers.

Embracing the Boat Community

One of the most rewarding aspects of living on a sailboat is becoming a part of the vibrant boat community. Whether you choose to dock in a marina or anchor in a secluded cove, you will soon discover a network of fellow boaters who share your passion for the sea. This close-knit community becomes your extended family, always ready to lend a helping hand or share their seafaring wisdom.

Spending time with like-minded individuals who understand the joys and challenges of living on a boat can provide a sense of camaraderie that is hard to find elsewhere. From impromptu dockside gatherings to organized regattas, your social calendar will be filled with exciting events that celebrate the boating lifestyle. The boat community truly embodies the spirit of adventure and exploration.

Challenges of Coastal Living

Living on a boat also presents its fair share of challenges. While the idea of constantly being surrounded by magnificent coastal views may seem idyllic, the reality is that coastal living can be unpredictable. Inclement weather, rough seas, and shifting tides are all part of the daily routine for a boat dweller.

Adapting to the ebb and flow of life on the water requires resilience and adaptability. Simple tasks like grocery shopping or doing laundry can become more complicated when you have to factor in weather conditions and boat accessibility. However, these challenges also teach valuable life skills, such as problem-solving, resourcefulness, and a deep connection with nature.

Exploring Coastal Living Adventures

Despite the challenges, living on a boat opens up a world of unparalleled adventures. Coastal living offers an ever-changing playground where each day brings new discoveries. From secluded anchorages with crystal-clear waters to picturesque fishing villages steeped in history, there is always something to explore and experience.

The freedom to chart your own course and navigate the open waters is a feeling like no other. Whether you long for solitude and serenity or seek adrenaline-pumping water sports, coastal living has something to offer everyone. Imagine waking up to dolphins frolicking alongside your boat or witnessing a breathtaking sunrise over the horizon – these are the moments that make living on a boat truly extraordinary.

Living in Harmony with Nature

Living on a sailboat inherently fosters a deep connection with the natural world. Unlike traditional land-based living, boat dwellers are constantly immersed in the elements – the sun, wind, and sea become an integral part of their daily existence. This symbiotic relationship with nature instills a profound sense of appreciation and respect for the environment.

Boat dwellers often strive to live in harmony with the ecosystems they encounter. Responsible boating practices, such as minimizing waste, conserving water, and respecting marine life, become second nature to those who call the water their home. The ocean becomes not only a playground but also a cherished resource that should be protected for future generations to enjoy.

Tips for Aspiring Boat Dwellers

If the idea of living on a boat has captured your imagination, here are a few tips to help you on your journey:

• Start with sailing lessons: Before diving into the world of boat living, it's essential to gain basic sailing knowledge and experience. Take sailing lessons or crew on boats to hone your skills and learn from seasoned sailors.
• Research boat options: Choosing the right boat for your lifestyle is crucial. Research different types of boats and assess their suitability for the environment you plan to live in.
• Minimize possessions: Living on a boat requires downsizing and embracing a minimalist lifestyle. Assess your belongings and prioritize what is truly essential for your new life on the water.
• Prepare for maintenance: Boat ownership comes with ongoing maintenance and repairs. Learn basic boat maintenance skills and be prepared for regular upkeep.
• Connect with the boat community: Reach out to fellow boaters, join boating associations, and participate in events to connect with the boat community. Their knowledge and support will prove invaluable throughout your boating journey.
• Embrace the unknown: Living on a boat is an adventure filled with surprises and uncertainties. Embrace the unknown and approach each day with an open mind and a sense of curiosity.

Living on a sailboat is a unique lifestyle that promises both incredible joys and inevitable challenges. From forging lifelong friendships within the boat community to embracing the freedom of coastal living, the experiences gained from life on the water are truly priceless. So, if the call of the sea resonates deep within you, consider following your dreams and exploring the wonders of living on a boat.

The post Exploring the Joys and Challenges of Living on a Boat appeared first on Things That Make People Go Aww .

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We live and work on a sailboat full-time while traveling around the world — even with high-powered jobs

Ryan Ellison and Sophie Darsy were living in Stockholm when they decided to buy a sailboat.

The couple set off in 2016 with the plan to sail for a year while working remotely.

Eight years later, they are still sailing. The couple shared how they juggle work and travel.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ryan Ellison and Sophie Darsy about living and working full-time on a sailboat. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Ryan: In 2016, I, Ryan Ellison, sent a WhatsApp message to my girlfriend, Sophie Darsy, about a couple who sold all their belongings to cruise the world on a sailboat.

Imagine my surprise when Sophie said she'd be willing to do it for a year.

Since then, we've built a life we love and found success in fulfilling and important careers — all while living on the boat.

We've had medical emergencies, weathered bad storms, and struggled both on a relationship level and with our mental health.

We'd both bought apartments in Stockholm during the crazy housing-market days, so we were able to take some equity out of those apartments to buy our 40-foot boat, the Polar Seal.

Sophie: Before we embarked, Ryan had just taken on investors in a battery-tech startup he'd founded in 2015 with his college roommates.

Ryan: Sophie was recovering from corporate burnout and had just begun her journey as a creative.

We thought we'd try sailing for a year in 2016 and return to Sweden. Eight years later, our apartments are rented long-term, and we're still adventuring.

We organize sailing around our work

Ryan: For every week we sail, we are on anchor or in port for five or six weeks. Regardless of being at sea or in port, we still work like everyone else — with a few adjustments.

We have to work whenever we can, sometimes even in the middle of the night.

That's because Sophie advises companies in Europe and I work with the US. We often have different office hours from each other and our coworkers, especially if we're in a more remote part of the world.

One of us might need to be on a call while we're sailing, and while technology such as Starlink has made it easier to stay connected, it isn't fail-proof. We plan our travel and leisure around our work schedules.

Sailing changed our career paths

Sophie: When Ryan took the risk of living on a boat while scaling his startup, he left his job at another startup in Sweden.

His company, Dakota Lithium , had only been around for a year when we set sail. Ryan worked remotely with his team to continue scaling — all while at sea.

Our boat was the first to have Dakota Lithium batteries installed. Because of our positive experience, other boaters have also put Dakota Lithium batteries in their vessels. Now the company is a major battery brand in sailing.

Ryan: Sophie began documenting our adventures and cracking jokes on camera with a DSLR, a great camera, given to her by a friend. What started out as a hobby turned into a professional YouTube channel . Now, Sophie makes a living from filming.

Sophie wanted flexibility in her work, so she also began consulting with companies to create e-learning content — an extension of her video-editing career.

For both of us, sailing allowed us the freedom to reinvent our careers as well as our personal lives.

We manage our alone time differently than most couples

Sophie: On the boat, we share a tiny space 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

We work side by side in the cabin all day. Ryan's work requires him to be on the phone a lot, whereas my work requires me to focus a lot.

Doing both at the same time is really difficult to do in such a small area, so we have to communicate effectively.

After work, we sail together and spend evenings exploring ports or the open sea. Having our relationship in a healthy place is an important part of making this life work.

We've learned that while other couples have breaks in their relationships throughout the day, we take ours in large chunks.

Ryan: A few years ago, when Sophie approached me saying she wanted to go home to France for some alone time, I felt threatened. However, we realized that we needed time apart to keep life on the boat enjoyable.

We have a great couples' therapist helping us navigate this unique situation.

Getting our dog Barnacle has also helped because it encourages us to get off of the boat to take her for walks.

When we have the opportunity, one of us will get a desk at a coworking space or take time to go to the gym — all ways to keep this lifestyle sustainable.

The reward of living on the sailboat is extremely high, but so is the cost

Ryan: Living on a boat for six years is a dream for some people. The truth is that we hold each other's lives in our hands.

When Sophie got a third-degree burn off the coast of Africa, I had to act as her medic until we sailed to Spain for professional help.

Living on a sailboat means working together and trusting each other as crewmates as well as partners — all of which require excellent communication.

What it costs to sail full-time

Sophie: The cost of living on the boat can also vary drastically, depending on what part of the world you are in and what you are doing.

As Ryan always says, you can live on a boat on whatever budget you have — from almost nothing to living like a king.

In Northern Europe, we could get by on $1,500 a month. But in Bermuda, everything — from anchoring and marina fees to insurance to food — is significantly more expensive.

We take breaks from sailing to spend time with family and friends

Ryan: Sometimes, we need to take a vacation from it all, so we leave the boat for a couple of months out of the year and go to land. This lets us spend more quality time with our families in France and Iowa. If we don't stay with family, we stay with friends or rent an Airbnb.

Wherever we are, we still work. But on land, daily amenities like a flushing toilet, a dishwasher, and unlimited showers make life more convenient.

While at sea, we miss having a supportive community around us. We've had to learn to make friends fast and say goodbye fast, both of which are hard. We've had to cultivate a strong relationship because we are everything to each other on the water.

We want to get a bigger boat

Ryan: Our next big adventure involves buying a more purposeful boat with a separate workspace for each of us and room for a bit more crew.

For the time being, we're about to move into our first apartment in six years. Annapolis, Maryland, will be home base for the foreseeable future, though we will continue sailing.

As Sophie has always said, we wanted to build our work around the life we wanted to live. Eight years on, we've done just that.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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‘the walking dead: the ones who live’ takes ‘broken rick’ too far in episode 4.

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This week’s episode of The Walking Dead’s The One Who Live was meant to be a character study of the relationship between Rick and Michonne, exploring the it’s-more-complicated-than-you-think idea of Rick being rescued by Michonne and trotting home to his family. Which as of yet, is not happening.

One of the biggest obstacles to overcome has been Rick’s own mind, where after years of captivity and failed escape events, he essentially gave up on ever seeing his family again. But now that Michonne actually arrived, his brain is straining with the concept of losing them all over again, and he has a stated desire to protect them by staying and “changing” the CRM so they don’t someday come for them.

While I still really enjoy The Ones Who Live and the concept of a twist on the “rescue” formula, given Rick’s state of mind, I think this episode took it too far, and did not really do the “switch flip” moment that made sense. While Rick does indeed eventually go after Michonne after rejecting her a dozen times, it’s a warbly way tp end the episode as the plan is still nebulous and Rick’s justifications are still more or less nonsense.

Michonne is right to call him out for being a stubborn, and really almost a coward for his justifications to not leave. And as good as it is to see Rick back for this whole series, this episode went well past what we needed to see from a broken Rick, and the things that should have turned that light on for him simply didn’t.

Rick and Michonne

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First, when they realized their helicopter crashed and they could have gotten away by faking both their deaths, that should have been enough to convince Rick to go. When he said “no” that time I was practically yelling at him through the TV, as it simply didn’t make sense. I guess that’s what Michonne thought too.

Then, it really should have been the case that learning about the existence of RJ was enough to get him back on track. Instead it throws him into a stupor for apparently hours and is still not enough to convince him to go.

Again, I’m ultimately not sure what did it, nor am I sure he’s even fully on board by the end of this episode. It seems likely they will have to execute Michonne’s idea of destroying Jadis’ evidence then destroying Jadis to make them “safe,” but in just two episodes, it’s unclear how this all wraps up. Truly getting away would require them to fake their deaths for what, the third time in six episodes? I guess one good thing about the series is that I truly don’t know how they’re going to get out of this, and the viewer often feels as trapped as Rick.

This was just…a very strange episode to see Rick broken on a level we have never seen him. I understand the justification the show is giving for this, but it’s uncomfortable and awkward to see onscreen, and it felt like this could have been arced better to turn him back to “old Rick.” And I don’t think “old Rick is gone” is the right answer here for the return of the character. Perhaps it’s darkest before the dawn and all that, but this was a bleak look at Rick’s psyche that was almost so dark it genuinely didn’t even make sense.

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4-Day, 4-Park Magic Ticket from $99 Per Day, Plus Tax (Total Price from $396, Plus Tax)

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Experience 4 days of magic and thrills across the Walt Disney World theme parks when you purchase a specially priced 4-Park Magic Ticket starting from US$99 per day , plus tax (total price starting from US$396, plus tax).

This ticket does not require a theme park reservation to enter a park.

Date-based ticket with start dates from April 2 through September 22, 2024. Ticket must be used within 7 days of selected start date.

Fun in the Theme Parks

Discover new experiences and classic favorites in all 4 Walt Disney World theme parks when you purchase a 4-Park Magic Ticket. Read More

Discover new experiences and classic favorites in all 4 Walt Disney World theme parks when you purchase a 4-Park Magic Ticket.

As a reminder, the 4-Park Magic Ticket provides one visit to each of the 4 Walt Disney World Resort theme parks (one theme park per day).

• NEW! Stroll along a lush trail where you can explore the wonders of water and discover its playful personality at Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana .
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• Hurtle up and down on a haunted elevator ride at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™.
• See some favorite Characters around the park—including Toy Story Characters, Disney Junior pals, Frozen friends and Star Wars Characters.

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10 Best Sailboats To Live In

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

December 28, 2023

Living aboard a sailboat is an exciting lifestyle choice, but there are lots of considerations you’ll need to make.

‍ First and foremost, you have to pick a boat to live in. Unless you plan on sleeping under a canvas tarp, it’s essential to find a sailboat with a proper cabin.

Cabin sailboats became common in the United States during the early 20th century, but size and amenities vary widely between boats.  

For example, early wooden sailboats generally featured very sparse accommodations below, typically consisting of a pipe berth, oil lamps, a coal-fired stove and a bucket privy—typically without standing headroom.

Fortunately, the majority of cabin sailboats came with a lot more than a bucket to wash with.

In this article, we’ll go over some of the most important considerations to make when choosing a sailboat to live on . After, we’ll give a top-ten list of the best used liveaboard sailboats you can buy today.

Table of contents

Why Live Aboard a Sailboat?

Thousands of people choose to live aboard their sailboats.  It’s an alternative lifestyle with a host of benefits for those willing to deal with the added challenges.  

Liveaboards can move their entire house on the water, and it’s typically cheaper to live on a boat than in a traditional house.

This is especially true in major waterfront cities, where rent in the same area as the marina can be several times more expensive.  

Some people love the marina lifestyle, and others travel the world.  All-in-all, living aboard a sailboat can be a rewarding, enriching, and financially-freeing lifestyle choice.

What to Consider when Buying a Liveaboard Sailboat

The most important thing to consider when buying a liveaboard sailboat is what level of accommodation you need.

Some people aren’t bothered by limited amenities; in fact, many traditional sailors prefer a stripped-down and basic sailboat interior. However, many others appreciate useful features such as electric toilets and a full galley.

You can find virtually every creature comfort on board a modern sailboat, so it’s up to you to decide what level of convenience you expect. ‍

For most people, a standard cruising sailboat interior from after 1970 will suffice, as these typically include a usable galley, shower, head, and ventilation.

Offshore VS Coastal Cruising Accommodations

Sailboat interior design is dependent on certain criteria, such as the sailboat’s intended use. Long-distance cruising sailboats have cabins arranged to suit such a journey.

Long-distance sailboats usually remove any unnecessary furniture or extras down below to increase storage, and sleeping options are altered to ensure easy access, which allows the crew to regain control of the boat in a pinch.

Coastal cruisers tend to feature a more luxurious layout, with larger sofas and more complex interior features. Additionally, storage space is generally reduced to allow for the inclusion of other amenities.

Whichever style you choose should reflect both how you plan to use your boat and what level of comfort you need.

What Makes A Great Liveaboard Sailboat?

For this article, we’ve outlined a few requirements which we believe identify an excellent liveaboard sailboat :

• Standing headroom (at least 5’10”)

While many people live aboard boats without standing headroom, it’s still a nice feature to have.  Months or years spent crawling or crouching can wreak havoc on your back and body, so standing headroom is a necessity in this list.

• 120V AC availability

Electricity is a definite requirement for our liveaboard list.  Boats without 120V AC outlets present major challenges to liveaboards, as there’s no way to charge most computers or cell phones.  Some boats feature a 12V outlet, but full-time liveaboard boats should have standard house connections for electricity.

• Galley facilities

Unless you plan on eating out every day, a galley is a must for our list.  We define an adequate galley as a facility with a sink, ice box or refrigerator, and a stove.  An oven is an added bonus, but one can usually be added along with a new stove.

• Electric lighting

Electric lighting is a matter of both safety and convenience aboard boats.  There’s nothing wrong with kerosene lamps; many sailors adorn their boats with them.  However, a long-term liveaboard boat should feature safe and reliable electric lighting.

• Toilet with plumbing

Sanitation facilities are vital on board a sailboat, especially if you live on it.  Improper human waste storage and disposal will spread awful diseases.  Plus, nobody wants to live on a stinky boat or use a porta-potty all year long.  We required each of our ten boats to have built-in and properly outfitted toilets, plus safe storage tanks for pumping out later.

Bathing facilities are also a must on most liveaboard sailboats.  However, many liveaboards opt not to use their on-board showers in favor of marina or gym facilities.  That being said, it is very convenient to have a shower on your boat.  Keep in mind, some boat showers drain directly into the bilge.  If you use your onboard shower, be sure to keep the bilge pump in working order and remember that anything you put in the drain ends up below your floor.

• Separate seating spaces

We think a liveaboard sailboat should have extra sitting spaces on board, apart from the main bed.  A place for sitting, eating, working, and navigating is essential when living aboard long-term, and the added convenience of a separate space will make day-to-day activities much more enjoyable.

• Ventilation

Last but not least, we believe ventilation is essential for any liveaboard sailboat.  This is the simplest of requirements, as a passive solar roof vent or opening porthole should be sufficient.  In short, there should be a way to let fresh air in without opening a main hatch.

Top 10 Liveaboard Sailboats

Here’s a list of the top ten liveaboard sailboats that you can purchase used today.

These are in no particular order, but each boat meets or exceeds the requirements of a great liveaboard sailboat.

Remember, the features listed for each of these boats could vary based on age or trim, so be sure to check back to this list when inspecting a boat.

Without further ado, here’s ten of the greatest liveaboard sailboats ever produced.

1. Catalina 30

{{boat-info="/boats/catalina-30"}}

The Catalina 30 is one of the most common production cruising sailboats ever.

Thousands of these reliable and robust fiberglass boats still sail, despite the fact that they first entered the market in 1972.

This 30-foot boat features a modern and spacious interior, with all the accommodations you’d expect on a boat its size.

Most models feature a large and useful galley, along with running water supplied by electric pumps.

The Catalina 30 also featured a ‘suite’ layout, with a master bedroom V-Berth closed off to the rest of the cabin by a door.

An enclosed shower and head make it a pleasant boat to live on.

The layout of the Catalina 30 also featured a dinette, which serves as an excellent chart table or workspace as well.

2. Islander 36

{{boat-info="/boats/islander-36"}}

The Islander 36 is a well-rounded liveaboard sailboat which also has impressive cruising capabilities.

While manufacturing ceased in the 1980s, the I-36 was the company’s best-selling model with nearly a thousand built.

Islander boats are known for some well-adorned cabins, and many featured elegant wooden interior trim.

Like the Catalina 30, the Islander 36 includes an enclosed head with a shower and flush toilet.

The interior layout of the I-36 is spacious and well-designed, featuring a long port and starboard settee which folds out into a double-berth for sleeping.

An enclosed shower and spacious master berth make it a very well-rounded option for cruising and living aboard.

3. Contessa 32

{{boat-info="/boats/contessa-32"}}

Contessa Yachts produced their venerable 32-foot cruising and racing sailboat from 1970 until 1990, but custom boatbuilders still manufacture the yacht today.

It’s well-known for cruising capabilities, but it has a lot to offer as a liveaboard as well.

The traditional cabin is thoughtfully designed, featuring a fold-up table in the center of the cabin floor.

The spatially conscious design of the Contessa 32 makes it an excellent option for the no-frills and organized sailor.

This vessel features a separate master bedroom, along with a head and shower in the hallway between the compartments.

4. Pearson 34

{{boat-info="/boats/pearson-34"}}

Pearson produced their excellent 34-foot sailboat during the 1980s. This medium-sized cruising yacht features an extremely spacious interior with plenty of floor space to move around.

The layout is complex, but not overwhelming. The galley nook is functional and features convenient overhead storage for utensils giving it a ‘home-y’ feeling.

The head is enclosed and spacious, including a bathroom sink and mirror.

The separate master bedroom is also enclosed with ample clothing storage throughout.

Out of all the boats listed so far, the Pearson 34 should feel most like a traditional living space to most people.

If the Pearson 34 seems a little too compact, be sure to read on and check out the next two boats on the list.

5. Nordic 40

{{boat-info="/boats/nordic-40"}}

So far the largest boat on our list, the Nordic 40 is a super-capable offshore cruiser with excellent liveaboard facilities.

This relatively rare boat features an extremely spacious interior, which is more than ample for a couple to live comfortably.

Standing headroom throughout, a spacious master bedroom, along with a nearly full galley allows for superbly comfortable living in any climate or region.

The extra storage aboard makes remote living possible, so owners can anchor out for weeks or months at a time with enough provisions to last.

While this boat isn’t very common, it’s still worth keeping an eye out for it while searching for a liveaboard sailboat .

6. Peterson 44

{{boat-info="/boats/kelly-peterson-44"}}

The Peterson 44 is what’s known as a ‘center-cockpit cruiser,’ featuring a split-cabin both fore and aft.

This spacious interior layout maximizes living space without decreasing sailing capabilities.

The boat features a master bedroom and bathroom, along with another cabin, berth, and head behind the cockpit.

In addition to two bathrooms, it features a full galley, booth dinette, and settee.

All these extras combined with excellent storage make it an excellent liveaboard option.

Pearson is well-renowned for building excellent boats, and their interior quality is above average.

7. Nor’Sea 27

{{boat-info="/boats/norsea-27"}}

The Nor’Sea 27 is a classic compact sailboat, which is ideal for minimalist or single people living aboard.

The interior is surprisingly spacious for its size, featuring all the amenities you’d expect on a larger boat.

This beautiful little boat likely mimics the comfort of a Catalina 30, and should cost less in slip fees.

The interior features a toilet, shower, and galley.

The forward berth converts into a dinette but features two other bunks underneath the cockpit.

Production of the Nor’Sea 27 began in 1976, and it’s still produced today.

And the best part—you can legally tow it on a trailer. It’s arguably the ultimate compact cruiser/liveaboard available today.

{{boat-info="/boats/cal-34"}}

The Cal 34 is very typical of mid-range sailboats of the 1970s. Produced between 1968 and 1975, this basic but comfortable yacht has a lot of potential as a liveaboard.

The interior is simple and spacious, without much luxury or adorning. However, less features make for less maintnence, and everything you’d need is available in the Cal 34.

A master bedroom, shower, and toilet are all standard, along with a well-arranged galley and comfortable sitting area.

The boat features ample storage for clothes, food, and gear.

All mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems aboard are easy to maintain, plus the cabin is well-designed.

9. Catalina 38

{{boat-info="/boats/catalina-38"}}

Another classic Catalina sailboat makes the list, with a well-thought-out interior that’s spacious enough for a couple to live comfortably.

Catalina produced their 38-foot sloop between 1977 and 1990, and it came standard with many excellent liveaboard features such as electrical outlets throughout the cabin.

Also, the head is spacious and includes a sink, which is always very convenient.

With plenty of places to sleep, there’s no need to fold away the galley table to get some rest.

The Catalina 38 is another fantastic mid-sized sailboat for living aboard, especially if you aren’t quite comfortable inside a Catalina 30.

10. Hunter 33

{{boat-info="/boats/hunter-33"}}

The last boat on our list is also one of the longest-lived in its category. Hunter produced their 33-foot sailboat starting in 1977, and it’s still in production today.

This handy mid-sized boat features excellent interior accommodations, with plenty of sitting and sleeping areas to choose from.

In addition to a full dinette, it features a toilet and shower aft away from the master bedroom.  Such an arrangement is a great option for sailors, as it allows the use of the head without moving too far away from the controls.

Standing headroom throughout the long cabin makes for a very comfortable long-term living arrangement.

The galley has plenty of storage space and the L-shaped layout allows for easy and efficient use.

At the end of the day, you’ll get to choose the liveaboard sailboat that works best for you. Check out some of the boats we mentioned and get an idea of what they offer.

Use this list to help identify features that you need, and perhaps avoid features that you don’t want.

When it comes to living aboard, there’s a lot more to consider than just your boat. As long as the boat you choose is in good condition, you’ll likely end up falling in love with it.

Either way, consider these top-ten liveaboard sailboats when you’re on the hunt for your boat.

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Planned Outage for Some Cornell Lab Services

Several Cornell Lab of Ornithology services will be unavailable beginning March 19 through 6:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern time on March 21 . This is a one-time disruption while we migrate more than 1.6 billion eBird observations and additional project data to new servers. After the move, our websites will have improved reliability, stability, and room to grow. Thank you for your understanding during this outage.

Don’t worry, your data (checklists, media, Bird Academy courses, Merlin life list, etc.) will be safe during the migration and will be unaffected when we come back online.

Unavailable: The following websites and services will be down during this period:

• eBird.org , including eBird portals, eBird Alerts, the eBird API, eBird Science, and data downloads
• Macaulay Library
• Birds of the World

Partially affected: Several Cornell Lab projects will remain up but services that require a login will be unavailable:

• Bird Academy login and store will be unavailable. Users will be able to access most course materials if they were logged in to the site before the outage. Snap ID quizzes will not function during the outage.
• NestWatch and Project FeederWatch login and data entry will be unavailable both on the website and the app. Please record your data on paper and enter it after the outage ends.
• eBird Mobile app : The Explore and My eBird functions will not work during the outage. You can use the app to create checklists and then submit them after the outage ends. Your eBird data will be safe.
• Merlin Bird ID app : Sound ID will continue to work, as well as Photo ID, Step-by-Step, and Explore, using your recent locations only. You will not be able to save sightings, refresh your life list, update your location, or log in to your account. These functions will return when the outage ends and your data will be safe.

Unaffected: The following sites will continue to function as normal:

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology institutional website
• All About Birds
• Cornell Lab YouTube channel

What Can I Do During the Outage?

Go out birding.

• If you already have Merlin Bird ID app installed, you can still use it for some purposes. Though you won’t be able to update your location, save sightings, or refresh your life list, the ID functions will still work with your saved locations, and you can still browse species using Explore Birds
• If you already have the eBird Mobile app installed on your device, you can start eBird Mobile checklists during the downtime and submit them once eBird is back online. Learn how to Enter Sightings with eBird Mobile

Explore Birds Online

• Read about science, conservation, and birdwatching on All About Birds and in our magazine, Living Bird
• Watch wild birds live on Cornell Lab Bird Cams
• Browse our natural history films on the Cornell Lab YouTube channel
• Watch recorded webinars on everything from Merlin tips and tricks, to feeding birds at home, to conversations with scientists, and more

Stay Connected

• Watch for status updates on our Facebook and Instagram channels
• Join us for two days of fun activities on the  @Team_eBird Instagram  account
• Have some fun by sharing your “life without eBird” on social media. If you’re missing your live eBird access during this outage, share how you’re coping with the hashtag #eBirdLife. We’ll be right there with you!

Join Our Email List

The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds, birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation. Sign up for email and don’t miss a thing!

Golden-cheeked Warbler by  Bryan Calk/Macaulay Library

Lego lovers will find more than 1 million bricks at Resch Expo for this weekend's Brick Fest Live

ASHWAUBENON - If yours is a house where there’s always a Lego masterpiece in progress and an equal chance of stepping on a stray Lego, Brick Fest Live beckons.

The touring event is coming to  Resch Expo for the first time this weekend with more than a million Lego bricks to marvel at, play with and buy. As anticipation builds and setup begins Thursday, here’s the blueprint for all the family fun.

When and where is Brick Fest Live?

Brick Fest Live is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Resch Expo, 840 Armed Forces Drive, Ashwaubenon.

Admission is by timed entry: 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. or 2 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday. Entry times can sell out.

A brick pit, Glow Zone and car races are among the activities

Families can check out life-size Lego models and try their hand at building their own. Among the interactive experiences:

• Play in a pit of more than 200,000 colorful bricks
• Help build a Guinness World Records-setting floor mosaic
• Enter the Glow Zone to build with bricks that shine under blacklight
• Race Lego-built cars down 35-foot derby ramps
• Make your mark on the graffiti wall by writing your name in Lego bricks
• Get creative at the hands-on build zones and the walls of Lego mosaics 
• Meet builders from the “LEGO® Masters” TV show
• Shop hard-to-find Lego merchandise

How much are tickets?

Tickets are $24.99 and $19.99 for general admission, which includes hands-on activities, photo opportunities, the Glow Zone, car racing and other fun. The $19.99 admission is good for 1 p.m. Sunday only; all other entry times are $24.99.

A $39.99 VIP ticket includes all the activities of a general admission ticket as well as an exclusive build, VIP badge and a collectible pin.

Tickets are required for ages 3 and older and are sold in advance at  reschcomplex.com  and  brickfestlive.com . Tickets are not sold through Ticket Star. Fees and taxes are additional.

What about parking?

Parking is $10 in the Lambeau Field lot and the Blue Lot across from the Resch Center.

Next up for Lego fans: 'The Bricktionary' exhibit at Mulva Cultural Center in De Pere

The love for Legos will continue when “The Bricktionary: The ultimate LEGO® A-Z” opens June 6 at the Mulva Cultural Center in De Pere. The touring exhibit will feature more than 150 custom creations, from life-size animals to fashion, and some of the largest Lego creations ever built. There will be hands-on activities as well. The exhibit will run through Sept. 2. Ticket prices have not yet been announced. 

Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or [email protected] . Follow her on X @KendraMeinert .