So Why are You Living Aboard?'Why ‘trade’ a big house for a small boat? Facts about living aboard!' The most extreme cases I have come across are the cruisers who are living aboard in Canada. I spoke to Ruth from the yacht Witchcraft, “The decision to put our money into a bigger boat rather than buying a house and having a mortgage was to save for a trip south to the Caribbean!” “Living aboard in below-zero places requires some thought and planning, but we have the comforts of home and a TV, laptop and telephone.”
Venturing out to use the onshore toilet and shower facilities is something that has to be tackled with extreme caution. Says Ruth: “A slick ice wall to navigate is not one of life’s pleasures. Yuck! A slip could conceivably risk me going through the ice into the water. For all of that I am happy with the choice we made to move aboard.”
What are some of the benefits of giving up a land base and living aboard?
• No mowing lawns on the one day you have off work a week. • No alarm clock waking you for another day of clock watching! • Any where in the world is your back yard with ever changing scenery. Like a tortoise you take your home with you, with all of its comforts! There are no hotel bills or living out of suitcases. • You have a water front property, swimming pool that does not need cleaning and interesting and friendly neighbors often with different cultures! • Cruising let’s you share a back porch with billionaires. Anchor next to luxury yachts . Some people buy floating condominiums and some people buy the sailing equivalent of a cargo crate, but we all meet at the same barbecue on the beach. • You can often catch a superb seafood meal from your verandah (cockpit), or dive off it bringing back scallops, reef fish and lobster fresh for the pan! • One long vacation , plenty of travel and adventure and just like a tortoise you take your home with you! • You gain life skills, meet challenges, are intimately connected to the environment, and have an education from the universe! • You see places like ocean reefs with amazing coral and bird life, whales breaching, dolphins on your bow wave things that you would properly never see if you weren’t a cruiser! • You can help natives from exotic places and 3rd world countries trading educational products and often helping further by volunteering in schools and hospitals!
• Cruising helps you get into perspective who you are and what really is important in life!
Liveaboard in marinas ... what are the challenges and benefits?
When living aboard is living 'his' dream ... can you make it yours?'
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