"You live on a boat?!" they sigh dreamily. "Oh, I've always wanted to do that."
"Really?" I ask, as wrinkles appear on my forehead. "I'd never even heard of people living on boats!"
I'm from South Jersey and the only boats I'd ever been on were *rough* little Whalers. We'd catch crabs with chicken on a hand line. The only boats I'd seen that looked decent enough to live on were, well, tankers! I know, I know, how the heck did I end up living the "dream"? It's all HIS fault!
When I decided to leave my land life behind I had only been dating GR a little over 10 months. Yes, with toddler in tow, I sold what little I owned and told the landlord I was leaving! We had already purchased the boat together, cruised from South Carolina to Daytona Beach and done a shakedown sail to Abaco, Bahamas. I was sun-kissed and sold on the idea of life aboard with sun-downers at sunset!
Yes, my family and friends thought I was crazy. (not that they didn't already know) They had plenty of well meaning things to say, but I've never been one to listen to them. (this they also know) I always jump into things, especially when I'm in love. Full speed ahead, no regrets, just learning experiences. Fast forward seven years and we are still together AND we still live on a boat. Granted the boats have changed, we are on our 3rd if your counting, and I can't imagine life any other way.
It hasn't always been easy, or glamorous, but the sacrifices we make to live this way don't really feel like sacrifices anymore. I've learned more about different cultures and languages during our travels than I had in school. I became a part of an incredible community of men and women who live aboard. Everything we own is floating around with us; our cats, our daughter, our precious few material items. We don't own anything else except this boat, our bikes, our car and the scooter. No land. No house. We have been living this way for the past 4 years. We pay for everything (almost) with cash. We try to keep our kitty (living expenses for "cruising") separate from our living expenses while attached to shore (jobs, school). Our plan with Felicity is to 1) fix her up 2) cruise the Bahamas for the full cruising permit time allotted and 3) come back to the US and cruise the East Coast.
Before I lived on a boat, I was not who I am today. Leaving behind the "known" for the "un-known" was the only way I found myself. My true self. I think we are all the best version of ourselves when we push each other to seek out our dreams. Sure, it was his dream to start out but it's our dream to continue.
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