Argh, me be a land lover but can me be lovin’ livin’ on a sailboat full time? My transition from land to water has had its challenges. However, when I agreed to live full time on a sailboat I accepted those challenges. By taking my journey in baby steps those steps helped me cope with changes that come with living on a sailboat.
Going from living in a "brick and mortar" home to full-time living aboard a monohull sailboat was not something I had ever imagined. Is it something I could adjust to?
It wasn’t an easy for me to pack up and purge personal belongings to become a minimalist living aboard a sailboat, to say the least. I was raised that every gift was a treasure and those treasures held memories; therefore, you hold onto your “stuff”. A lifetime of memories was placed on my “stuff” and it was hard to let go. Honestly, I feared I would lose the memories but baby steps started clearing a path for my journey.
Step 1: Choosing the right clothes for living aboard a sailboat.
Our monohull as with most monohulls, has limited space for clothing and shoes. Therefore, I started with a task that was easy for me, my closet. I sorted items as to whether or not they would be practical for days to day life on a sailboat. In addition, I sorted my clothes into 3 categories; NO, MAYBE, YES. Items needing to be dry cleaned were a definite NO. The MAYBE and YES stacks were more challenging, yet after sorting several times, I had whittled down each stack into satisfying selections. As a result, my final YES stack was made up of clothing that are easy to hand wash and line dry.
My shoes were a little easier, high heels were a NO for obvious reasons; however, I did find room for 1 pair for fancy nights out. Some of my sandals, tennis shoes plus a good pair of hiking shoes all made the cut. And finally, I brought a good pair of deck shoes for traversing wet decks while under passage.
Step 2: Too much "stuff" for living on a sailboat...time to purge.
I had a hard time with Step 2, purging the “stuff” I equated with memories. These were the souvenirs from past travels, gifts I had received over the years, and things I had purchased to make our house a home. I went room to room very carefully and thoughtfully gathering items I thought would fit on a sailboat. I chose items that could be easily secured and things that would not fly around while on passage or at anchor. As I gathered the items memories came flooding back and yes there were a few tears. But, I felt like I was bringing little pieces of “home”. I needed that comforting feeling; something familiar, something that was mine.
I brought along my DragonTouch Digital Frame. The frame stores photos and randomly scrolls through the photos even when not on the internet. The best feature is when we do have access to the internet, the frame automatically uploads new photos which have been added to the account.
Step 3: Leaving land life to living full time aboard a monohull.
I found step 3 was the hardest step of all. It was closing the door and walking away from the home I loved. And walking away from the land life I had always known to become a full-time liveaboard. It was the unknown, the uncertainty that gave me the greatest pause. The idea I won’t be near my family and what if “they needed me” gave me the greatest anxiety. But, the truth is, my kids are grown with families of their own and their focus is on raising their own families, as it should be.
I’m not going to lie my transition from land life to living on a sailboat full time has had its ups and downs. I’ve had laughter and tears, good days and bad but as time passes I find I can live without my “stuff”. But being away from my family is still the hardest thing I struggle with. Thankfully, the memories I was afraid of losing are always with me and by taking a few baby steps toward living on a sailboat full time, I can tell you Life is Good.
