Getting Aboard

Making Preparations Toward Getting Underway

I have been living aboard “Brilliant Cut”, a Catalina 380 Sailboat, now for almost 2 years. I discovered that deciding to Live on the Water is something that was a major thought process for me and many others. Before I was to cut ties with landside living, cast off the lines and get underway, I had a lot of soul seaching to do. In making the preparations to change my lifestyle, there was also a lot on my plate to consider. I had a lot to think about.

“Lost in Thought”

Street Kid
Nikon D700, Baltimore Harbour, 2010

Why, in God’s name did I ever consider doing such a thing at this stage of life?

All along, I had Dreams and Motivation that promoted and influenced the final decision.

There were Dreams of Freedom. Adventure and Challenge. Going places I’ve never been and seeing things I’ve never seen. Learning and doing things I’ve never done. Getting to know people I had yet to meet. And there would be better opportunities for the personal development of my Photography. All of this and more was in my thoughts.

Sure, it is true that having been a Professional driver and Instructor for a number of years, I had traveled and spent time in every state and major city in the US and Canada except for two. That time certainly provided the need for Adventure, Challenge and Travel. Didn’t that effort at “death by vehicle” purge those needs from my system?

Misery on Wheels
Samsung Galaxy S4
Toronto, 2007

Happily, I can now give a definitive answer of “No” to that question. I had not yet done it by way of the water. However, I spent many sleepless nights pondering the new direction I was about to embark on.

Then, there were the inevitable things that were in place that most everyone wants to naturally escape from that motivated me from a negative pespective. For example and to name one, The Great “Rat Race” as it is so often referrred to.

I was tired of having to live on someone else’s schedule to just live my life. Go here. Go there. Be there at this time. Be there at that time. I was just tired of the 18 hour a day grind. Jobs are really good at that. Especially for a Professional Driver back during those “glory” days. During that time, “Big Brother” wasn’t infringing upon the industry as much as he does now. That “Living Hell” is a topic for another conversation at another time. And there was always that traffic. All of which “went with the territory”, as they said. Small headaches you might say. Unless you’ve done it you have no idea how it effects your health and “Mental Hygiene” every single day you live it. Take my word for it. It’s a slow death if you don’t kill yourself and others along with you first.

“Night at The Ambasssador”
Detroit, January, 2014

There were a few other “Negative” points to drive me too.

Perhaps, it was living in places I had to live because of one reason or another that didn’t sit well with me. Mean or Nosey (or anti-social) neighbors come to mind. Or another, Maybe I was there living someone else’s dream, which was not something I wanted to do.(I was really good at this and not being true to myself). Maybe it was just that job that I was committed to that kept me there.

All of the above was motivation in one way or another toward “My Dream”

Then, there were other questions that demanded answers.

The Freedom. What would I do with THAT? Think about that. Think deeply. What would you do? As I recalled those long weeks and months on the road and not having had much freedom before, except just the occasional weekend and holidays that I was able to steal, even more questions were raised.

How about facing the fact that I was going to have to give up most all of my worldly possessions? That was a Big One. Being the sentimental and nostalgic person I am made the thought of getting rid of most everything I owned, a painful one.

“There is no greater sin than desire, No greater curse than discontent, No greater misfortune than wanting something for oneself. Therefore he who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.” – Lao Tzu

Holding on to possessions are a strong deterrant toward totally “freeing” yourself in life. Sometimes, and in this instance, Faith and Self-Confidence was called upon to play a huge part in the thought process. Then there is the Ginormous effort of putting forth the thought to truely think about what is really important to you. This is not an easy task, especially for those who have always cared for others and/or worked hard.

I knew it would be a challenge. Heck, it was even a challenge to even think about. It quickly became “The 800 lb.Gorilla in the Room” for me. Had all the years gone by sucked the need and physical ability for this change out of my soul? I was surely not getting any younger.

There was more.

If someone came into my life as a Partner, what would they want? If they wanted to join in the fun, How would I go about handling theirs and my own “Personal Space” at times aboard a 38 foot Sailboat?

Even though I do not have small children that depend upon me, probably one of my biggest concerns was: What about Family? Would they think I had gone completely crazy? I can only imagine how tough this would be for those with children that must be schooled and cared for. But I found out that there are many who do it. Quite successfully.

Next, it was of the more “Organic” type of explorations.

Did I want to just live aboard at a Marina? Or did I want to Cruise? If so, would it be Part time or Full time? There are separate budgets and other considerations for both. Vastly different.

I touch on all of this (and much more) in some upcoming posts and to let you know what it was like for me and possibly to help you decide if living full time on a boat might one day be for you. If not, that’s perfectly understandable but maybe you’ve considered it. I know a lot of people who are doing it or are contemplating doing so. Others are just curious. And if that’s your thinking, I hope I can help.

At any rate, and after two years… One sure fact remains. I still don’t have all the answers. And I do not know if I ever will. I’m long since past needing that to live my life. But at this stage, I just know I made the right decision for Me. And that’s OK for now.

As always, Your comments, thoughts and questions are very welcome and important to me.. If you’d like to converse on the “down-low”, there is a Contact Form in the blog Menu area that you can use to reach me privately.

At the least, I’ll try to make it interesting and worth your time to read.

Hold Fast. And stay tuned.