freedom felt – A couple who left the suburbs of London for life aboard a 36-foot sailboat found the romance quickly collided with reality: tight storage meant constant rationing, remote work meant no escape from noise, and safety required perpetual attention. After 18 months
Three years ago, my husband and I packed up our lives in the suburbs of London and moved aboard a 36-foot sailboat.
We’d sailed before—usually spending weeks on boats each year for vacations—but living on one full-time was different in ways we didn’t fully understand. What we imagined as freedom turned into something narrower. We ended up living aboard and sailing through Europe for 18 months before my husband received a job on land. and we had to leave.
The lifestyle was a dream in many ways, but some parts were more challenging than we ever could’ve expected. Instead of feeling free, I felt limited.
Once our boat left the dock, we were limited to only the supplies we had on board. Everything we needed had to be carried with us: food, water, diesel fuel, cooking gas, medical supplies, spare parts, and anything else we might need.
Knowing exactly how much of something we had—while not knowing exactly how long we’d need to stretch it—pushed us toward rationing just about everything. I found myself monitoring how much food we were eating each day. how much water it took to do the dishes. and how long the stove had been on. Limits became something I could feel running through the day.
Then there was electricity. We had to stay mindful of how charged our batteries were. Running out of power can become dangerous quickly at sea—not just because lights might go out or the fridge might stop working. but because we needed power for the lights and systems that let other boats see us. We also needed to keep our radio powered in case we had to call for help.
And even when nothing “broke,” the space itself could wear you down. Living in a tiny space made life difficult. Neither of us is claustrophobic, and we both liked the boat’s coziness, but working remotely was tough. If one of us had a call. there was nowhere to escape the noise. and it was very hard to avoid distracting each other. We always had to be alert, and we could never fully relax.
“I felt like I always had to be on high alert.”
So much can go wrong on a boat, and the consequences can be very serious. To sail safely, you need to understand the risks and know how to solve problems that arise—which doesn’t exactly create the most relaxing environment.
We needed to be constantly attuned to changes in the weather. I had to check the forecast multiple times a day, monitor the actual conditions we were experiencing, and move the boat if things ever felt unsafe.
Stress didn’t stay in the background, either. There was the topic of money. Boat repairs can be unpredictable and pricy. And working as consultants meant our finances fluctuated. If a key system like our Starlink internet broke. we wouldn’t just deal with replacing it—we also wouldn’t be able to earn any income from our remote work while it was down.
Maintenance and repairs became an ongoing battle. Even with the best planning, boats can be a nightmare to maintain. The salty, wet environment meant electrical wiring would corrode quickly, exposed metal would rust, and we’d frequently find mold growing on walls and inside cupboards.
Systems don’t wait until the daytime, either. Alarms can go off at all hours, and emergencies need to be dealt with immediately.
We once woke up to find that the lowest part of the boat was completely filled with water. I started bailing out the water while my husband tried to find the source of the leak. By the time we’d cleaned everything up and gotten back to bed, it was 3 in the morning.
Even so, I’m still glad I got the opportunity to live at sea. I explored the entire west coast of Europe, got really good at problem-solving, and gained confidence in my own abilities.
Sailing full-time was hard—but for me, it was worth it, even though I’m glad I’m back on land now.
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