Why Do You Live Aboard?

[Sam Plan B]

My life doesn't suffer for resisting taxation. As for not owning a car, it's about four miles to work and I need the exercise. I buy as much as I can on the internet and avoid sales tax. Where possible, I patronize flee markets (no sales tax) and farmer's markets for food. I would rather pay the shipping to UPS than sales tax to the government. After all, there is no limit to government greed. Not to be melodramitic but, every penny I can keep from them is a penny's worth of liberty to my fellow Americans. Consider this. Name one human activity or the product of one human activity that is so tiny and trivial as to be unworthy of the attention, taxation and regulation of the Government. Name just one. Your answer is why I choose to live the way I do.

[Themasoncruiser]

Why live aboard ? This has to be the one question my wife and I get asked the most. We are in our sixth year of living aboard 10 Forward cruising the Calif coast. We stay in motion and spend a few weeks at a time in the harbors up and down the coast. Why is easy. We love it. We have experienced the best of cruising and the worst and can't imagine ending the adventure ! We are currently on the hard getting repairs done from having another sailboat tbone us while sitting on a mooring. Part of the adventure. We both agree that living in a rented house for a month is far worse than the collision. Our two cats are going stir crazy. But it really is just another chapter in our life aboard. It is not an easy lifestyle by any means but it has such great rewards. Nothing can compare to waking up in Frys Harbor on Santa Cruz Island all alone, not another boat in sight. I do have some advice for anyone contemplating this lifestyle which is to find someone to do it with. We have met some very lonely people out there. And the absolute worst mistake is to attempt this adventure with someone who is not ready for it. But it's so much fun when it works. Sell the house, buy the boat and go for it and don't look back. Ileene and Paul aboard s/v 10 Forward.

[Sailor g]

+1! Agree with waking up alone in beautiful harbor is great feeling. And we love Fry's-Smuggler's too on a warm summer's day. Would not trade my life for any other.

[capeshore]

Wow, just joined..wound up here on this thread...some great stories and some pretty inspirational quotes/perspectives from many.

Just bought a small 1996 cabin cruiser here ,Boston area.The endless hours of work and a repower etc. I was exhausted doing all the work myself but all in hopes to be able to live on her this summer into the fall...nothing spells freedom in this neck of the woods than being away from the city area and on the water..wish I could afford to move to a "year round" boating place...some day.

Great thread, thanks to all for sharing.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by capeshore

Wow, just joined..wound up here on this thread...some great stories and some pretty inspirational quotes/perspectives from many.

Just bought a small 1996 cabin cruiser here ,Boston area.The endless hours of work and a repower etc. I was exhausted doing all the work myself but all in hopes to be able to live on her this summer into the fall...nothing spells freedom in this neck of the woods than being away from the city area and on the water..wish I could afford to move to a "year round" boating place...some day.

Great thread, thanks to all for sharing.

Welcome aboard, Capeshore.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by Themasoncruiser

Why live aboard ? This has to be the one question my wife and I get asked the most. We are in our sixth year of living aboard 10 Forward cruising the Calif coast. We stay in motion and spend a few weeks at a time in the harbors up and down the coast. Why is easy. We love it. We have experienced the best of cruising and the worst and can't imagine ending the adventure ! We are currently on the hard getting repairs done from having another sailboat tbone us while sitting on a mooring. Part of the adventure. We both agree that living in a rented house for a month is far worse than the collision. Our two cats are going stir crazy. But it really is just another chapter in our life aboard. It is not an easy lifestyle by any means but it has such great rewards. Nothing can compare to waking up in Frys Harbor on Santa Cruz Island all alone, not another boat in sight. I do have some advice for anyone contemplating this lifestyle which is to find someone to do it with. We have met some very lonely people out there. And the absolute worst mistake is to attempt this adventure with someone who is not ready for it. But it's so much fun when it works. Sell the house, buy the boat and go for it and don't look back. Ileene and Paul aboard s/v 10 Forward.

Welcome to CF. Looks like you'll have a lot of practical stuff to contribute.

[neilsailingrn]

Dan_78. As one who has been there. Your future wife won't change her mind. She will make your life misreable if you keep wanting a boat. The fact you are on this site is indicator enough that your heart is in the sailing life style. Do your fiancee' a favor and be honest with her now. Don't grow to hate her because you did not have the guts to tell her where your heart really is. Not woman bashing just know form first hand experience. Whew! I guess this is really not the place to be doing premarriage counselling. Sorry.

[Rhapsody-NS27]

Originally Posted by neilsailingrn

Dan_78. As one who has been there. Your future wife won't change her mind. She will make your life misreable if you keep wanting a boat. The fact you are on this site is indicator enough that your heart is in the sailing life style. Do your fiancee' a favor and be honest with her now. Don't grow to hate her because you did not have the guts to tell her where your heart really is. Not woman bashing just know form first hand experience. Whew! I guess this is really not the place to be doing premarriage counselling. Sorry.

When I'm up until 11pm looking at boats I could buy when I have to get up at 5am for work... Yeah, I want a boat , even if small enough to tow. I can always upgrade later.

[svmariane]

We live aboard 24/7, 365, going on 8 years now. Why? Because we can.

Oh, alright... Because {how does it go?}

“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” ― Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows