These individuals have gone all-in on boat life. Here is how they did it

(CNN) — Think about eliminating most of your worldly possessions to stay on a sailboat to procure on the Web — maybe with out even seeing it, or realizing easy methods to tie a knot or hoist the mainsail.

For some beginner sailors who launched into boat life in the course of the pandemic, the previous yr supplied an sudden push to make what might have as soon as appeared unattainable immediately inside attain.

Randi Hitchcock was 30 days into lockdown final April along with her household in Colorado Springs, Colorado, when she hit the wall.

“The hours upon hours we had been sitting in the home once we weren’t strolling our canine on a vital journey to the park made us suppose lengthy and arduous about our future,” says Hitchcock.

After a number of household discussions along with her husband, Steve, and their then 12-year-old son, Cody, the Hitchcocks determined to promote most of their issues, put their home up for lease and head to St. Augustine, Florida.

Cody, Randi and Steve Hitchcock (from left to proper) have been dwelling aboard their catamaran.

Randi Hitchcock

The household had no crusing expertise. However because of the G.I. Invoice, Steve, a veteran, was capable of take free American Crusing Affiliation lessons and Skilled Mariner Coaching within the Florida Keys and Stuart, Florida.

The Hitchcocks spent a number of months crusing in Florida earlier than crossing to the Bahamas in mid-February of this yr, the place they’ve since logged some 400 nautical miles.

When their Bahamian visa expires in Could, they plan to return to Florida to stay in a marina or at anchor so Cody can attend in-person highschool this fall. And whereas Steve’s VA pension can assist the household, he would possibly decide up jobs delivering boats and Randi would possibly work in a marina retailer for reductions on boat components, she says.

One factor’s for positive, says Hitchcock — as quickly as they’ll, they’re placing their Colorado home up on the market.

“I do not suppose we’ve any need to stay in a home once more realizing how straightforward and enjoyable it’s to journey on a ship,” she says.

The Hitchcock’s very first Gulf Stream crossing was from Lengthy Key, Florida, to Using Rock, Bahamas.

Randi Hitchcock

Boat life is booming

Life the van life motion that exploded lately — and much more so in the course of the pandemic — boat life shouldn’t be new.

It’s, nevertheless, fashionable.

And like RV gross sales in the course of the pandemic, boat gross sales, too, have boomed.

“We’re promoting all measurement yachts and the stock has shrunk to an all-time minimal,” he says.

In accordance with the Nationwide Marine Producers Affiliation, the US leisure boating trade noticed a rise in first-time boat patrons in 2020 for the primary time in over a decade.

Damien Williams and Maggie Jay traded RV life for boat life in early 2020.

Maggie Jay

One couple’s transition from van life to boat life

Maggie Jay and Damien Williams, who’re digital nomads working in advertising and finance, are amongst these first-time boat patrons diving proper in.

The Denver, Colorado, couple made a brisk transition from RV life to boat life after an accident claimed their beloved motor dwelling.

After 4 years touring throughout 35 US states in a 1974 GMC Painted Desert motor dwelling that Jay says “seemed like a stretch Scooby Doo van,” an engine hearth in 2019 put an finish to the journey.

“We had restored it ourselves, it was heartbreaking for me,” says Williams. “I did not need to begin over again with a brand new motor dwelling. I simply wished to do one thing completely different.”

He’d at all times been intrigued by crusing however thought it was one thing you needed to develop up doing — or not less than have some huge cash to afford, he says.

When he proposed the concept of dwelling on a crusing boat to Jay, she says she imagined it like “tough tenting on the water.”

“I simply sort of heard tales from my aunt and mother, who sailed, about peeing in a bucket and cooking on a Bunsen burner,” she says, “I used to be questioning how that labored for one thing greater than a weekend.”

She quickly came upon.

In late February 2020 — after trying out roughly 20 boats whereas driving alongside the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida with their schnoodle, P-Moe — the household discovered their new dwelling.

With pandemic lockdowns simply beginning as they had been settling into life at anchor, Jay and Williams realized to sail by watching a number of YouTube movies and crusing channels, poring by books and bartering Maggie’s shed-organizing abilities for crusing classes from a captain they met.

By mid-April of this yr, after logging tons of of nautical miles whereas studying to sail round Florida, they crossed from Miami to Bimini within the Bahamas and plan to reach in Puerto Rico by January 2022 for his or her marriage ceremony day

“Even in comparison with life on land within the motor dwelling, I’ve by no means felt a lot privateness and freedom,” says Williams. “On land in an RV, you are at all times frightened if somebody will trouble you, in the event you’re parked okay.”

“Everywhere in the world we are able to anchor at no cost, it feels actually releasing,” he says.

Damien Williams did not know something about crusing earlier than they purchased their boat.

Maggie Jay

Is it for you?

As glamorous because the crusing liveaboard life can look on YouTube and Instagram, not everyone seems to be lower out for it.

And simply as there are coaches for practically all the pieces lately, there are sailors who specialise in serving to individuals determine if dwelling on a sailboat is perhaps for them.

After that, if visitors are nonetheless within the boating life-style, Brown says, the following step is to hit the books to check and get licensed to soundly function the particular kind of crusing yacht that sparks their curiosity.

A typical misperception for individuals new to the crusing life-style, he says, is that you will “glide alongside to your subsequent vacation spot with honest winds and calm seas.”

And that does not solely apply to altering climate.

“Folks don’t notice how costly this life-style is, even with prudent budgets,” Brown says. Even ordering a easy restore half that may value $15 on-line may value many instances that by the point it is gone by customs and processing charges, he says.

New sailors may also be shocked by how lengthy it takes to get locations on wind energy.

“If man may stroll on water, it could be a greater choice if you’re in a rush,” Brown says. “Most crusing yachts common 5 miles an hour, so endurance is essential.”

The Sueiro household has been studying to sail since they purchased their boat in August.

Jessica and Will Sueiro

A slower life-style generally is a reward

For households who like the concept of a slower, extra minimalist way of life (and do not thoughts shut quarters), the liveaboard crusing life-style could be interesting.

The household had been touring full time since 2014, homeschooling the youngsters whereas visiting each county in Europe in an RV (amongst different adventures) earlier than touchdown in Japan in late February 2020.

Residing on a sailboat was at all times a part of their “endgame,” says Jessica, and the pandemic accelerated that.

“We realized that Covid was going to go on for much longer than all of us initially anticipated,” she mentioned in an electronic mail. “And the need to tackle a undertaking whereas we needed to pause journey appeared like the right alternative for our household to discover ways to stay on a ship and sail.”

Storage is tight for the household of 4. Overflow groceries go in lockers below the flooring.

Jessica and Will Sueiro

In August 2020, after returning to Europe, they purchased their sailboat, S/V Friendship, a Broadblue 38 catamaran, for round $160,000 within the South of France and have been studying to sail it since.

The household plans to cruise round Spain’s Balearic Islands this summer time earlier than crusing throughout the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco.

“There’s a large studying curve if in case you have by no means sailed earlier than,” Jessica says. “Rent an teacher, crew on different boats, rent a coach, learn books, attend boat exhibits, decide brains, watch YouTubers, take specialised lessons in CPR/navigation/climate/engine restore and extra.”

And remember to faucet the huge crusing neighborhood in port, at anchor and at sea.

“Aside from social media mates, we did not expertise a lot neighborhood within the van and RV life in any respect,” says Williams. He thought transitioning to crusing life from RV life would “be a lateral transfer,” he says, and has been shocked to search out it an improve.

“Sailors have been so beneficiant, useful and pleasant towards us, despite the fact that we had by no means sailed a day in our lives once we moved on our sailboat,” he says.