I sail to uninhabited and often forgotten places in the world to live and be free. I quite literally just “swing in the breeze” and “go with the flow.” I’ve filled up two passports, and have experienced heavy doses of culture all around the globe. No day is the same, and monotony is not on the menu. However, it’s not all fair winds and distant shores. I’ve given up many things to live the life that I do. Often I tell people of my lifestyle and hear, “Wow, I would love to do that.” But would they? Would you?
It’s a new trend to break free from the house, mortgage, and career to go sailing around the world. More and more people are choosing that lifestyle. It’s an exhilarating feeling to just put yourself out there in the world and see what comes, but not everybody is ready for that. I meet many sailors who just dream of being back ashore. They want a proper home again, proper hot water, an air conditioner, and a dog. They want to see their family, and be home for the holidays. They want a place where everybody knows their name, somewhere comforting and safe. Who could blame them?
My boat, which is my home, doesn’t have the same comforts of a modern house. It’s cramped by comparison. I don’t see family for the holidays very often, and worst of all, I love dogs but can’t have one! But let me tell you, it’s all worth it. I immerse myself in strange and different cultures. I meet new friends everywhere I go, and I have learned to live without all the modern conveniences that I would otherwise take for granted ashore. Not having “scruffy” and missing a few New Year’s parties is well worth the epic adventures that I have allowed myself to experience.
Could you do it to? Sure, there are plenty of people doing it. The internet is littered with guides, and bookstores are filled with books on the topic. Breaking free of a shore-based lifestyle is one of the most liberating feelings in the world, but make sure you’ll feel liberated and not impoverished. You don’t want to miss out on the best parts of you voyage because of being so focused on the things you’re giving up.
I would encourage anyone thinking about sailing away to do more than just learn how to sail. Take a deep look inside and ask yourself if it’s what you really want. If the answer is “yes, let’s go!” then by all means get out there! Mark Twain put it so beautifully, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
I’d be happy to answer any questions about the sailing lifestyle. Feel free to leave a comment or contact me any time.
Photo Credits
Photos By Rob Lehmann – All Rights Reserved
Guest Author Bio
Rob Lehmann
A sailor, an adventurer, and sometimes an author. Rob’s career, passion, and topics all revolve around the sea. Rob keeps a blog at SailorRob.com to document all of his adventures, misfortunes, and rants for the world.
The sea is always calling, and he is first in line to answer the call.
Blog / Website: http://www.sailorrob.com
Follow Rob On: Twitter | Facebook
David says
WOW! You are living my dream.
I have so many questions to ask I don’t know where to begin.
First of all how did you do it?
A friend and I want to live aboard a ship, for the rest of our lives, travel the world.
This has been a dream of mine for nearly 3 years now and only recently have I really begun to make it come. I’m 21, no job, barely any money. I want to own a ship and just escape society, truly experience freedom I can only find out on the water.
I have never been sailing in my life, barely have any sea legs and there is no opportunity for me to get a taste of it since there aren’t any big lakes near where I live.
I guess, is it even possible? And if so what all would I need, I know that passports will be important, but what else? What else do I need that proves my identity. It’s not as simple has having a permanent address and having stuff shipped to you, what important papers would you take with you?
Sorry if I am confusing you, it’s pretty late and there are SO many questions running through my head that I can’t categorize them well enough. I went to bed an hour ago and couldn’t sleep because this story kept me awake thinking. My God, I need to start making this dream of mine come true.
OK, let’s start over, question by question.
1. What type of ship do you have? If me and my friend were to live at sea what size boat would you recommend? As well as means of acquiring it? Is there a good way to get a boat for cheap? Also if we are to sail the ocean and live at sea for the rest of our lives we will probably need something relatively large. Store plenty of food as well as cook it.
2. Legal papers, documents, and payments. This part concerns me, having to acquire a passport, source of identity, maybe insurance for the boat? How would you pay for it? I mean like i said before there is no permanent address? What papers do you need to live at sea? Would you even need a Bank Account anymore? Do you need to pay insurance for the boat? What about taxes? And finally how would you make money? In order to buy food as well as other supplies money would be needed? Where can someone find a job if the are sailing the ocean?
3. Life aboard, this involves the day to day, does it ever get boring? Do you spend your life with out music? Is there any source of electricity? If you have a laptop, and a generator that provides power for it, how would you get internet? I was thinking that an acoustic guitar, deck of cards, and chess would be our main source of entertainment.
4. Social Interaction. I know that I will have my friend with me, but eventually the lack of the opposite sex will come into play, how did you deal with loneliness? Did you meet enough new people for it to satisfy the need to be around interesting people? Did you take anyone with you?
5. Security and Safety. What are the chances of the boat sinking, tipping over in a storm, or for that matter falling into the water? How do you prevent it, would a small boat (20′) be able to survive big waves? What about when you go to shore on some random island, what if someone steals your ship? Would it be advisable to have a gun aboard in case of pirates or sailing into areas of danger?
I guess that sums it up as much as possible, I really want to make this dream of mine come true, but like I said there are tons of questions and things still worrying me, I don’t even know where to begin. My biggest problem is acquiring a ship in the first place, and then figuring out how to set sail and never look back. I know I asked A LOT OF questions but you are my only way of fining any answers related to the topic.
If you could answer them to the best of your ability, and maybe even tell me how to started out living at sea, that would REALLY help, and once again I apologize for the LONG post, and thank you in advance for any information you provide. =)
Rob Lehmann says
David,
First of all, anything is possible.
I can start by telling you that you’d do well to go to my blog at SailorRob.com and lots of your questions will be answered. It will also give you a good feel for what the cruising life is like.
I’ll try to tackle the rest one by one;
1. I own a 38′ wooden classic built in 1957. It’s an absolute beauty, in great condition, but I would never recommend a wooden boat, especially to somebody just starting out. I bought mine for a specific reason, but if you want an ideal cruising boat it would be made of fiberglass in my opinion. They are cheap, easy to repair, and strong. Size is completely up to you. I’ve seen two people living on a boat as small as 24 feet, it all just depends on how much you like your friend! I would advise to get something as small as you think you can tolerate. Small boats = small bills = small problems.
2. Legal papers: As far as legal papers go, all you’ll need is your passport and the boat’s registration. Insurance may be a good idea, but I personally travel without it. Of course you would still need a bank account. Jobs? They can be had. There are people that do little under-the-table jobs everywhere they go, but they are just scraping by. Your best bet would be to find a job at home that is on a contract basis where you can come and go as you please. Go sailing, run out of money, go home to make money, REPEAT.
3. Whether or not you get bored completely depends on what thrills you! I never get bored at sea, I absolutely love it. But yes, I do have a stereo system, I do have a laptop, and I do have internet access when I pull in to larger ports. I make all my power using solar panels (another thing you can read about on my blog).
4. I socially interact everywhere I go. There are always other sailors to talk with, and always people around. You may have to be around people whose company you would not otherwise choose, but that just spices things up a bit and adds a bit of diversity. I’ve met plenty of people that I wouldn’t normally have even spoken with and eventually become good friends. I have taken people with me, friends, family, and people I’ve simply met online. As a matter of fact, if you want to learn more about it I would personally suggest you go to FindaCrew.net and try to get a position as crew on a little cruising boat. You’ll get the chance to sail and learn what the life is all about.
5. When it comes to safety at sea, it’s completely up to you. I’ve been professionally trained and have worked in a professional environment where safety is very important. I took the lessons I learned and have used them on my own boat. For example, I use a harness to keep from falling over board in heavy seas. My personal safety level, in that sense, I feel is very high due to my experience. Of course, there is always a chance of a catastrophic event at sea, but even more of a chance of a catastrophic event on your morning commute during rush hour. I don’t carry a gun on board and would advise against it. It’s difficult to clear in and out of customs and can get you into more trouble just by having it. What if someone steals my ship? Well… I guess I am just fucked then eh?
I hope this has answered most of your questions. Again, for someone like you that is just starting out I would recommend getting on FindaCrew.net and signing up to go sail with someone else. Usually you’ll just have to chip in for food and expenses. I found a crewmember that way (she had never sailed before, like you) and she is still happily sailing around the world as I type this.
David says
Thanks for all the info, i’ll definitely check out the blog, so far everything you said has gone in my favor, apart from the bank account part, i’ll have to figure out some way for them to keep me even though I won’t have a permanent residence. If that is even an issue for them.
What I honestly want to do, is live at sea, away from society, and working a few jobs here and there and make enough for food and supplies. Apart from that, the quiet escape is what I am looking for.
I also want to do this relatively soon. so I might have to go with a small cheap boat.
Pretty much an escape from material things, all I need is my boat, clothes, food, toothbrush and toothpaste, my acoustic guitar, and extra strings. Pretty much live an almost homeless life, too bad we don’t live in a time where the sea was our major source of trade, although I hear that in the future we might have to go back to basic wind powered trade ships. A man can dream.
Anyways thanks for the reply, hopefully I’ll see you out on the water sometime ? haha
Moe says
This post is something that I’ve been really wanting to see for a long time…
I do have a question: I’m fairly certain that I’ll be able to forgo all of the material amenities… but I’m always wondering about the social aspect of things. Do you feel you can establish social relations that are deep and satisfying enough even though everything is transient?
Rob Lehmann says
Moe,
That all depends on how long you stay in a particular area. While I have managed to make great friends in only a short amount of time, I do tend to have more deep and satisfying social interactions when I am in a particular area for some time. It also helps if there are other vessels around that are going on roughly the same route. It’s always nice to bump into people that I saw 4000 miles ago!