the journey continues..

[mike_bryon]

We started living a simpler, better life afloat almost two years ago. Last week, I resigned from the last directorship and await the papers indemnifying me against future liabilities (should any arise).

It is a cause for a small celebration as it marks the last tie to our previous working life. From now on we will be dependent on the meagre living to be had from (nb) writing but we will be free of the stress, demands and threats of running businesses at a distance.

The kis principle should be applied to us as well as the boat. We thought we could employ managers to run two small businesses in return for a much smaller income. It did not work. If we had set off long term sailing we would have had to come back to sort out problems. It could well have been a fatal blow to our plans.

It has taken much more time than we expected to make the transition from busy London family to happy floating family and it was a good thing we initially stayed local. But, make no mistake it is by far the best thing we have done and it looks like it just got better.

 

[CodStewart]

Hurrah!
It is because of folks like you that have made me keep my boat instead of selling it.
It is a worthwhile struggle to reach a different kind of struggle..

 

[StellaGirl]

I take it you still have the Ocean 60 Mike?

 

[StellaGirl]

perhaps i should have looked at your biog again.... ;0)

 

[mike_bryon]

It obviously took a lot of planning and changes to get to the point where we moved onto the boat in the first place and I guess we did not appreciate that this move was the beginning of another stage in the journey. At the time we did not realise how much of our previous life we would want to unravel and how long that process would take. Maybe you will not want to go as far as we have or need to take as long.

A big boat makes living aboard with children in a cold climate really possible and we have no regrets regarding her or plans to change.

We spent far more money on our last boat mainly because we had it! Dark Horse is a quite simple yacht, hanked on sails, only hand steering. We anchor, sail or put her on the hard during the expensive summer months. This keeps down our mooring fees. We have the time (and are slowly acquiring the skills) to do most maintenance ourselves.

This summer we will sail down to Madeira and back via the Azores. Next winter will be our last in the UK and I hope that the time we have taken to get this far will mean that we can sustain our new lifestyle for a good many years to come.

It is most definitely worth it.