Deciding, with 4 children, to change your life. Sacrificing one's terrestrial comfort to live on a boat, as comfortable as it may be, is a huge project. We went to talk about life on board with Tom and Anna whose boat, an Ericson 28 (8.50 m only!), is anchored for the moment on the Southeast coast of the United States, currently in the marina of Indiantown, Florida.
Alternative schooling
In the 3 years they have been living on their boat, the way they have approached life as a whole has fundamentally changed. The schooling of the 12, 8, 5 and 3 year olds has been reoriented to "the way of life" home schooling "This is an alternative form of schooling. Thus, the children are autonomous with their parents for all the learning part, while the administrative questions (diplomas, application of the programs...) are managed by the school.
Each day, academic learning takes place in the mornings, while the afternoons are devoted to everyday life, which Tom calls "the daily routine Regular life ". Far from being unlearned, you only have to listen to the younger and older girl talking about draught or fin keels to be convinced.
Drastically reduce the footprint of their lives on the environment.
The boat has been de-motorized and the fuel tanks have been removed as well. The idea is to use only self-generated energy to power the onboard equipment, sparingly. The movements of the boat, when the wind is not sufficient, are made with the sculling.
Tom did some research and the result is that the model Yuloh is the most adapted to his boat... And the whole crew is on the job, adults and children alike. The objective is that everyone takes part in all the tasks so that everyone can enjoy life on board.
An alternative philosophy of sharing at all levels
Children and adults alike participate in the daily tasks. From the maintenance of the boat to the preparation of meals, the principle is that everyone can enjoy their life, which requires that everyone participates in the life of the group. The smallness of the space is thus combated by the reciprocal implication of each one and the importance that each one invests in the well-being of the other.
A life in permanent interaction
The children, far from the image that we may have, do not live in a vacuum. Tom explains " The advantage for the children of living on a boat is that they are constantly interacting with people who are not the same age as them. When we meet other families, they are comfortable with the presence or absence of other children. We are all part of the same crew with different skill sets and as such, we all work on the whole boat. To ensure that they maintain a social life with children of the same age, we enrolled them in a regular school for a semester. All of our fears were allayed, our children are capable of creating and maintaining a social life, we did not turn them into sociopaths! "
The couple's life is also disrupted by such a way of life. Because when you talk about cramped spaces, you also talk about promiscuity, in good times and in bad. How do Tom and Anna manage this perpetual proximity?
Cultivate your interior space
" We both have the ability to maintain a large interior space, without the need to have this space in real life. We make sure that our intellectual activities (Anna is a writer, Tom is a computer scientist / trainer / database administrator) allow us, even oblige us, to escape. This is how we can, then, find ourselves together, as a couple and as a family after these inner journeys. The subjects we deal with are all outside the boat, I think it is considerable to have a mind that wanders like this. If promiscuity is not a concern for us adults, the children, on the other hand, need a lot of space to move, to play and to grow. That's why we are constantly looking for ways to increase the space in the boat. The removal of the engine and fuel tank, for example, was also aimed at saving space. "
Friends and visitors of the family are aware of the lifestyle and the different character of life on a boat. So they come to visit with a conscience. Tom explains that there is always a solution: " We know that visitors cannot stay very long. Usually, those who visit us stay in hotels for accommodation. And when we want to meet them, we can rent a vacation home to spend time with our loved ones ".
Short-term projects
Tom and Anna want a life that will go at the pace that suits the tribe. They plan for the short term, keeping in mind that children must develop the freedom to think and create. They set themselves a maximum of 12 months visibility, to benefit from the most precious commodity, time.
When we talk about their anchorage in 6 or 12 months, Tom answers: " In 6 months, we may be anchored somewhere on the west coast of Florida. Probably somewhere north of Georgia. Or in Luperon, Dominican Republic. The only constraint will be to get out of the way before hurricane season." He concludes, "It's too early, we have no idea actually where we will be then! "
Happier
We would like to take part in the life of Tom, Anna and their children, so much it seems light and easy. Happiness, they have certainly found it.
Certainly, that's what Tom tells us when we ask him how he feels now: " I am happy. I am aware that it took real courage to navigate and confront my inabilities or incompetencies. I accepted to become the only master on board and to leave my comfort zone. That's what sailing is all about, never staying in your comfort zone and accepting it ".
