For a while now we have hinted that changes are in the air with our live-aboard lifestyle. A need for a different pace, a yearning for more variety and convenience have led us to decide it is time to make some adjustments.
We have been living aboard for over 8 years, our boat being our home all this time. Our years afloat have been about living a nomadic life, about minimalism and self-sufficiency, about finding joy in nature, about a special kind of partnership as a couple and about friendships with like-minded people. It has required resilience, flexibility and adaptability because the weather reigns supreme and the boat is a highly demanding home. Can we do all this? Yes! Do we want to keep doing it? Not permanently anymore!
While the rewards of our unconventional lifestyle are beautiful and we get a sense of being free spirits, living life on our own terms, it all comes at a cost.
People often say “you are living the dream”. But living on a boat permanently is not a dream. In all honesty we are on a spectrum. Imagine a line with dream at one end, nightmare at the other; our position on that line moves constantly between those two extremities. Most of the time, we are living somewhere in the middle, our kind of ‘ordinary’ life, but circumstances and happenings tilt us one way or the other, often within the same week or even the same day.
Secluded anchorages, remote locations, fun with friends, precious calm conditions, frequent wildlife encounters, enjoyable sails and the timeless elegance of our vessel move us towards the dream end.
Worsening medical issues, unrelenting boat maintenance, accidents, intensifying weather events, depressing reef degradation, all this often in combination, take us close to the nightmare end. Right from the beginning of this sea wanderers’ life, we said we would keep living aboard full time as long as it is fun. In the last two years, it has not been much fun; we have been stuck at the wrong end of the spectrum, even if we are not ready to stop exploring on Anui altogether.
What we would like to do is alternate living on land, and going cruising on Anui for a few months at a time. We want more variety day to day, ease of living, less stress. Yes stress! It is challenging being in a constant state of alertness, especially for Wade as the skipper. It is stressful being weather dependent, always worrying about your safety while sailing or at anchor, endlessly fretting about what might go wrong next, and having to deal with frequent gear breakdowns and tough health issues in the middle of nowhere! It is time to pamper ourselves rather than the boat!
At this stage our return to our home state of Victoria is a temporary one. We want to find our land legs again, have a six-month break from full-time cruising, and see how we feel.
Having held onto both our houses and rented them while we were away, we are in the fortunate position of having somewhere to go back to, even if just for a transitional period. Chris has her house in Brunswick, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Wade’s house is in Jan Juc on the Surf Coast. We have given notice to our tenants. We’ve reserved a six-month marina berth for Anui at Wyndham Harbour, in Port Phillip Bay.
We do not want to live in the city after years of living in the wilderness, so Brunswick was never going to be where we’d come back to, even temporarily. The house will be tidied up and sold. We will sail south to move back into the Jan Juc house, chosen because of its coastal location, and the fact that all our furniture and chattels are stored there already, so it’s practical. But it probably won’t be where we base ourselves long term.
What we do beyond the six months, where we want to live longer term, is very much in the air. The coming 10 months will bring some clarity.
A few of the issues around living in Jan Juc beyond this transition period relate to climate (Victorian winters are cold and after years of living in the tropics we suspect we’ll want to be somewhere warmer), the fact that it is Wade’s house, not ‘OUR’ house, and the difficulty with berthing and maintaining Anui (she is a big boat so few marinas can accommodate her and there is a lack of shipyards along the south coast where we can haul her out for maintenance).
If we do decide to move, it will mean we sell both our Victorian properties and settle in northern NSW – Yamba or near Coffs Harbour – a halfway point between the tropics and the southern climes. Both locations offer options to berth Anui. This presents a new and exciting start for the next phase of our life.
Meanwhile we are looking forward to catching up with land friends, to enjoying some restorative time, and more than anything having an easier life: a car to get around, greater choices of physical and creative activities for us both, ready access to modern conveniences, not having to worry about the weather, our water or power consumption, even down to something as simple as having our own address… all those things landlubbers take for granted!
But our six-months break will be a busy time. There will be a fair amount of tidying up after years of rental. We will sort through furniture from our two houses and ‘stuff’ kept in the garage at Jan Juc, and decide what we keep, which should be much easier after living in a small floating home for years!
So there you have it, the secret is out! Lots of thinking and decision making ahead, lots to look forward to!
Sv-Anui 
To twist a line from a movie, ‘Welcome to our Transition.’ Sort of. You know that we understand completely and our thoughts are with you… this is going to be a mentally busy time. We look forward to catching up with you soon so we can swap notes. xxx Trish
Hello Trish, we are sure it will be quite a transition even though, unlike you two, we are not swallowing the anchor. But I can imagine we’ll feel a bit lost when for a while the weather and the boat don’t govern our every move and every thought!
The boat not governing your every move is a given. I have however found it a struggle to ignore the weather… that may take time. I guess it is like reconditioninging Pavlovs dogs… we go from ‘have weather, need to move’ to ‘have weather… what do we do now?’ And then having to adjust the brain to working out a solution and that, unlike before, we don’t necessarily need to act.
I hope we can catch up while you are down south.
I’m sure we will! Looking forward to it.
Except for not knowing you both still had homes in Victoria, this somehow is not news to me but somehow a logical progression which makes complete sense. You have shared a fabulous eight years living a life 99.9% of us do not even dream about – other opportunities have become more logical. Selfishly I do hope you are not planning on giving up the blog . . , methinks all of us reading would love to accompany your moves and discoveries to come . . . be well . . .
Hi Eha, won’t stop the blog and don’t intend to stop sailing… as we said: a six months break then cruising part time. The transition will be ‘interesting’ and is sure to be the subject of a few posts! It’s still a few months away though and we have to be let out of the Gladstone jail first!
Such a huge decision to make, but well done on making a decision. Better to have plans and ease into the next hybrid adventure than find circumstances force a sudden change. It is a stressful, all consuming lifestyle that brings immense highs and some very tricky lows.
So great that you have a berth for Anui relatively close to Melbourne and on the bus and train line. We used Wyndham Harbour as a base one winter and really enjoyed sailing on Port Phillip Bay – although it was chilly!! Good luck with the sale of your property – great time to be selling with demand for housing so high.
I hope the repairs on the rudder are progressing? We’re still in our holding pattern in Moreton Bay, but at least the parts have made it to Melbourne…
Sending many hugs from us xxx
Hello Helene & Graham, as you know it has been brewing for a while and we are now hanging out for a break, especially with this current infuriating episode. But as you said: better to choose our time than be forced into it.
Our cruising season has evaporated. By the time we get going again we will have to go straight south… to come out again at Boat Works for top sides repaint!
Still haggling with the insurer who accepted our arguments but neglected to change the figures… all part of their game… We don’t give up easily and know how to read a contract and a quote!
Wow, big changes are coming for you guys! I understand the stress of boating life, so many things that could go wrong. An easier life awaits on land. Beautiful photos, I wish you guys all the best going forward!!
Thank you, John, we will enjoy the break but are not giving up cruising all together!
that’s good! I like the homes, they look very nice!
Hopefully someone on the market will think so too!
I hope the sale goes quickly, the housing market in Las Vegas is insane right now, there isn’t enough! my home has increased in value a lot since I purchased it in 2019.
Same here!
A big decision, but as we move forward through the phases of our lives, we know that we need to do what is right for ourselves. Being able to continue doing what we love to do in some way is a fortunate situation. Best wishes for your move. And once a weather watcher, always a weather watcher!
Very true on all accounts, Jan. Health issues and age force you to reassess, but as you point out, we are lucky we can make adjustments without giving up our passion for the ocean.
“The weather reigns supreme” is what got me back on land. You never switch off when you’re on the water, never truly relax. The tide, current, wind – decide everything for you. Whether you stay or go, sail close to a shore or away from it, force you to turn east when you’re journey is north; you plan for a week but it turns to a month. “The Dream” comes with many conditions, conditions that aren’t optional, conditions that will easily take a life if not respected. Living aboard gives you the best and worst of worlds, but at some point, each of us decide when and whether the ‘always on’ life is the right life. Some find a nice warm marina. Others, like you, have a dry place to go to that doesn’t move and has an endless supply of water and electricity pumped to it.
All the best for your transition. -M
Thanks Michael for saying hello. We are not ready to call it a day yet, but a break then some time on land, some time afloat while we still can will probably be the way.
It was great to read about your plans. Sounds like a good one to me. We love knowing our son moved into our house and truly hope he wants to stay there. For us it means we can go there and sometimes stay a night or two. We also leave our car there whilst travelling with ‘Finally’. We base ‘Finally’ in the river at Burrum Heads. We can have the car in the car park and I (Denise) go to Brisbane about every 6 weeks and visit the kids and grandchildren. Being away longer has been nice but not something we want to keep doing. We can go for nice sails to K’Gari and Hervey Bay and even day sails just out of the river and back in. Garth doesn’t like to get off the boat overnight. That’s his choice and as long as we are on a safe anchorage and the weather is good for the couple of day I go visiting, it all seems to work well. We will continue like this whilst we enjoy it over 50 % of the time 🤣🤣. It is a lifestyle that we can change if it no longer suits us. We wish you well on your journey over the next year. It will be interesting to see what you decide to do. A bit of both is an excellent transition. Cheers from Denise and Garth On ‘Finally’.
Hi Denise and Garth
Experiencing the best of both worlds will hopefully work well for us after a break. Having the freedom to come and go as we please as you do will be great. Thanks for saying hello.
I think we know when the time is right. Well done Anui for acknowledging it, and then making a plan. A new chapter. As you know we spend half the year on our boat and half on land in our home. We look forward to going home and we certainly look forward to returning to our boat. It will be an exciting new beginning and one that still includes sailing Anui. Perfect!
Hi Amanda and Neville. Yes, time to follow your lead and enjoy both worlds!
Dear Chris & Wade,Sounds like a different kind of adventure is ahead of you, also a very busy time, but ultimately rewarding once you have established a new home base. So many wonderful and challenging experiences to look back on over the past 8 years. Few people have seen so much and documented it so superbly. Looking forward to sharing an anchorage somewhere. Chris & Suzanne. Discovery II
Thank you so much, Chris & Suzanne, lots more adventures to come but at a different pace… not unlike what you two have been doing! See you soon.
Well decision made and knowing you two it will be the right one.
Stay safe and all the best. We’re in Spain at the moment, Italy beckons for next week and then back home for start of sailing season.
Hello travellers! Enjoy Spain and Italy. We’ll probably see you in the Lakes on the way south … if we ever finish doing time in Gladstone!
There is a berth here in Yamba that will accommodate Anui alongside Medina & Take it Easy is berthed across from us. We understand your decision making we all need to be comfortable as we grow into senior years.
Ooh, the trilogy! Might see our two old boats when we go south as we are sure to stop in Yamba. It would be pretty cool for the three to share an anchorage together!
From one adventure to the next. You never really know what the future looks like until your doing it. I hope you have a great sail south and all the land stuff works out well for you guys. We still keep our cat at Paynesville, but I do agree, the winters are chilly and long. Coffs or Yamba are good choices.
Hi Brad & Nat, we’ll enjoy the break, regroup and see how we want to run things after that! Might see you on the way south.
Chris and Wade, a test message to see if this log in method works!
Best wishes to your life changes!
Elgar & Claire
It has worked, hurray!
Hi Chris and Wade, good on you making this very difficult decision. We are sure given time you will adjust to the changes that will take place over the next months. Keep taking your beautiful photos and posting on this blog. Hope all is progressing with your repairs, the last blog I read you seem to have found a solution with the insurance company. The most important thing is to take care of yourselves. Best of luck Jeanette and Doug
Thanks Jeanette, we will keep cruising, just not full time anymore. As you say it is time we take care of ourselves! Good to see the commenting problems seem to have been resolved too!
What a remarkable and completely full life experience for you both. What you have packed into these past 8 years is a lifetime of experiences for others. Like the sailing vessel we once Chartered….”No Regrets”, your move forward is just another chapter in a wonderful book of life for you both….with no reasons to regret any chapter before or after. Love your work and love you both. You are an inspiration to us and all your followers & supporters.
Thank you , thank you, Waz! Hope we catch up in person on our way south…. And the sailing isn’t over – just having a break then doing it at a different pace.
And great to see the commenting hassles are sorted!
Bonjour et au revoir et encore bonjour.
Howdy Bill! 😊 Looks like the comments are now working!