LIVING ON A BOAT: MY EXPERIENCE
My first time living on a boat was during my hitch in the U.S. Navy. I was on the crew of the destroyer U.S.S. Myles C. Fox (DDR-829).
It's a stretch to call a destroyer a "boat", but some of the self sufficiency involved and the wandering lifestyle appealed to me.
Not counting my time in the U.S. Navy, the first time I lived aboard a boat was on my CSY33 "Silverheels".
She was a 33 foot cutter that I bought from a Bahamas charter company. The boat had been custom built primarily for sale to Carribean charter companies back in the late 1970s and early 1980. The name CSY stands for "Caribbean Sailing Yachts."
She had a deck house that let plenty of light below and had 6 foot 7 inches of headroom. I love a pilot house on a sailboat for that reason; motorsailers usually have them too.
Living aboard wasn't on my mind when I bought her, but it worked out well when I did decide to live on her long term. She turned out to be an almost perfect liveaboard boat for me.
The second time was on my Island Packet 26 "AWOL". That's her in the photo above at Factory Bay, Marco Island, Florida.
Although it was 7 feet shorter on deck than Silverheels, it was close to having the same waterline length. That and it's beamy width made it almost as roomy below as Silverheels, but with only about 6 foot 2 inches of headroom.
I've also enjoyed "living aboard" my various boats many other times during long cruises, vacations and on weekends. Boats have also served many times as my office and guest room away from home.
Four of my boats have been named AWOL. It signifies the freedom I feel when I get out on a boat.
I have a lot of experience around boats and love them, especially sailboats. Boating has been an important part of my life since I was a kid.
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By Mike Miller, Copyright 2012-2023 Living-Aboard.com