Clearly, I am not alone.

By Sailor Keddy -
My friend Kate found this gem in the Boston Globe online this morning, its about liveaboards in Boston! The photo (which is actually a video if you click on it) is of Jarrett, he lives 4 spots down from me!


The video has inspired me to do my own video tour of the Winchelsea, so look for that pretty soon. Saturday looks sunny, so look for it around then.
As far as my commentary on the article, I think it catches a good angle as far as living on a sailboat, and specifically, in Boston Harbor in the middle of winter. It's not always easy, but most of the time its pretty fun, and there is always something to do. I don't have shrink wrap on my boat (and given the small amount of snow here, knock on wood, I think I made the right decision), but it is far from a derelict. 

“The people who live on boats share a sense of adventure and get to live on the water, where they love to be,’’ said Linda Ridihalgh, editor of Living Aboard
This is one quote I could not agree with more. It sums up why I chose to do this in a sentence. 
And then the 70 year-old who has resided in the same marina I live in for the past 35 years with his wife, who recently passed:
Lewis, whose boat lacks running hot water. “I do this because it’s really a nice existence.’’
I would say that confirms it, 35 years (and 35 winters, mind you) and he still loves it.
And at the end of the article:
“But this is a good life. We could live this way forever.’’
I think I can too. 

Comments

Unknown said…
Thanks for writing this, and thanks for writing on Boston Liveaboards.

I also found the article to be far less terrible than the masses on the liveaboards group made it out to be.

I'm glad you saw the good that was in the article.

Keith is a good friend of mine and while I think they certainly took some things he said out of context, he did nothing wrong and I'm really bummed that he's getting the verbal abuse that he is on the liveaboards group. He's a great guy and loves living aboard and the community shunning is remind me of past events in history (can we say Salem Witch Trials)?

Ok, so maybe I'm being INCREDIBLY dramatic...but so are all these people.

Anyway, I just wanted to personally thank you for posting on the liveaboards forum.

We have a blog too - check it out.

http://aboardmadrigal.blogspot.com
February 18, 2010 at 10:00 AM
Anonymous said…
I just finished your blog...I look forward to your video and more of your journey.....john

http://cruisingwetpaint.blogspot.com
February 18, 2010 at 2:30 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Great strength of feets: removing the old diesel

By Sailor Keddy -
Image
After a blissful Christmas at brother's house with his family in Stuart, and my new little nephew, I drove back to Sarasota to start working on getting the engine out from under the cockpit. I got to my sweet Soveraine on Sunday morning and, after getting the lock open, couldn't slide the companionway hatch forward. This had never happened before. No amount of pushing could get it over the drop slides, it was as if they had swelled for some reason. I took out my sawzall and cut a tiny bit away from the top drop slide and it slid open. I was dumbfounded. The entire cabin was submerged in four inches of standing water. Nearest I can tell, during the fall the oak tree, that the jackass trailer park owner let the jackass of a hauler park my boat under, had shed all its tiny goddamn leaves which clogged my cockpit drains causing water to spill into the cabin. Luckily my dad was there to keep my spirits high and attitude in check, because I was in a throw in the towel, no good, d...
Read more

The voyage that changed it all, Part III

By Sailor Keddy -
Since this will be the third and final part of this series, and although I could go on for just about ever about this trip, I should mention why this is "the voyage that changed it all." Before I got that fateful Facebook message, I was struggling hard with the job I have, my passion for sailing and all that is associated with the Ocean, and trying to connect it all together in a way I could put food in my mouth. The people I met opened my eyes to a field of work that was exactly was I was looking for. I had to leave the When and If  abruptly due to her being stuck in Charleston for what looked to be over 10 days. The weather around Cape Hatteras was less than favorable. I flew back to Boston, with a weepy eye and thoughts in my head that I would not return to her, and the wonderful people I had met, ever again. A week past, and during this time I applied to nearly half a dozen jobs within the realm of getting me on a boat. From the lowliest bilge rat position on a moto...
Read more

Goodbye Boston: A Sailor's Proclamation

By Sailor Keddy -
"The decision to flee came suddenly. Or maybe not. Maybe I'd planned it all along -- subconsciously waiting for the right moment." Hunter S. Thompson I am leaving Boston. There is a laundry list of reasons why, but it boils down to an essential few. This is my third winter up here, and to be honest I've had about enough. The cold is oppressive; it latches onto your soul, sucks your vital will to live and leaves you breathless and desperate. It inhibits activity on both a mental and physical level. I've tried to get used to it, but the thoughts of what I could be doing if it were 30 degrees warmer have overcome me. My career, more than likely, will be put on hold. Had I known that I would be spending 8 plus hours per day staring at a computer monitor in the middle of a cube farm, while the world, my youth and my life pass me by, I would never have signed up in the first place. I have been with the same company for three years, since I graduated college, and I hav...
Read more