new year pivot

January 7th, 2017 § 0 comments § permalink

Many people ask me privately how we are living on a boat full time in terms of work and finances. The answer is we are completely lucky and we work hard.

The first thing I will acknowledge is that there are many things beyond our control that make this possible, first and foremost of which are our families that we know would catch us if the boat sank. The practical and psychological effect of having supportive parents and siblings is emboldening for sure. Sailing is a lot about calculating risk, all risks are mitigated at their most extreme end by present and loving kin.

That is part of the luck.  The other part of the luck is that we really try to put ourselves in luck’s way.  Luck does not come and wake you up in the morning, tell you to get out of bed, put on your shoes or turn your mouth corners up into a smile.  You really can’t tell where luck might be, but it usually involves a fair amount of effort and interconnectedness.

Now to the part where we work hard. We work hard every day to live more and more simply. Have fewer expenses, fewer things that break, better health and stronger minds. We work hard to be good to our friends and family, and to be open and sweet to new people. To feed luck.

Right now, luck has brought us a temp job aboard a luxury yacht back up north, where I wear booties inside to not mess up the teak or carpet as I polish things and help the chef. Fabio tromps around on deck shoveling snow and readying the boat for departure to warmer climes. We miss our tiny floating home, but are really enjoying the experience, and savoring the feeling of recharging the bank account, especially knowing how far we can take each penny with our stripped-down lifestyle.

May you be happy, may you be free from fear, and may you put yourself in luck’s way this year!

This is for @_vanessavitale_ because I finally have some interesting footwear. #sealevelliving #solventin17

A photo posted by kate zidar (@plankton_every_day) on

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