Nina & Tom Frick are active YCA Burgee Members who sold all their belongings and escaped the rat race in 2023. A few months into our journey, they were struck by lightning, but after an eight month refit, they’re back at it, exploring, living and working from the water, pursuing a life less ordinary!
Written By Nina Frick, SV Escapist, YCA Burgee Member
By the age of 30, I had achieved everything I ever wanted but somehow, I still wasn’t happy. My husband and I did everything we were “supposed” to do.
Go to college
Get married
Find steady corporate jobs
Buy a big house and nice cars
The reality was that the house was a full-time job to maintain. Our jobs were demanding, full-time in the office with substantial travel and afterhours on-call shifts. We were working our lives away just to pay the bills. There was rarely time leftover to spend time together or do the things we enjoy.
Burnt out and searching for solutions, we started talking about what was missing. We love spending time on the water but couldn’t remember the last time we unplugged to enjoy a day on the boat or at the beach.
After months of discussion and planning, we decided to sell it all in search of a simpler life and more time on the water. We found fully remote jobs, then sold the house, cars and other land possessions to afford a sailboat.
It’s been about three years since the inception of the idea to live on the water. We are no longer slaves to debt and our monthly expenses are less now than they were on land. The journey to get here wasn’t easy, but we have zero regrets.
Here are a few things we learned along the way.
There’s a boat for every person and budget
The only requirement for our boat was not taking on debt to pay for it. Based on charter experiences, we knew we wanted the space and stability of a catamaran. The list of boats we looked at ranged greatly, from $100k to $400k. Keep in mind, catamarans are naturally more expensive than monohulls and there are many people cruising very comfortably on boats with smaller price tags.
The sales of our land possessions allowed us to buy a Lagoon 400. Power generation and battery storage were key considerations during the boat search because we wanted to live primarily at anchor. While these luxuries cost more up front, they have paid off when we can live and work in remote places, avoiding costly marinas.
Be realistic about your wants, needs and abilities
It’s important to have a financial plan to deal with boat repairs, which starts with getting honest about your skills and willingness to do your own work.
If you hire a professional for every maintenance job or part that breaks, costs will add up quickly. Professional hourly rates can be up to $150/hour, which is why we always try to do our own repairs and maintenance. Chances are, with proper research and a lot of patience, you’re more capable than you think you are.
Find the balance that works for you
Everyone’s idea of balance is different and it’s rarely perfect. Boat life has brought us better work/life balance and more time to do the things we enjoy.
With added free time, we save money on conveniences we paid for on land, like takeout after a long day or outsourcing yardwork. The things we do buy are purposeful.
Our home can travel to the most beautiful places on earth but we still sit in front of a computer 40 hours a week. We move slower than other cruisers and often watch weather windows pass because our schedules are packed with meetings. It’s the tradeoff we made to live life on the water in our thirties without sacrificing our careers.
The hardest part is starting
It’s much easier to continue living your monotonous life on land. Going against the grain to live an unconventional life is hard but worth it. If you’re waiting for the day that you’re going to feel ready, it’ll never happen. You have to be scared and do it anyway.
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Curious to learn more about cruising before retirement and how to make it possible? Click here to dive into the full seminar where Nina, Tom and other speakers dive deeper into their experiences and share valuable insights. Watch the entire seminar here!