Another Life Ruined

Bob heartily says, “Another life ruined.”

Our story begins in December 2003, or maybe it was March 2004. When you are hopelessly lost in the work, eat, work, sleep, and work rat race time has little meaning. I was in my forties and dealing with the same problems and concerns we all deal with at this time in our lives. Cheri and I were dating, and in an effort to cheer me up she gave me an issue of Latitudes & Attitudes magazine. I was instantly hooked. This crazy biker was living on a sailboat, cruising around the world, and writing about it in this magazine. Bob was making his dreams a reality, he was actually doing it, and the more I read about Bob and his adventures the more envious I became.

Then it happened. One day I had a revelation, and asked myself, “What the heck am I doing?” I do not recall the exact moment that this happened. It was somewhere in March or April 2005 when I had my, “Aha” moment. I was sick and tired of living life in neutral, treading water, and going nowhere. Time for a change! From that decisive moment, I was consumed with the need to do something different with my life. Like Bob, I was going to create and live my own reality.

When I told people we were going to move on a sailboat, I got that deer in the headlights blank stare. Yes, everyone thought I had gone crazy. Humor him, play along, and he will come back to his senses. Oh well, I have always marched to the beat of a different drummer.

One day, while sitting at my desk, eating my lunch, and reading the latest issue of Lats & Atts I had a wild and crazy thought. A ridiculous out of the blue thought, but what the heck. I picked up the phone and dialed the phone number inside the magazine. The phone rang a few times and someone answered. I said my name, and I was calling to speak with Bob. The person told me to hang on, and after waiting a few seconds, Bob is talking to me on the phone. We talked for a while, and I shared my story. I explained to Bob my plans for moving aboard. In a nutshell; our plan was to sell, give away, or throw out our material possessions. Then buy a boat, move aboard, spend a year outfitting for cruising, and leave for shores unknown. When I asked Bob what he thought of my plans, he laughed and said, “Another life ruined.”

Fast-forward to present day and we are entering our eighth year of living aboard Bella Rose. Cheri and I have lived our lives together, aboard. Jonathan, now fifteen, has lived more than half his life aboard. The people that once thought me crazy are now envious of our live aboard pirate lifestyle. Now all the naysayers are asking me how we did it. I smile when they say, “You are so lucky to live on a boat. I wish I could do it!” It might not be to a boat, but you can follow these 5 steps to retire peacefully and live out the rest of your life as an unspoiled one.

What is it like being a full time live aboard?

In many ways, living aboard a boat is easier today and you can live the same way on a boat as you can in an apartment. In particular, technology has made it possible to be connected to the outside world while living on your boat. Cell phones, Internet, WIFI, and Social Media are examples of the things that we use today. Most boats have sinks and showers with running hot water. They might be smaller, boats have stoves and refrigerators. Furniture like beds, couches, and chairs, while having different names, are similar.

Living aboard a sailboat, living the pirate lifestyle, is a beautiful way to live life. We get to wake up on the water, enjoy our coffee in the cockpit, and inhale fresh, clean sea air. It is a delightfully romantic and peaceful way to live. The freedom of going wherever you want whenever you want to go. In this complex modern world, it is a freedom few will ever experience. Because of Bob, and the talented crew of Lats&Atts we are living our dream.

What should you do?

The idea of working hard at a job you do not like, exchanging time for money, day in and day out, year after year, and deferring life until old age stinks. Your goal should be living life to the fullest each day. I refuse to look in the mirror each morning and say, “Man I hate my life, but ten years from now life will be great.”

Start now because the time will never be right. Stay disciplined and focus on what you will be gaining and how much better your life will be. Like a motorcycle rider, look where you want to go to and go there. If you focus on the wrong place, like the ditch, that is where you will go so look beyond the immediate obstacles and visualize successfully reaching your goal. Push yourself to move forward, do something, anything, and keep the momentum going.

One of my favorite sayings is, “Most people will remain the same until the pain of staying the same exceeds the pain of changing.”

Even when people know that changing will be better, they resist the change. You know exactly what I am talking about. I bet, more than once, you have said, “I should have done that a long time ago.” Change begins with making a decision. Each morning when you get out of bed you choose how to live your life.

I am doing my best to live my life each and every day. The thing is life is finite. And it is over before we realize it. Our dreams get buried under mortgages and car payments. We get few opportunities to live life. Most of us keep deferring life, dreaming of the day we will have the time, the day we retire, the day we have enough money. For most of us, this day never comes. Bob is the guy living his dreams and showing us the way.

Life is a book with each chapter telling a different story of your life. Some chapters are happy, and some chapters are sad. Some chapters are short, and some chapters are long. The trick is to have the confidence to keep turning the pages. Will you be starting a new chapter in your life? Bob is starting a new chapter in his life with Cruising Outpost.

Hey Bob, “Another life ruined.”