Haven't moved on board full time yet. Surprised that you were so honest and "real," in the best of anyway a person can be. I mean that as a high compliment. There were a lot of solid takeaways for me. Create a passive income stream, possibly from the house that I may want to return. Within reason, Keep and take the key lifestyle items that bring me joy. The sailboat is small, is a small living space, has one head, is small and won't get bigger. After the boat fulfills its sailing duties, make sure it can also be a comfortable home. Weather matters. .... Have a therapist, mediator, strategies for negation, ,timeout and don't forget how small the sailboat is. (I only have 38'- Yikes!). Loved the video. Thanks.
Only a natural, French comedienne could frame barfing and bathroom humor into a lifestyle challenge confessional episode !! My face hurts from laughing ...
Your last 5 minutes was the most meaningful for me. We already can’t live without each other. We’ve never been to salt water and don’t know if we’ll like it when we get there. We’re Lake Michigan sailors. In the 2022 season we plan to rent out our house and head south. We’ll see what happens.
Somewhere in Iowa there is a monument to Ryan erected by all the other farms boys, they have erected this monument to celebrate the hope that Iowa farm boys can aspire to move out of Iowa, to a foreign country, buy a super yacht and get themselves a French Supermodel girlfriend. Well played Ryan you are an Iowan Legend.
He is doing well. I left Linn county in 2003 and with a French speaking Belgium who was already a sailor and now a yachtmaster. However, I'm not so much like Ryan, so I'll take more notes from his lessons. No need for a statue one lives in my hometown of 500 they all left when the school closed in 2008.
Despite we are already sailors, it is exactly our moment: leaving our jobs, kids going home schooling and the whole family to live soon onboard our boat... thanks for sharing all of it with us
This is one of my favorite videos. Thank you for such an insightful perspective, especially regarding relationships. Too many people discount this very important aspect. I really enjoy your channel.
As someone who plans on retiring to a catamaran within the next decade and a half, I appreciate videos such as this more than you can imagine. I don't want to see the glamorous lifestyle parts. I want to see and hear the real life trials and tribulations that are involved with being a cruiser. Having watched hours and hours of videos, yours is the first one I have seen that even mentions the couples therapy aspect. As of now, I plan an being a solo cruiser, but who knows, I may have someone in my life that will join me and hearing your recommendation is another box to add to my checklist. I look forward to watching more and more of your videos. Thank you!
Nicely done. Great insight. We’ve lived aboard for 6+ years, and been cruising full time for 3. We are in total agreement with all of the issues you discussed, even if we have arrived at different solutions for some of them.
You two are awesome! I can relate to so many of these challenges and priorities. The true litmus test of a relationship is living and working together in a confined space 24x7.
Great insight. Definitely recognizes the real human personal aspect of such a major change in lifestyle and all the little things that are taken for granted in a more normal everyday life.
Hilarious and entertaining. Sophie could be a leading actress! Overall, good advice so I am now thinking I need a 100 m sailboat, oh yeah, with 2 bathrooms!
I did not see coming the relationship issue being the most difficult but it is so true. In general you did a very comprehensive review. Thanks a lot, Merci
It’s not an issue, it’s just something that was a lot harder to deal with, mostly because there are so little resources to help. There will always be someone to talk to about boat, sailing and finances. But very few valuable resources to help with the challenges of a relationship onboard...
Spot on advice- our biggest area of growth after a season aboard was in our relationship even more than our sailing skills. Great video and really great perspective!
Bullseye!! This one was a 12 out of 10. You resonated with Pam on dress, skin care (your skin is perfect, BTW) and glass glasses, particulary the wine variety. Hit my buttons with "don't sell the house, find a tenant." Couples counseling -- have done it before and are still happily married after 47 years. BTW, you are definitely the most humorous cruiser on RU-vid. Keep it up. Totally entertaining and Ryan makes a great straight man. You two remind us of George Burns and Gracie Allen.
Wifey and I (retired in our mid 60's) are just finishing the refit of our 46' sailboat before we head off for a 10 year stint gunkholing the SoPac. I have forwarded this link to her, as I agree with much of what you attest. I do, however, agree with Ryan about hanging onto an asset for the future. With what is happening in the world, I would not count on an asset being of much value in the future unless you have direct and constant contact with it. Management costs, bad tenants, fluctuating interest rates, and ever increasing maintenance fees and taxes, I would rather buy gold or a better boat, than hang onto real estate. Besides, like sailing, the next bay could be where we finally seek landfall. It is nice not to be tied.
Thanks for the tips! We just boat a sailboat and are about to move aboard in three weeks and I will definitely be bringing my real dishes, glasses, and silverware!
There were some things I didn't think of so this is great info!! This is also why I watched over 100 channels of sailing vids for 2 years. YUP...I have over 2,000 hours of watching and trying to decide if this lifestyle is for me. AND...some of what you just said really helped. My original plan was to buy a 30 foot boat and circumnavigate for 3 years. The first year was going to be spent in the Caribbean as a practice run and then venture out two more years around the world. My original cast off date (YES...you MUST choose a date to cast off) was November 7th, 2020. Well, covid came along and ruined that plan so the new plan is to move somewhere from the Bahamas all the way to Grenada. Then...buy a smaller boat that's great for day and weekend sailing. Ya know...sail off to some island and stay overnight. AND...If I'm jonesing to do a major crossing, I'll apply for a crew position and get my jollies that way. i'll also leave the breakdowns and other maintenance to the owner of the boat while my maintenance will be much less on my day sailor. So...THANK YOU Sophie for all your input and wise advice!!! PEACE OUT! .
Ryan, love you man,. You are inspiring me. About to embark on my competent crew and day skipper rya course 2nd May here in Scotland , where i'm from. Loving the videos and hope to cross paths one day . I recently retired from the Scottish fire service and you guys are giving me an insight into how my future could be. I have limited experience on the water and you guys are helping me shape my dreams. Love to both of you. Doug.
Too funny about the one bathroom. Striking a paper match after number two does the trick. Just saying.... You shared a lot of good lessons Sophie. Thanks.
Hi guys, great video! These tips are really spot on! The relationship and house part are definitely underestimated by many people. With regard to keeping your house as an asset, we are very very grateful that we made the decision to invest in rental properties before we left to go sailing, even though it meant we needed to live on land a few years longer! The financial freedom that comes with it is well worth it!
I am so glad i joined as a patron before this, as this video is without question the most useful, honest and valuable utube offering i have seen. well done both of you, but especially you Sophie, best wishes for the future - whatever it brings , if parts are good then you definitely deserve it.... if it's sometimes unexpectedly less than good - well - you will clearly deal with it .
This was great Sophie, could we get a similar talk from Ryan? PS, love the Sophie "look"/style. I too ended up thinking I needed a bigger boat, as a singlehander.
Thanks so much for this! Such great advice and insight. We have been talking about so much of this and it is really helpful to hear you went through all of this. I love your point that moving into a boat isn't going to change who you are. And especially for us there will need to be a base level of comfort/amenities just because of where we are in life. Totally get what you are saying about the house too... We wouldn't be able to buy our house now... Housing here is nuts. THANKS SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS! You two are so special and so kind. F
Really amazing video on this matter . No one has covered the “ obvious “ this realistically. Usually people on this matter are more inclined to be technocrats , without considering the human factor I wonder after what time would my wife become fish food . Until than I just stick to my 10-12 weeks a year coastal cruising . Thanks for the great videos , keep up the great spirit of your sailing life . Best to you from Hungary .
Thank you for such an insightful episode on the realities of boat life. I appreciate that you two produce information based videos, this reality based one and ones that simply share the experiences of your journey. Stay safe from Canada...
OTOH if you rent your house you get to worry about a tenant (and hopefully renting agent - but that doesn’t seem to be straight forward either). Plus, I’m guessing if the property was your primary and isn’t (in the US) you get to pay capital gains if you decide to sell it later. My opinion is: only keep places you want (either to live or because you want the investment) and not because it may become useful at some point. Or: spares are insurance and a sunk cost - not an asset.
Sophie, a very insightful video. Thank you. Not your typical live aboard sailing advice which is very cool. I had some of the same thoughts but now you have confirmed them. :) Let the dresses live!
Yes!!! I was a little afraid of how the video would be received just because those aren’t “popular” opinions on sailing RU-vid, but I’m glad to see that a lot of people relate ☺️ thanks for your nice comment!
I have very recently found your channel and I love it. A vast amount of sensible advice in this video. I actually live on a narrowboat on the UK canals and if you need a regular workout just come and help me with all the locks there are lots of them and they are not manned so you have to do all the work yourself (winding paddles up and down and opening and closing all the gates). In addition I am singlhanded and pretty geriatric so I keep more than fit. Keep up the sailing it looks even more idyllic than my lifestyle. The only advantage is that my boat is steel and needs a bit less maintenance than a yacht. I fully get the small space scenario mine is 2 metres (6 ft 10 ins) wide by 13. 4 metres (44 ft) long.
Sophie thank you! Actually giving good financial advice! I advocate loudly for people to keep their homes and rent them out.. makes so much more sense. (And yes I am still on land)
Me too!!! I wish I knew better then, but oh well. I am still young and I know better now! :) (if only sailing RU-vid had given me that advice 5 years ago 😏)
@@RyanSophieSailing boss lady only reason I know is my background in finance.. it scares me silly the bad financial advice given in the sailing community. Well hopefully you guys can grow enough to buy yourself another place :)
Thanks Abdullah! I’m pretty sure that RU-vid will never get to the size that will afford us a new house, but it’s a dream job and that itself has tremendous value :) Ryan’s ventures have much more chance to get us there 😅
A lot of truth in this, especially the real estate one. If the market jumps you can be left behind. My friend was looking at houses and a real estate person persuaded him to sell for a very good price, unfortunately the market took off and the real estate agents were crossing out the old price and putting them up by $2000 every week. I earned that a month back then. We were saying which crazy fool would pay $145k for a 2 bedroom terrace in Sydney. Probably the same fools that pay $1.8 million for the same houses today.
This is the first time I've watched one of your videos, though I regularly watch "Project Atticus" or "The O'Kelly's" RU-vid channel. I have to say I really enjoyed this episode of yours, mainly because I am about to embark on a similar adventure, though with some variation and delays. In 2 months, I will be taking possession of a new Bavaria 37. I sold my townhouse to buy the boat, and moved into my girlfriend's place to not only live together, but also to enable the boat purchase. I wanted to do something different, now that I've reach the age of 50, and also give her the adventure she would otherwise not experience. You talk of having fears, and for sure, my lady definitely has fears. To give an example - whenever the boat leans more than 10 degrees, she starts to panic. So we have a lot of work to do to provide her with overcoming her fears and comfort level. One comment I did present to her when we started dating - I clearly laid out "I will challenge your comfort level, you cannot live in fear around me, but at the same time I will not deliberately put you into danger". I do also recognize the need to be patient, to communicate and try to go at a pace she will be able to handle. The second thing I wanted to comment on is the concept of property ownership - after a 24 year marriage that ended, assets divided, downsized and try to rebuild a life - I came to realize that when it comes to equity ownership and banking, by the time I would have retired at 65 given the normal way of life - I would be half-way through my mortgage (I could only do a 30-year term, in order to fulfill my financial obligations) - which means majority of my money paid would go to bank profits, with little to show for it. In my mind, I lost that financial race when my marriage ended. So the idea of living aboard on a new boat fully paid for made sense to me. But then I met my girlfriend, and while I assured her that her assets are 100% hers, having this boat would provide us with a means to an adventure. She would keep that equity for her security, but also for that land base - similar to you selling your apartment and combining with your partner. It is my desire in a few years that we would be able to take a few years, go sailing down the West coast of Canada, US to Panama and through to the Caribbean. Life should be about adventure, the enjoyment of experiences. There will always be challenges but there will always be the victories as well. If the sailing doesn't work, so be it, sell it and do something else. But if your heart is there - go for it.
I've lived off grid with women before.....if they are about makeup and comfort.....it really becomes a pain.....but good luck to you two. Seems like there's a large posh apartment in Paris missing a girl.
Sophie - Damn great tips gal... we went sailing 16 years ago. I thought I knew my wife after 25 years being married. Whee I was wrong - did not know water was so IMPORTANT to her... we had 250 litres on board to cross the Indian Ocean. Not enough to wash her hair every night ... however she is is an amazing sailor - can pick out a squall at 10 nm... and we up graded to a bigger boat - water maker . and a house at anchor- Thanks for your passion and sharing..
We certainly kept the house & after a few months my wife got on a plane & went home. No arguments whatsoever. Just the lack of lasting friendships. Internet friends are not friends. People one meets on ones travels come & go.They are not long term. They are not like family . The lack of friendships was our biggest problem. You skated over that. Plus we got bored of the same old thing every day. You do the same thing day in & day out. Surely that must drive you nuts. You know exactly what you will be doing tomorrow & the day after that & the day after that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Is paradise really paradise any more after so long? But excellent, like all your videos & I look forward to every one. Thanks
Just for arguments sake, if you had a house to go back to, would you still stick it out and make the cruising life work? Or would you rush back to the safety of your house when things got tough and spend more time on land psyching yourself back up to give the boat another try? Or to look at it another way does NOT having a safe, dry house to run back to force you to make a serious attempt at making things work on the boat? Hard to argue "what if?" but you know what I mean.
Fabulous video! Yes, it did feel like you made the video for us. THANK YOU! We have not considered a therapist, but have a good friend who is one. We were tested over twenty years ago by remodeling a house that Franny wanted and I did not. Lots of tears later and lots of time together doing things together. We made it and the house was beautiful. We did have a therapist at that point... I am sure we will chat again but this is a great video. Makes me want to quit our jobs now and go tomorrow. Not yet, but very soon... Heidi
Thank you. I find this video incredibly enlightening. There are old sailing rules going back in time over millennia that state, 'don't bring a woman on board a ship (boat)' which are not really explained. Now I understand those very old sailing rules much better. Don't shoot the messenger...
Refreshingly honest, well edited and delivered with a great sense of personality and humour. Wishing you fair winds, lots of sunshine and amazing adventures ahead.
Even as a not-to-be sailor of the high seas (and low humor) it was interesting and to the point ....a lot of content and editing for sure! And may I say, if there is a hat...would it not be so much better if it was just so much larger? Bigger is better, especially for vamping...
They do. But it’s not the shark that are dangerous, it’s the dinghies and jetskis jetting through anchorages. Every year, people swimming in anchorages die of collision with small boats. It’s a bit scary 😰
Depends on your crocodile fighting skills, shark repelling and Irukandji resistance. Otherwise they are just plain lazy, or don't like icy cold water. Snowflakes the lot of them.
Sophie has personally to burn and is an absolute natural in front of a camera 👍😃 We aren’t into sailing, we do a lot of overland touring and camping here in Australia so lifestyles are very similar Totally agree with Sophie in regards to creature comforts, the little nice things make life so much easier..
Absolutely right Sophie, never get out of the housing market. As you say you’ll probably not be able to get back in. Watching you guys I wish I’d set off earlier in life. I’m retired and about to set off but in most ways that limits the time I have left to sail. But hey, too late now. Hope to see you guys out there sometime. John
Ryan, My wife and I have been married for 34 years, plus another 11 living together for a total of 45 years. I am alive today because of what was taught to me as a child.... when it comes to feelings, good, bad or indifferent your wife is always right. When it comes to mechanical problems you are always right. Now heed my words and there will be no need for that councilor :) We love your posts, Sophie your sense of humor is priceless!
I'm trying to figure out what I need to do, I bought a Person Triton and it was in need of major up grades and repair. I was told that she was ready to sail the oceans with miner work ( big lie) I am having a hard time trying to figure if I should call it a bust, or go any furthere with it, I am so disappointed. My dreams have been stolen from me.
It is so hard to find a companion that can handle living on a sailboat . I've had more than one person come and stay only to find out they couldn't deal,. Living on a boat is a different lifestyle. And so many people don't get it. And living on a sailboat maybe a little bit of a rat race. But it is nothing compared to the rat race on land.
This was an incredible video! I love that you said living in a boat has somewhat made you more attached to certain aspects of your personality. I think we probably discount the importance of the "home/in-land" comforts thinking the sailing life is somewhat going to make those irrelevant or less important but I suppose it's not always (or rarely) the case. This certainly has implications down the line on the sort of sailing lifestyle one can realistically sustain and what the financial/emotional etc. needs one requires to do so. On the topic of videos with a more serious note, I haven't seen a lot of people talk about how retirement fits into their sailing plans. Do you get worried about having enough money for retirement, the potential health expenses etc, difficulties reinterring the conventional (think corporate) job market down the line (in the unlikely scenario where you decide to go back to land)?
Beautiful, smart and capable, I hope Ryan appreciates how lucky he is. Definitely room for glamor and comfort on board a small boat, that`s not just for the big boys and there big toys!
As an interested landlubber and spotter into quite a few sailing channels, two non-negotiable items for boat purchase come to my mind: - headspace in major parts of the boat, as you wouldn't want to live contorted all the time, and - bedroom space. This should be your comfort room! I find it acceptable to "waste" some space there, especially when more people or kids are expected on board. Just having a double pilot's berth won't be sufficient!
Yes, headspace... I had a dutch sailingbarge with little headspace and even smaller doors. 1st year okay. After that its very clear to never buy a boat without sufficient headspace again. However, if you are a weekend sailor, it doesn't have to be a dealbreaker. I think the bed must just be long enough, then I can sleep in it.
Definetely one of your best ever videos. The quality of your channel continues to improve further and further. Really well done! This video in particular happens to be really applicable to ourselves as we have just last week bought a boat to move onto, so thank you :)
Oh Sophie! Finally... somebody has said you don’t have to come down in your way of living on a BOAT ! I am 20 yrs in and on the hard stand shed at the moment..anyway....I have crystal , silverware, china, linens, and silks....and my beautiful skin care regime......It is possible to get into your tender in BLack Tie with your stilettos in your hand....anything is possible Baby!! Thank you for this video about this stuff......yep....tough life, but beautiful.....and challenging. Love you guys. 🇳🇿🇦🇺 Gold Coast Australia
So, as time passes...knowing more about both of you only improves with time. The same is not true for Mandy, many channels. Your unique twist of authenticity coupled with episodes like the risk analysis and this one are truly valuable and not so common. Keep up the great work. You’ve got this.
Is the electric outboard the only way? I have a four cycle Tomking TK144FC outboard. It's $275 US, plus a 15 dollar spare metal prop. A tiny file modified the ignition and I changed 2 centrifugal clutch springs. It zooms and it trolls on 7 Oz of gas per hour. There is also an 18 LB 36 CC four cycle. Very little gas means your dinghy can run for hours and hours. Unlike a two cycle, it starts very easily.
