Pros and cons of a boating life

Living aboard a sailboat or a yacht is a dream for many and a nightmare for others. On the plus side are no property taxes, no lawn to mow or driveway to shovel, no siding or roof to repair. If the neighbours are too noisy, well, those who live aboard can just sail away. On the open water, it’s quiet, often peaceful. The fishing is great.

“When we owned a house, we were tied down,” says Pat. “You’re forever mowing the lawn or, when the wind blows, changing roof tiles or removing a tree that fell on your shed. I hated it.”

Living aboard a boat, though, isn’t all sunshine and smooth sailing either.

In 2006, the Haights were off the coast of Bermuda on a windless day when their boat’s engine died just as a storm was approaching. They were stuck. Dropping a parachute anchor, they were forced to ride it out. On the open water in a storm, their sailboat’s mast was essentially a lightning rod.

“It was a dangerous situation,” admitted Pat.

And living at sea requires you to be resourceful, explains Ted.

The three-burner stove and oven aboard the Xcelsior II use propane and the couple has a 54-litre freezer and a refrigerator that both run on electricity. The diesel engine puts out about 37 horsepower and it, like the boat’s electrical systems, needs to be constantly kept in perfect working order.

“You have to be really handy and mechanically inclined,” says Ted. “When you’re 400 miles out to sea, you’re not going to call CAA … You have to be self-sufficient.”

Living aboard a sailboat is not entirely like living in a house in suburbia or an apartment in the big city. That, though, is part of the attraction.

“It’s got all the comforts of home but less housekeeping,” says Pat.

On the open seas, the Haights fish – and spend quiet evenings with puzzles and colouring books.

“It’s very feasible ( for most people) to buy a boat,” she adds. “It’s no different than a house. It’s a floating cottage. It’s a quiet lifestyle.”

But that peaceful lifestyle might change this year. The Haights are getting into music.

Pat, who plays piano, now has a small Yamaha keyboard onboard, and Ted just picked himself up a Gretsch electromatic, hollow-bodied, six-string guitar. It's the same type used by guitarist Brian Setzer, whose rockabilly band the Stray Cats propelled him to fame in the early 1980s.

His plan is to teach himself how to play.

A quiet lifestyle? Maybe not so quiet anymore.