Swapping land for sea adventures
‘‘I didn't want to ... regret not living on boat because I finally had a proper cutlery draw.’’
Two marinas in the Wellington region seem to be very different.
The boats at Mana have names like Playtime and Ladies Choice. At Chaffers Marina in Wellington it gets a bit classier with names like The White House and Private Show.
The backdrops are extremely different too. In Mana you see Te Rauparaha’s gorse-covered stomping ground at Whitireia Park. In Wellington it’s trendy cafes and flash apartments.
But people who live on boats generally have two things in common – they have learnt to adapt and they live for adventure.
Boat person Vannessa Kidman also says they are prepared to meet challenges and are explorers of life.
Vannessa lives on a large exmail boat at Chaffers Marina. Her Dad used to take her to marinas to lust after boats. He always had a dream of owning one.
Some days he’d come home with things like a car full of chickens. One day he came home with a boat. Vannessa says her Mumwas horrified.
However, it wasn’t until she lived in a house that overlooked Wellington Harbour that she decided to move off land. It was also just after she had got what she had always wanted – a proper cutlery draw.
‘‘At first I didn’t want to live on a boat,’’ she says. ‘‘But I told myself that I didn’t want to get to the end of my life and regret not living on boat because I finally had a proper cutlery draw.’’
Vannessa raised two of her five boys on boats and is rapt she can give her kids a different way of life. She’s raised them to look for opportunities and to make the most of them.
She likes the communal aspect of living in a marina. ‘‘It’s great to chat to people and care about their lives. And it’s quite social too.’’
Where I live, Mana Marina, it takes a long time get from your car to the boat, even though it’s only 50 metres in distance.
There’s always talk about weather and tides and what boats have gone out that day. Our lovely marina manager, Peter, always has story or two.
And there’s a baby seal, a shag or our tailless stingray Barb to smile at. By the time you’ve reached your boat, life is more expansive.
Then there’s taking your pink beanbag and cup of Dilmah to the end of the pier to watch the sunrise.
I remember my first sunrise on a boat. My partner and I hired a 28-foot yacht in the Bay of Islands one summer. As we loaded our stuff onto the boat I felt seasick – we hadn’t even left the dock. I thought our holiday (and maybe our relationship) was over. Sailing is his life.
But as we got out into open water I started to feel better. I walked out onto the front of the boat with a glass of wine and absorbed myself in the pink and orange landscape of the sky. I felt like I was in the view, and not just looking at it.
I was introduced to a whole new life – above and below the sea. Seven years later I swapped 19 pairs of shoes for three pairs of heels and some sailing boots.
Every time my partner mentions sailing offshore again, I look for excuses. But really – how amazing to have the choice.