An adventure at sea that many would envy
xxxone of the most exciting and fascinating stories I wrote this year stood out like a sore thumb among the fishing boats docked at the Arisaig wharf. It was a story about the Cook family and their seafaring lifestyle aboard the Hangtime.
I really can’t take credit for much of a story like this. It’s not every day, a 47-ft. catamaran comes ashore in Antigonish County. And it’s certainly not common to discover an entirely family making a full-time home out of that boat.
When something draws stares and a barrage of questions wherever it goes, it’s news, plain and simple. What satisfied me most about writing this story –al- most as much as getting to step onto the Hangtime to interview the Cooks – is that it all came together as a result of me inadvertently getting a tip from a coworker. A colleague casually mentioned that people were talking about an unfamiliar boat showing up at the wharf in Arisaig.
The questions, as you can imagine, came naturally once I started snooping around and letting my curiosity run its course. It didn’t take long before the unique – and sometimes. a bit intimidating – details of the lives of Karen, Brad, Charlie and Ben Cook on their oceanic home took shape.
Writing about anything related to new or alternative living arrangements, in an age when fewer and fewer people are buying, and able to afford housing in Canada, is always going to yield an interesting tale.
There are countless stories and anecdotes emerging about people living in ‘tiny homes,’ or even campers and vans. It’s great to be able to analyze that with the help of someone living the dream; and sprinkle in a bit of realism with the romanticism associated with an itinerant lifestyle.
By the way, stay tuned this winter for an update on the Cook family.