Harbour haven Why boat dwellers choose to live a life on the water
JEFF Bygott started living on a boat 11 years ago after getting divorced. He bought his boat, which was made in Poland, brand new and paid £57,000 for it.
Moored on Bristol’s Harbourside, the 70-year-old said he likes the freedom that comes with living on a boat – and his brother lives on the boat next door.
The born-and-bred Bristolian said: “I was so lucky to get a mooring next to him.
“I have everything I need here – a washing machine, a TV – it is like living in a house.
“I don’t like houses now, they are too expensive for a single person.”
Mr Bygott said he usually spends half of the year in Thailand, and summer in the UK, but that he isn’t able to travel at the moment because of coronavirus.
He loves living in the centre of Bristol and said boats are a more affordable way of being able to do so.
His boat is easy to warm up, he said, as it has electric and diesel heating, as well as a stove.
One of his favourite things to do is have breakfast on the deck and watch the world go by.
“I would not go back to living in a house,” he said. “It is too expensive, I could not afford it.
“I see no disadvantages to living on a boat.
“I am happy with the space I have, I do not need any more. I had always wanted one.”
Mr Bygott said people keep themselves to themselves and that he socialises with his brother, but not with other boaters.
He moves his boat sometimes to go up to Portishead, or even just round the dock.
Molly Petts is a mum living in another boat on the Harbourside.
She started living on a boat in 2016 after moving in with her partner, who had been living in a vessel since 2011.
They used to live on a small lifeboat, which required a lot of maintenance, so they bought a new, bigger boat in 2019.
“We lived in the little one for a year, but it was a bit of a squeeze,” she said. “After living there for a year with a child, we knew we need somewhere bigger.
“This used to be a much smaller house boat, but it needed renovating. When the opportunity came up to buy it, we snapped it up.
“We wanted somewhere that had the benefits of living in a house and a boat.”
The couple’s plan is to add an extra bedroom to the two-bedroom boat.
Ms Petts described living on a boat as being a bit different and said they enjoy watching the wildlife, for example.
Living surrounded by other boaters, many of whom have lived in the area for a long time, offers them safety and security, she said.
They couple are still waiting to see if they can get a residential licence, having opened up before about the problems they were having with the council.
“I love living here and I would like to continue doing so,” Ms Petts said.
“I used to live in flats and I would say it isn’t really cheaper to live on boats because there is the maintenance that comes with it.
“There is a lot of upkeep – it isn’t just paying your mooring fees.”
Ms Petts said that, for example, she has to make sure she has gas bottles as they are not connected to the mains gas supply.
However, the self-employed seamstress said their house boat is easy to heat as it is well insulated.
“For us, it is a great place to live as there are other families around here that also live on boats, so there is a community,” she said.
“The Harbourside provides a lot of homes to people. We know a lot of our neighbours. It is a nice community and we have been getting closer recently.”
Ms Petts said they have relatives living next door and that her partner works with another boat resident.
In her experience, there are a variety of reasons why people choose to live on boats, she continued, including financial reasons and for the way of life.
“Some people have always done it,” added the 30-year-old. “I have fallen out of love with it a bit recently because of everything that has been happening, it has been a bit tainted.
“But for me, I really like the sunsets in the evening, and having the Harbourside to myself for a few hours in the morning, that is really special.
“I also like seeing how the water changes, how every time you look out the window it is different.
“We are lucky to live where we live.”
I really like the sunsets in the evening... I also like seeing how the water changes, how every time you look out the window it is different