iN VIDEO: Lake Country couple leaves everything behind for new life on sailboat
It has been just over a year since Lake Country couple Tamara and Josh Lawrence left a typical life on the land to live on a 600-square-foot sailboat on the Atlantic Ocean.
He was in corporate sales, she was a mortgage broker in Kelowna, but they left their jobs, sold their house and belongings, and set sail on a 2001 Hunter 460 in February 2022.
“During COVID we went sailing and camping on the weekends and fell in love it,” Josh said. “A sailing trip in Howe Sound confirmed it, we both needed a much bigger lake.”
Currently floating in the middle of the Bahamas, 80 miles from the nearest shoreline, the pair was able to talk to iNFOnews using the satellite Starlink, about their first year as mariners.
It’s been a year of learning, of emotional “high highs” and “low lows,” terrifying times of mechanical breakdowns and irreplaceable experiences.
“You have to become a jack of all trades,” Josh said. “We’re learning how to sail, navigate and do repairs. We’re learning from other people out here.”
The pair is constantly fixing and repairing things and watching the weather. They have a water maker onboard that desalinates ocean water, a lithium bank, and solar and wind generators for power. Starlink allows them to connect to the internet which makes weather routing easier for planning ahead.
“We are constantly looking at weather, Mother Nature plays a huge factor in everything we do,” Josh said. “Catastrophic things can happen in the middle of the ocean.”
Tamara recalled a night when a mechanical problem resulted in water pouring into the boat, an experienced she called “terrifying.”
“There has been breaking down and crying and stressful moments,” Tamara said. “You have to settle down, work the problem, and figure it out.”
Cohabitating in a small space together comes with its challenges.
“This lifestyle isn’t easy and there are no secrets, there’s no private space to go to,” Tamara said. “We have to talk things out right away when something’s bothering us. We’re polite and respectful of each other and lift each other up when things aren’t easy.”
Despite the challenges and growing pains the couple has experienced in their first year, they wouldn’t change a thing. They’ve discovered a supportive boating community made of people from all different backgrounds, and witnessed invaluable sights.
“We’ve lived in communities on land and never knew the neighbours over the fence,” Tamara said. “Here it is the opposite, everyone is helping everyone succeed and they’ll show up with tools to help fix your boat. It’s amazing.”
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When someone is going through a rough ocean passage they can “Buddy Boat” and do the crossings together for safety, parting ways after.
The couple has seen the “coolest things” on the ocean that are “irreplaceable.”
“We’ve had nights with no wind and the ocean is like a mirror where you can see horizon to horizon full of stars,” Josh said. “There are bioluminescence, pods of dolphins and sea life, all of it’s invaluable.”
Josh and Tamara have become digital creators, documenting their adventure on social media platforms and a YouTube channel and have made connections with people from around the world.
For the near future, they will keep soaking up the sun while they hone their mariner skills, but the long-term goal is to circumnavigate the globe.
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When asked what their friends and families think about their unusual lifestyle change, they said it was a mixed bag of reactions.
“Some didn’t believe us at first but people who know us well know when we do something we jump all in,” Josh said.
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