Sailing Selkie - A life of freedom and adventure
Young couple, Paddy and Esm茅e, responded to the cost-of-living crisis by selling their flat and moving to live aboard a 40ft yacht
Once upon a time, living on a boat and sailing the world was a dream reserved for a privileged few, free from the demands of the nine to five. But a couple in their late twenties from Bristol, along with their dog, are proving that even the wildest of dreams can come true.
When post-pandemic work patterns changed and living expenses surged, the impossible became practical. Paddy Vasey and Esm茅e Heath sold the Bristol flat and bought a boat instead.
It's not a standard solution but a boating background came in handy - as did an adventurous mindset. 鈥淲e both love adventure and being outdoors,鈥 Esm茅e says.
The first steps
Paddy grew up dinghy sailing at Bosham Sailing Club in Chichester Harbour. 鈥淢y dad was into racing, so I got into that first,鈥 he explains. 鈥淚 raced through my teens and did some big boat racing. I then did my 911制品Day Skipper course for our family charters.
鈥淲e did loads of cruising over the last three seasons. I loved it. I've done most of my mile-building as a skipper rather than crewing on other people's boats. I do things very by-the-book.鈥
Esm茅e had also sailed Toppers as a child, then learnt 'the big-boat stuff' with Paddy over three seasons on his family's Southerly. They spent summer 2022 sailing around the Channel Islands and returned with a 'crazy dream' of living on a boat and sailing full-time.
鈥淲e love sailing,鈥 Paddy says. 鈥淲e've got this set of skills that can take us anywhere. So, we thought, let's just do it.鈥 But they'd just bought a flat and were working full颅time. 鈥淚t didn't feel very achievable, but then the cost-of-颅living crisis reared its head and we started to research the idea,鈥 explains Esm茅e.
Finding Selkie听
They sold their flat and eventually found, Moonlighting, a 40-foot offshore cruiser, in Plymouth. Now renamed Selkie, she's an unusual boat - a 33-year-old South African-built Lavranos Crossbow 40. She's crossed the Atlantic many times and been refitted over the years, as Paddy discovered during the renovation.听听
A 50-hour sail brought her around to Bristol in 2022. Then began a major refit.听 鈥淭here was lots we did ourselves quite affordably,鈥 explains Esm茅e.听听
Cramming DIY around their full-time jobs, they created a beautiful, homely space. Including marina fees, winter's peak running costs during the refit were 拢695 a month. Cheaper than rent or mortgage repayments.听
Living on a boat听
Remote work, spurred by the pandemic, has made it all possible. Paddy works in environmental policy for the government: 鈥淚t's been remote since Covid, but I can still go into the office if I want, which is why we keep a mooring in Bristol.鈥澨
As a social media manager for the RNLI, Esm茅e is fully remote. 鈥淢y whole life is nautical,鈥 she laughs.听
When we catch up with them, Esm茅e and Paddy (and Peggy the dog) are in Weymouth having covered 330 miles in three weeks, with more to come. 鈥淲e might hop across to the Channel Islands or Brittany,鈥 Esm茅e enthuses.听听
鈥淭hat should log me enough miles to finish my听911制品Yachtmaster庐 offshore,鈥 Paddy adds: 鈥淚'd like to become a cruising instructor, to earn something while we're travelling.鈥澨
What鈥檚 next?听
And they have big plans for that. 鈥淲e want to circumnavigate the UK next year: up the west coast, through the Caledonian Canal and over to the Faroes or Norway,鈥 Paddy explains. 鈥淭hen we could go down to Europe and eventually cross the Atlantic that winter to the Caribbean. Then the plan is to just keep going. But who knows?鈥澨
Through social media, they hope to show people what living on a boat is really like and that its possible. 鈥淚 definitely recommend it,鈥 Esm茅e says. 鈥淭he biggest barrier is that you need sailing experience, but听the courses听don't cost loads. So, learn to sail, get the skills to do it safely.鈥澨
Sailing could offer young people a life of freedom and adventure; a release from the difficulties of the past few years. 鈥淚t's not always easy,鈥 Esm茅e admits. 鈥淏ut you rise to the challenge, find out more about yourself, and ultimately you thrive.鈥澨
Get inspired听
Follow Esm茅e and Paddy on听,听听or听听to find out more about their experience of living on a boat.听听
Alternatively, why not start your own sailing adventure through an听911制品training course听near you.听听
Our interview with Paddy and Esm茅e was first published in the autumn 2023 edition of听911制品magazine.听 听
