Gently with the Tides
Liveaboards fit no molds and defy most generalizations. They are endlessly interesting — and interested. Forever learning, liveaboards are undaunted by mountainous waves or creeping dry rot, by seasickness or subzero temperatures, or by social ostracism.
Age an ill health fail to stop them, economic distress doesn’t slow them down. Ingenious intrepid, and indefatigable, they are gregarious loners, pioneers age-old quest, while helping encouraging others along the way. Many liveaboards were practically born on boats, while others have just found their spirit in middle age, setting off for horizons in their fifties and sixties. Living aboard or just about it, these mariners constitute a very special group with fascinating profiles.
In spite the great diversity in this lifestyle, there remarkable consistency in many of their views about their boats, boating skills, occupations, mates, pets, fears, bureaucratic hassles, and the special rewards of living aboard.
A growing number of Americans are living out a fantasy by living aboard boats. Modern boat technology, hectic life in the city, the price of waterfront property, and more free time have combined to make living aboard a safe, practicable, and immensely enjoyable lifestyle. Many migrate seasonally, searching for a perfect summer while others stay put and enjoy the serenity of the waterfront, where life flows gently with the tides.
More than 15 years’ worth letters and articles submitted to Living Aboard along with hundreds of surveys, provide a rich and detailed picture of the liveaboard community.
