Living on a Boat: One Woman’s Extraordinary Alternative to Traditional Accommodation

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Not everyone dreams of living in a conventional apartment and many cannot afford it, even if they would like to. Each individual’s situation and desires are extremely subjective, and we must come to terms with the real possibilities that we have beyond expectations. Some people manage to find alternative solutions that are ideal for them by making the best of the resources at their disposal. One such person is a Brit who has lived on a 21-metre boat for years and lives what she calls extraordinary.

via The Sun

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Elizabeth Earle, a 35-year-old freelance writer and illustrator, had no steady salary and no mortgage. So she came up with an idea that may seem bizarre to most, but which gave her cheaper accommodation than a house. “While living in Australia in 2017, I met two American brothers who had been living on a sailboat for 10 years and traveling the world creating and publishing content. From time to time they would look for a crew and ask if I to sail with them from South Africa to Brazil. I said yes,” Elizabeth said. “I thought, ‘I could do this’. I’m going to live on a boat.'”

So the woman bought a sailboat with the £8,000 she had in the bank, but it wasn’t enough. To reach the required amount, which was double her savings, she had to sell everything she owned. I moved to the Caribbean, renovated the boat and adopted a stray dog ​​who hated sailing. I had to choose between selling the boat and keeping the dog or getting rid of the dog and continuing the world tour. I chose the dog.”

Earle sold the boat, returned to England, fell in love with canal boats and bought one for £3,800. “I restored it for two years and then lived in it for a year before selling it for £22,500.” After several misadventures, Elizabeth ended up at her current home, a 70-foot boat built in the 1920s. “I now have a piece of canal history. I bought it from a friend and paid a total of £35,000 for it. Her official name is Malvern but I nicknamed her Maggie because she’s a lot friendlier. I think the mortgage process favors people who have a steady job, a guaranteed salary from an employer, or if you’re living with someone or being married.It doesn’t favor the single, self-employed artist in the 30’s from the Midlands.

According to the woman, the cost of renting in England is too high, prohibitive compared to when her parents lived. “That’s why more and more young people are looking for alternative living options, with a boat, a van or a sailboat. I know it sounds really ridiculous, but the possibilities are endless. There are many things that you need to make living on a boat You can lie in a marina or live on the “Cut,” as we called the canal. You have to move every fortnight, but you live for free. You don’t have to pay rent, you don’t have to pay anything. It’s a harder life but it forces you to travel.

The only not insignificant expenses Eizabeth has to bear are the cost of driving licence, which comes to around £650 every six months, as well as £350 every three months for diesel and coal, which is £8 a sack and all three days must be bought. “Also, I pay about £100 a year for insurance. If I hit another boat, I’m covered. If my boat sinks, not.

For her, life on a boat is much more exciting than any ordinary life: “I just want to live an extraordinary life and if the opportunity arises, find a great place to live, be it a lighthouse, a castle or whatever.”

What do you think of her choice? Would you like to be like her?