Off The Grid: How I quit the rat race and live for free aboard a sailboat

Introduction
I went from working 60 hours a week and getting nowhere to working three months a year and going everywhere. Now, I survive off the grid and close to nature, the way we were intended to live: free.s

Throughout my 20s, my 30s and 40s, I worked various construction jobs, lived in the Caribbean aboard a sailboat, owned a restaurant, got married and divorced, and raised two kids. There were highs and lows, but one constant: I spent a lot of time working, working, and working some more – and still stressing about money.

Finally, in 2013, I spent $12,500 to buy a sturdy 39-foot Ericson sailboat that needed a little work. Since then, I’ve been living full-time aboard the Gypsea Soul, on the water. I outfitted her with rainwater catchment tanks, plus solar panels to power my freezer and navigation instruments. I am usually on the move or keep my boat anchored out in the water, so that I don't have to pay marinas any rent. This let me clear up my debts, and in turn, freed my spirit. Living on a boat, I've met a wild cast of characters and had a ton of adventures -- hilarious ones, but scary ones, too.

In the following pages, I'll share those adventures with you, as well as some how-to information for anyone curious about following a similar path. In between chapters, I've interspersed some of my insights, just as I wrote them, taken straight from my Captain's Log. (Don't call it a “diary”! LOL.)

I hope that as you read this book, you will feel sailingas though you’re along with me, fruity island drink by your side, the salt and wind in your hair, lost in the amazement of the sea. Most of all, I hope you'll be inspired to go after whatever's been pulling on your heart.

• Get Real, Get Gone: How to Become a Modern Sea Gypsy and Sail Away Forever
• Escape from the Ordinary
• Around the World in Six Years: My mostly solo circumnavigation in a 35 foot sailboat
• Leap of Faith: Quit Your Job and Live on a Boat
• Becoming a Sailor: A Singlehand Sailing Adventure
• Tightwads on the Loose: A Seven Year Pacific Odyssey
• The Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat
• Sailing to the Edge of Time: The Promise, the Challenges, and the Freedom of Ocean Voyaging
• Buy, Outfit, and Sail
• Sail With Me: Two People, Two Boats, One Adventure