In 2020, my feelings about my job as an auditor started to shift.
The COVID-19 pandemic had me suddenly working from home, on nonstop Teams calls, and glued to my computer all day. Work felt more stressful than ever, and at the same time, my sense of purpose was gone.
I was experiencing chronic migraines and extreme mood swings, and my hair was falling out in clumps. I knew I needed to make a change.
My husband and I talked about what we’d like our lives to look like when the world “opened up” again. He wasn’t having the exact same feelings I was, but his work was a little more flexible, and he’s always wanted to travel for an extended period of time.
We’d both earned a basic sailing qualification a few years before, and I had an idea: What if I quit my job, and then we bought a boat, left the UK, and sailed off into the sunset?
We started saving money to make our dream a reality
It took some time to get the boat ready for our journey.
Laura Keys
The idea excited me, but I knew it wasn’t something we could jump straight into — we’d need some cash. I continued working, but this new goal gave me purpose that helped me get through the next few years.
In 2022, we found the boat that would become our home, but it took another nine months to actually buy it and prepare for the trip. All sailboats are slightly different, and because ours was older, we had to update a 20-year-old electrical system.
Finally, in spring 2023, we were ready. I quit my job, moved aboard, and set sail.
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Life at sea wasn’t as picture-perfect as we expected
When we first started sailing, we struggled with the lifestyle shift and an ambitious itinerary.
Laura Keys
I naively thought that life would get easier once I’d left my job, but unsurprisingly, dealing with so much change at once was a challenge.
I hadn’t taken any time to actually recover from burnout; I’d just pushed through.
Now that we’d moved onto the boat, the goal that I’d been working toward was suddenly gone. Rudderless again, I started clinging to a very ambitious schedule to keep driving me forward.
The first summer living aboard was tough. Our boat had everything we needed — a bedroom, living area, small galley, and bathroom — but it felt cramped.
We’d also planned our route without really knowing how fast we’d be able to travel from place to place. We hadn’t given ourselves much breathing room and ended up sailing for four days from the south of England to Scotland, within just a week of moving onto the boat.
Although we’d sailed just the two of us before, this was our first time traveling overnight. We couldn’t stop sailing when it got dark — one person always had to be awake and watching the sails. We’d sleep for two hours at a time before swapping out.
When we reached that first port in Scotland, we were exhausted, but extremely proud of what we accomplished.
Eventually, I learned to slow down and enjoy the journey
Instead of focusing on where I was headed, I began to enjoy each day of my journey.
Laura Keys
We sailed around the Scottish islands all summer, having a great time but running on fumes. After four months, it became clear that this wasn’t going to be sustainable long-term. We needed to scale back our plans and move at our own pace.
I realized that instead of leaning into this new lifestyle, I’d taken my old corporate mentality with me. I had to let go of my plans and mindset in order to change.
So, over the next 18 months, we took our time and slowly made our way from Scotland to Antigua. We spent six months in France, Spain, and Portugal, instead of the few weeks that were in the original plan.
My husband was still working remotely part-time, so we’d spend a few days sailing the boat, then a few days in one place working and catching up.
I learned to take my time and be patient as we balanced working remotely, sailing, exploring new spots, and caring for our 20-year-old sailboat.
Slowly, I started to think less about our various destinations and enjoy the journey itself.
Our sailing journey ended, but I learned some lessons I’ll bring back with me.
Laura Keys
Now my time at sea has come to an end — thanks to my husband starting a job in New York — but my sailing mentality has helped me adapt to my new life.
After all, moving internationally is stressful, but it’s a lot easier to fly than sail across oceans.
The future is uncertain, but I’ve gained enough confidence in myself to go with the flow and work through problems as they happen. And though I might have reached the destination first this time, my journey is just beginning.
