In a bold departure from conventional living arrangements, a courageous couple has embraced the freedom of the open ocean, swapping their traditional house for the deck of a sailboat. Meet Maya, a 26-year-old sailor hailing from Canada, and her husband Aladino, who have chosen to make a sailboat their full-time home.
Faced with the exorbitant costs and volatility of the Canadian housing market, Maya decided to pursue an alternative path. Rather than sinking money into a brick-and-mortar dwelling, she saw an opportunity to fulfill her passion for sailing while addressing the housing crisis. "We have a massive housing crisis here, it's crazy expensive. So a lot of my friends around me were all thinking about alternative housing options," Maya explained to Insider. "I was like, 'Well, I love sailing.' And this sort of seems like these two worlds can combine."
Maya's journey to living aboard a sailboat began at the age of 18, during her second year of college in British Columbia. A chance encounter with an old boat in a local harbor sparked her imagination. Affixed to the boat's window was the contact information of its former owner. Recognising Maya's passion for the vessel, the owners generously gifted it to her for a mere dollar.
With the support of her parents, Maya embarked on a transformative journey of restoring the boat, which she affectionately named Curley III. However, as fate would have it, Curley III eventually became a vessel of memories as Maya and Aladino sold it after meeting. Together, they lived aboard another boat, lovingly restored by Aladino, and journeyed across Europe, embracing a minimalist lifestyle on the 250-square-foot vessel.
Fuelled by their shared aspirations, Maya and Aladino have set their sights on even grander adventures. They are currently working on preparing a new boat to sail from British Columbia to Mexico, crossing the vast expanse of the open ocean. Their remarkable journey is chronicled on their YouTube channel, which boasts nearly 150,000 subscribers and documents the meticulous restoration of their vessel.
As Maya and Aladino chart a course towards the horizon, their story serves as an inspiring testament to the boundless possibilities that await those who dare to chase their dreams, even if it means leaving the comforts of land behind.
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