Why is choice so important to us?

Choice means different things to different people, but to us it has become a goal worthy of chasing.

The concept of choice is surprisingly complex once you get into it. Is it a sense of freedom or is it a wider state of choice that enables opportunities to be enacted upon when they present themselves? The choice to make your own decisions, to live how you decide, and go where the wind takes you is a romantic notion to many, but entirely achievable to some. How does this apply to a family of 6, living a complicated life balancing running a business, homeschooling 4 children, and finding a sense of adventure?

The word freedom has been at the centre of many a discussion over the last couple of years. Most of us in the G20 countries endured instances recently of being confined to our houses. This was either the best thing ever if you got paid time off work to discover maximum family time, crazy binge watching of Netflix, gardening; or adversely a completely devasting event if you happened to own a business that relied on people turning up for work, or the public to come into your store to keep the cash flowing and the staff employed. I have discussed this whole event and the impact on our family in depth on a lengthy "origin story" post on our website {The Welcome Aboard article} but it's worth revisiting this again as we hit the start of our 3rd summer on the boat. The single biggest component to this whole thing is the unbridled sense of freedom we have out here on the water. We have a movable home that can get us to places that otherwise you just can't get to. We can have those campfires on the deserted beaches, we can park up in a remote bush clad bay with no houses or signs of others for as far as the eyes can see and swim in water so clear it's hard to believe it's the sea. The kids can paddle to a beach and be free to explore the scenic reserves to their hearts content with a water bottle, a radio and a dog. They can be on the beach within sight for hours and we as parents have got not a worry in the world. They will feel like they are the last kids on earth exploring a hidden world, and we will feel so safe that they are only a shout or a radio call away.

Photo : Christmas 2023 trip into the Kenepuru Sounds - the Oriental Lady on a Pelorus Boat Club mooring we headed to in 30-40 knot winds to find shelter

At the start of this whole journey we initially were looking at caravans, but couldn't quite figure out the maths of 4 kids, 2 dogs and 2 parrots, all squeezing into a towable metal rectangle. In my 20's I had the privilege of traveling for a bit and doing the "van life" before it was the thing that it is now. This was the early 1990's and the writing was on the wall back then for freedom campers, and those looking to travel to explore as a lifestyle rather than as a holiday escape from the everyday. Fast forward 30+ years and the world is a different place. The chance to travel to explore, with all of the new layers of rules and regulations, and a trend to shut off private land that was once able to be freely accessed out of courtesy, has meant for a very different "van lifestyle" experience from those that the travelers of the 60's, 70's and 80's enjoyed. This is the nature of progress and the evolution of our society, but a real shame for those that had a taste for what that kind of freedom was. With access to the internet 24/7 now via starlink, digital nomads have rediscovered the open seas, and have also rediscovered that elusive sense of freedom. The rise in popularity of youtube channels such as Sailing La Vagabonde and Sailing Zatara have opened up the possibilities for a new generation of those destined to explore, discover and be the adventurers of old. The kinds of people that have always leapt at the chance to dash off on this wild escapade or wake up in the middle of the night to pack up the kids so you could catch the aurora or the once in a lifetime eclipse. The kind of people always full of the most wonderous stories at parties of far away lands and interesting characters met on the way to the middle of nowhere. The kind of people always thinking outside the square and living on the edges. The brave ones not afraid to take risks, for with great risk also comes great reward. This is a life well lived, and a life packed full of amazing stories and memories. With even just a taste of this lifestyle, we hope to give our children the chance to grow into their skin with the sense of adventure that we all start off with. The chance to become part of the next generation of adventurers.

Photo : Christmas 2023 trip into the Kenepuru Sounds - the Oriental Lady's tender on the beach as I take the dog for the early morning beach mission.

So how does life on the sea fit into all of this?

It's quite simple. The rules don't apply quite the same on the sea. It's impossible for anyone to own the sea. As long as we are courteous, kind and considerate we can pretty much go anywhere, and stay off grid for as long as we like. As long as our boat is sea worthy we can drop anchor in any bay, or off any beach. If we absolutely need too we can use any mooring, structure or jetty without the owners prior permission as they don't actually "own" the jetty or mooring, they have just paid for it. We can place our anchor anywhere on the Queen's Chain (now the Kings Chain) and come ashore to reprovision food and water. These are ingrained maritime laws, and our inalienable right to access. I imagine it would be an awkward conversation to have, so we generally avoid putting ourselves in situations where we would have to have it, but it is very important to be aware of how it all works. It is not hard to act with grace and kindness and chose to not anchor right outside someone's house and take the dog to the beach outside their front door to relieve themselves. This act surely just creates tension and unnecessary confrontation. It is much easier to find a better place to anchor were this is not part of the mix. A lot of people on larger liveaboards that don't have dogs won't need to do "beach missions", so it is less of a concern, but by the same token it would be quite strange to open your curtains to your holiday home in the morning to see a family of 6 having a picnic breakfast on your "private beach" that you may have paid millions for the right to feel like you can legitimately call your own. At the end of the day it is all about respect, kindness and grace. And for some of us, it is also about freedom, and the chance to explore this great land and teach our children that their are always many different ways to live, be productive but most importantly be full of confidence, independence, and a sense of adventure.