Sick and tired of the daily grind, a couple have ditched the rat race and decided to live full-time on a boat instead.
Zach Seward and Becka Eva now travel to far flung destinations including Antigua and Gran Canaria on their 40ft sailing boat, Teulu.
Becka, 27, said: ‘As much security as there is in getting on the housing ladder and paying into a mortgage, the thought of that sent us running.
‘We knew we wanted to see the world, and of course, we could have bought a place and rented it out, but we wanted true freedom.’
The idea to travel the world came to the pair during the pandemic. Becka said: ‘We both yearned to travel as far and as wide as we possibly could.
‘We initially thought about buying a van but felt it would limit us to where we could go, and, as we both love the water, we decided a boat would be the perfect method of transport.
‘The only thing was, we had never sailed a big boat before.’
Buying their boat was by no means easy, as the couple had to balance finishing their university degrees and working multiple jobs.
Zach said: ‘When most students were splashing cash on nights out, we decided to save the pennies and work as many hours as we could.
‘My first job out of uni wasn’t my dream job by any means. I worked 60-hour weeks, working night shifts, but it was a means to an end.’
Becka also took on multiple part-time jobs and, to make even more money, the pair sold the majority of their belongings, including Zach’s car, surfboards and clothes.
Living in Swansea meant they had affordable rent from 2021 to 2022, allowing them to keep their outgoings low at just £350 a month for a room in a shared four-bedroom house.
The lived off a small weekly grocery shop of £20 for both of them.
‘It’s as simple as keeping your overheads low and selling everything that won’t join you on the boat, while working as hard as you can and spending wisely,’ said Zach.
The couple spent around £30,000 on their boat in February 2022, and shopped around to ensure they got a good deal – after having saved up for two years.
They only had dinghy sailing experience, so each undertook the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Day Skipper qualification which teaches the skills required to work on board a commercial craft.
However, Zach and Becka say that practical experience, learning from other sailors, and the vast resources available on the internet have been their most valuable teachers.
‘We’d never sailed a bigger boat until the year we bought ours,’ said Zach. ‘We were determined to crew on boats and learn about what life is like living aboard before actually buying a boat,’ said Zach.
The couple now earn money as YouTubers, filming travel content and their boat repairs for fellow sailors, but prior to this Zach had worked in the environmental sector while Becka was a social researcher.
But since setting off, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.
Zach and Becka endured a near miss with a cargo ship in Porto, had a catamaran collide with them in Martinique, and battled the unpredictability of ocean weather.
The couple also couldn’t secure a space in the marina where they bought Teulu, so were forced to leave in March 2023, just a few days after buying the boat.
‘We were pretty nervous, but over the next six months, we took her out sailing a lot, upgraded lots and repaired other things, and eventually, we felt ready to leave the UK in September 2023,’ Becka said.
But the couple were caught in a gale on their first trip across the English Channel.
‘Even after learning the weather, on ocean crossings, you only get a week of accurate weather when you leave, so the rest is somewhat up to chance, and on the Atlantic, we had a rough middle week with really high winds and big waves. But this only works to show you what you are really made of,’ Becka added.
While it may seem daunting, the couple say fellow sailors are always eager to help if you get stuck.
The couple’s favourite places include Helford River near Falmouth, where they took refuge during a storm.
‘It was pure heaven here and was our first proper experience of cruising life. It just shows that you don’t always have to travel thousands of miles to find paradise,’ said Zach.
The Cies Islands, off the north west coast of Spain, and Gran Canaria, are also favourites of the couple, although they’re dodging orcas at this point.
‘They have been biting sailing boat rudders, so this took the fun out of it slightly,’ Becka added.
‘Arriving into Antigua after 20 days at sea was also incredibly magical, and we will always remember the warm evening air, the smell of soil and the sound of cicadas as we first made landfall.
‘The freedom of living on the ocean is absolutely unrivalled. The fact we can turn our internet off and be in a complete bubble is something so rare these days.’
Both Zach and Becka recommend crewing on as many boats as possible before buying your own and say learning the weather is key.
Being able to navigate difficult situations with determination and resilience is also key. ‘I think the word is grit,’ said Zach.
While they currently plan to cross the Pacific next year, choosing their next destination is an exciting process of following the wind and weather patterns.
Becka said: ‘It sounds a bit cliché, but we follow the weather. You ideally want the wind behind you, pushing you along, and there are weather patterns which you can stick to which help you plot your course.’
As for the long term, they keep their options open.
‘Maybe one day we will live back on land. It’s really hard to tell. But our whole motto is if we are enjoying the right now, then we keep going, so it doesn’t seem like that will be anytime soon,’ Becka added.
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