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  • A couple who live on a sailboat full-time share 4 perks and 7 brutally honest downsides to life on the sea

A couple who live on a sailboat full-time share 4 perks and 7 brutally honest downsides to life on the sea

Maria NoyenJul 3, 2022, 11:13 IST

The couple said they become each other's everything while on voyages.Ryan and Sophie Sailing

  • Ryan Ellison and Sophie Darsy have lived on a 40-foot sailboat called the Polar Seal for six years.
  • A perk is making friends around the world — but downsides include travel fatigue and costs.
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Ryan Ellison and Sophie Darsy bought a sailboat together shortly after they first started dating in 2015.

The couple did a training course as neither had much prior sailing experience.Ryan and Sophie Sailing

A perk about the sailboat is that you really get to know local cultures, which is harder to do when you travel by plane, the couple said.

Ryan Ellison steering the Polar Seal in colder conditions.Ryan and Sophie Sailing
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Another benefit they mentioned is the bonds you make with other sailors, who you end up bumping into at various ports all over the world.

You can bump into friends all over the world, the couple said.Ryan and Sophie Sailing

Having a first-row seat to some of the most awe-inspiring scenes from the natural world isn't so bad either.

Sailing into the sunset felt like a dream, Sophie Darsy said.Ryan and Sophie Sailing
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Tough moments can quickly turn around, which makes life on the sea exciting.

Sophie Darsy on the back of the boat.Ryan and Sophie Sailing

Equally, all the uncertainty that comes with sailing makes the couple long for the stability of land, they said.

Sophie Darsy said boat life is unpredictable.Ryan and Sophie Sailing
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Spending so much time away from friends and family also makes them miss mundane activities, like going to brunch.

The couple on the boat.Ryan and Sophie Sailing

Speaking of home comforts, things they say they'll take for granted again on land include toilets that flush automatically.

The toilet on the boat is manually operated.Ryan and Sophie Sailing
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Boat life can be incompatible with their jobs, which they need to do to afford the lifestyle.

Ryan Ellison tying a knot on the Polar Seal.Ryan and Sophie Sailing

Living on a sailboat is way more expensive than they expected when they first started.

Ryan Ellison in a marina.Ryan and Sophie Sailing
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Darsy and Ellison spend most of their time isolated from friends and family on the Polar Seal, which doesn't leave them much option if they need space.

The Polar Seal is 40 feet.Ryan and Sophie Sailing

While life on a sailboat might look glamorous, it's opened Ellison and Darsy's eyes to tough realities like the migrant boat crisis in Europe.

A lighthouse visible in the distance from the sailboat.Ryan and Sophie Sailing
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For their own well-being and their shared future, the couple hopes to strike a better balance between land and sea.

The couple plan to balance their time between land and sea in the future.Ryan and Sophie Sailing
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