Personal Reflections – Sailing El Burro

25 Questions to myself (Julie)

Three years ago, I moved onto a sailboat full-time, thinking I was chasing freedom and adventure. What I didn’t expect was how much it would change me. The way I see myself, the sea and the world has shifted in quiet but powerful ways. In this post, I ask myself 25 questions to reflect on the changes that come from living a life surrounded by water and to also share some exceptional adventures we’ve had over the last three years. Enjoy 🙂

Living Full-Time on the Water

Living full-time on a sailboat isn’t all sunsets and slow mornings with coffee in hand. Most days, it’s about noticing the little things. The way the boat moves under your feet. That salty layer on everything. The sound of ropes creaking in the night that tells you everything’s still holding steady. Boat life pulls you into the moment whether you’re ready or not. And over time, it gets into your skin, your bones and your senses. This is what that feels like.

The Freedom We Found by Letting Go of Our Sailing Plans

We kicked off our sailing adventure with big dreams of crossing the Atlantic, but here we are, two years later, still cruising through the Mediterranean, living more on a whim. Dropping the idea of set destinations has helped us form stronger connections and rediscover why we fell in love with sailing in the first place. What we thought would be a carefully planned journey has turned into something much more rewarding and full of surprises.

Resilience and Reflection: Life Lessons from Living Aboard

A few years ago, my life was full of deadlines and stress. The hustle and bustle of modern life seemed never-ending. I felt like I was always running – both literally and figuratively – trying to keep up with the pace. Even in quiet moments, my mind was far from still. It was always on to the next task, the next meeting, the next ‘to do’. Then one day, after years of feeling mentally drained, I made a life-changing decision. My partner and I quit our jobs, sold most of our possessions and moved full-time to a boat. We had no idea how profoundly this decision would affect our lives and, in particular, my mental wellbeing.