Life on the dock suits me perfectly. The people drawn to this lifestyle don’t care for a lot of possessions and don’t aspire to have the biggest, most of or most expensive things. They’re individualists. As my father calls them, “GDIs – goddamned independents.” Many are retired and the rest go to work every day and come home to sit quietly in their boats, eat and go to bed. There are a few that are here because of a life-changing injury or medical condition. All are drawn to the water and the life on the docks.
During the week the marina is quiet. The rhythm of the place is different from the weekends. Think small resort town. Folks mingle at the palapala or the laundry and chat. The office is a meeting place for some. The staff is always ready to take a moment and talk.
During the summer the place fills up with weekenders. They show up with coolers and loud music and have their fun. Cars fill the parking lot. The ice machine runs out of ice faster. The sun, the heat and the energy; we all just wait them out. We know come fall they will put up their boats up and go home.
There is a bond among the liveaboards. There is a shared sense of purpose. Boats and the water are what bring us together. Regardless of the size of boat or the investment in it we pitch in to help each other out when needed.
The sense of community here is quite nice. Never have I had so many friends. Perhaps I should have done this years ago. Stories are swapped and everyone nods knowing they’ve heard this one before but no one stops the storyteller.
A couple of years ago I had a raging case of the flu. I was miserable. It kept me down for most of a week. About two days in, the marina manager came by with some hot, homemade soup and a box of crackers. Boy, was that a welcome sight! She checked up on me every day till I was able to get out on my own.
Most folks just don’t get the concept of living on a boat. I generally play it down. It’s nothing I’m ashamed of; it’s just difficult to explain. For 99.999 percent of people a house or apartment is all they think of. They want a bigger one or they’re looking for another one that’s just so or something like that. To shed most of your possessions and move into the space of a smallish RV is just crazy talk. I found it liberating. To know that I can go anyplace on the planet gives me a broader perspective. Since the Earth is 75% covered by water and the wind is an inexhaustible resource, I can literally go anywhere.
Sure. There’s a lot to do and learn but it’s possible. And that makes all the difference.
