Some thoughts on a phrase we hear a lot…

People often say to us, “You’re doing what so many people would love to do, but don’t dare.”

We heard it again this week from two Dutch crews we met along the way. It is a comment we receive regularly, usually accompanied by a look that suggests we have somehow unlocked a secret to life.

And every time, it makes me pause.

Because I am not convinced that what we are doing is actually what most people want.

Is this really what people want?

From the outside, our life can look like one long holiday. Crystal clear water, beautiful anchorages, sunsets, and endless adventures. Social media certainly does not help with that perception.

The reality is a little different.

We live in a small space that constantly moves. Our home regularly needs repairs, maintenance, and attention. Sometimes it feels as though we are living in a house that is permanently halfway through a renovation project.

Only this house floats.

After spending time in the boatyard recently, I joked that our life often feels like living in your home while the kitchen is being rebuilt. You can still function, but everything is upside down and nothing is quite where it should be.

The truth is that many people would probably not enjoy this lifestyle at all.

Many people love returning home after travelling. They value certainty, routine, familiar surroundings, and being close to friends and family. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, there is something deeply beautiful about it.

So perhaps people are not longing for our lifestyle.

Maybe it is not about travel

Perhaps they are longing for something else.

Perhaps they are longing for freedom.

Not the freedom to travel endlessly, but the freedom to build a life that feels truly their own.

That, I believe, is where the conversation becomes interesting.

Because once you discover a path that genuinely feels like yours, the question is no longer whether you dare to follow it.

The question becomes:

How can I make this possible?

From courage to commitment

That is exactly what happened to us.

The seed was planted during Covid. Not because we suddenly wanted to sail around the world, but because we realised there were more ways to design a life than the one we had always assumed was expected of us.

Once that idea took hold, everything changed.

We stopped asking whether we were brave enough.

Instead, we started asking practical questions.

How would we finance it?

What skills did we need?

What kind of boat would suit us?

How would we continue working?

How could we create enough freedom to make it sustainable?

For years, we worked our way through those questions one by one.

Not because we were fearless.

But because the direction felt right.

And when something feels right, you become surprisingly willing to make sacrifices for it.

You let go of certain comforts.

You accept uncertainty.

You make difficult choices.

Not because you enjoy risk, but because staying exactly where you are starts to feel less aligned than moving forward.

The size of the step does not matter

And I do not think this only applies to sailing around the Mediterranean.

I think it applies to all of us.

To the person considering a career change.

To the entrepreneur with an idea that refuses to go away.

To the family dreaming of a different lifestyle.

To anyone who feels there might be another version of life waiting for them.

The size of the step is not what matters.

The direction is.

Standing at another crossroad

Right now, we find ourselves standing at another crossroad.

We are approaching the third year of our journey, and we can both feel that a new chapter is beginning to take shape.

We want to hold on to the freedom we have found.

The time together as a family.

The presence.

The simplicity.

But we also feel the desire to build again. To create. To grow. To add a new layer of entrepreneurship to the life we have created.

That is exciting.

And, if I am completely honest, sometimes a little frightening.

We do not have all the answers.

There are financial realities to consider. Dreams still need foundations. Plans need shape. Opportunities need time to emerge.

But beneath all of that uncertainty sits something stronger.

Trust.

Following what feels true

Trust that if we continue listening carefully to what feels true, the next step will reveal itself.

Not magically.

Not without effort.

Not without setbacks.

But step by step.

So when people tell us, “You are doing what others do not dare to do,” I quietly disagree.

I do not think this journey is about courage.

I think it is about recognising your own path.

And then having the patience, determination, and faith to create the conditions that allow you to walk it.

The question is not whether you dare. The question is whether you are willing to follow what already knows the way.