About Felix
Hi! Thanks for tuning into the blog. I’m Lucy. My fiancé Tyler and I lived on a 2003 Fountaine Pajot Belize 43’ named Felix for a year. We traveled from Maine to the Bahamas and back up to Maryland.
We both work remotely so we had to balance all the firsts of liveaboard life with our tech jobs. We gained a lot of sailing experience, systems knowledge and route finding on the fly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did you decide to do this?
On one of our first dates Tyler asked me, “Could you see yourself living on a sailboat?”
I’ve been lucky enough to have some adventurous life chapters at a young age – including hiking the Appalachian Trail at 20 – so 10 years later this seemed like the next great chapter.
Tyler invested a lot of time into researching alternate lifestyles and living on a sailboat really struck a chord with him. He had spent 30 years working hard, getting internships and just generally making responsible decisions. He knew it was time for a responsibly adventurous life change and felt determined to make it happen.
How long have you been sailing?
I’ll cut to the chase and let you know that neither of us is a life-long sailor (as many guess when they hear our story). Tyler grew up on a lake in Michigan and spent lots of time driving pontoon boats and the like. My main boat experience prior to this was in canoes and as the coxswain of rowing teams.
We got our first taste of sailing together in 2022 when my Aunt Anne and Uncle Jim generously invited us on 5 days of their charter in the San Juan Islands. It was a dreamy first experience and enough to make us decide to pursue the next step to living on a sailboat – learning how to sail.
In 2023 we signed up for 3 sailing courses by the American Sailing Association. We studied up prior in our sailing books and spent about 2 weeks total on a sailboat taking classes in June and September. Anne and Jim are a big part of our sailing journey and we joined them again in August 2023 for our first open ocean sailing from Nova Scotia to Rhode Island.
So we’ve been sailing for almost a year 😉
You SAILED THERE?
I left a little nod to this on the map on our homepage, but although we lived on a sailboat we continued to travel by plane, train, automobile when the occasion calls.
The boat is not an environmental or political statement. I have nothing but respect for the Greta Thunbergs of the world, but I wanted to get to my brother’s wedding in California without taking the Panama Canal.
A few friends have made this assumption in conversation and it’s led to comical corrections. They still let you on planes when you live on a boat. It’s really important to Tyler and me to spend time on land and connect with family and friends.