Hello sailors, I just wanted to share my hopes to one day be living in a sailboat off grid. I was wondering if anyone else has done this, or any recommendations anyone might have? I have read some books on the matter, such as Get Real, Get Gone, and found it very informative. At this stage, when I cannot leave land for at least a few more years, I am thinking of getting a smaller sailboat to practice with and do some small trips.
My best advice would be to get adept at the maintenance side of things. Sailboats live in harsh environments and will almost always have something breaking on you. Learn basic electrical systems, engine maintenance and line/sail maintenance.
You can do all of this before having a boat just watching YouTube and working on electrical in your house, your car/transport engine and buying some cheap off cuts of canvas and rope.
The better you are at fixing things, the better off you’ll be at living in your off grid paradise.
I second this. I’ve lived aboard for many years and being able to fix things when off grid are critical. Proper maintenance is also really important.
Getting a smaller boat is a good idea as I find it better to make mistakes now vs when it really matters.