In 2011, I moved out of my comfortable apartment in Tidewater, Virginia onto a 30-foot sailboat, a 40-year-old boat with very few accommodations. There I lived for over two years without air conditioning, plumbing, television, and occasionally, without heat.
While on the boat, I found my escape. I discovered a connection with nature — I experienced weather, tides, sun and moon, and how these interacting forces create energy in the world.
I also befriended a few salty souls who would become important allies on the water, providing knowledge, labor, and companionship. Without their support, life on the water would have been far more difficult.
While moving to a small boat enabled me to live a simpler lifestyle, I found myself relying on social media both for entertainment and for relief from the solitude of living alone. I captured photographs with my iPhone and uploaded them to the Internet. The photographs have served as a great reflection on my two years aboard my vessel. Every image in the book was captured with an iPhone 5, edited and shared using the social media application Instagram at “#BoatLife”.
My hope is that you will be taken on a journey through picturesque scenes telling an important story of our relationship with nature, a journey to find happiness.
