60-year-old Stephen Payne gave up his house and hit life on the high seas in a boat. Payne spent six months taking care of his 92-year-old dying mother. He realized that he wanted to embrace living. Having lived in Los Angeles for 27 years, he decided to leave the country and set sell on the oceans.
Speaking with The Guardian, he explained, "I was complaining too much about Trump while living in the US. And it felt like it would be a struggle to get work in the UK with Brexit. I woke up one morning and had an idea to buy a boat. I knew nothing at all about them. But thought it would allow me to live cheaply. And be free to move wherever I wanted. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made."
Man Buys A Boat
Payne ended up buying an 11-meter motorized boat in 2020. It's where he has lived ever since. He's been sailing around England and France and even to Italy over the past four years. "No one ever says on their deathbed that they wish they hadn't traveled as much, since it's the best way to become a better person," he says. "I've experienced new cultures, become more accepting of the ways people live, and I've met fantastic people."
Of course, there was some things to figure out along the way. For one, Payne had to figure out how to operate the boat. It can also be hair-raising figuring out how to pass fellow boaters in channels. He also once got his anchor caught at the bottom of a river.
"My friend, who is experienced with boats, was going to come with me, but then had to stay as he had a baby on the way," he said. "I found myself navigating one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. At one point, I could count 17 boats around me and they were all a lot bigger than mine. It was like crossing the M5."
But Payne loves the sense of freedom and teaching himself something new. "It's amazing to learn new things as it teaches you a lot about yourself in the process," he says. "I realized I can keep calm and stay the course no matter what is happening around me."
Payne appreciates the freedom that the boat gives him.
"It's nice to not have to always be making arrangements," he says. "Maybe I'll learn to sail, buy a sailing boat and go around the world. All I can say is that right now, this feels like the best kind of life for me and one I'm very glad I embarked on."
