Four years ago Stephanie Dawn and her fiancé Louis Goodier decided to start living on their boat, Thumbsucker, at 28 Davidson (8.5 meters). They don’t quit their jobs, they live in the center of the city; but what does it mean to live in such a special apartment?

The first question is almost obvious: why did you choose to live in a boat of 8.5 meters in length?

We certainly didn’t start looking at very small boats as liveaboard options! When we decided to buy a yacht we had no sailing experience and little money, which somewhat limited our options. We were very close to buying a larger motorsailer which seemed very suitable. It was 35 feet long and beautiful inside, which was a huge plus for us as wannabe liveaboards, but in hindsight it wouldn’t have been as seaworthy as Thumbsucker proved to be, and we never really would have learned to sail, which would have been a shame We spent weeks negotiating and inspecting it out of the water, and even put down a 15% deposit. In the final stages we ran into complications trying to secure it and it all fell through. We went home completely heartbroken when we realized we had to get away from her as she was the last boat in that size and price range that we could consider. We thought that the last two years of planning, research and saving had ended in failure.

The afternoon we said goodbye to our dream of living on board, we almost jokingly searched online for the next size boats below 32 feet. We hadn’t even considered that it would be possible to live on a smaller boat. I remember clicking on the Thumbsucker ad and we were all genuinely amazed at how spacious and well-designed it looked in the photos.

We drove to Auckland to see her the next day, and within 5 minutes on board we knew she was going to be our yacht. She bought it that afternoon. I wouldn’t say a small boat doesn’t have her (many, MANY) challenges, but in hindsight I’m very happy that all the bigger, less suitable yachts we saw didn’t work out after all.

You and your fiancé have full-time jobs. Is your free time entirely devoted to Thumbsucker?

Essentially yes. When we’re not browsing Thumbsucker on nights and weekends, we’re usually found sanding/painting/installing/updating something. The first years on board were dedicated to paying you, but since we finished we have focused our efforts on improving life on board. I’ve lost track of the work we’ve done, but some of the biggest work was:

• Plumbing of the water tanks, replacement of the taps of the pumps with electric ones
• Reinstalling the old head with a new electric
• Reinstall all lights/electrics with LEDs
• Remove covers and top of cab and repaint
• New carpet (the old one had a terrible time suffering under a foot of seawater for a week on our first trip up the coast)
• New carpet (again, the old ones didn’t fare too well on our test ride)
• Remove vinyl and horrible old glue from ceiling, sand and paint
• Removing the vinyl from our bedrooms with a proper latex mattress (best decision/improvement ever)
• Sewing custom sheets and duvet covers to fit our oddly shaped mattress. (I would recommend against trying this yourself if you, like us, are not good at sewing, get frustrated easily, and want to avoid having a raging marriage with your spouse)
• New cushions – again this makes a big difference to the boat.

We also carry out all the usual maintenance such as antifouling, undercarriage replacement, engine oil change, cardan lubrication, engine overhaul, etc. At the moment we do not have a refrigerator or bench in the kitchen as our current project is new kitchen equipment. The sink can also only be used to the limit! Looking forward to being able to cook things other than sandwiches again.

What do you like about life on board?

Many things! I love the freedom of owning our own home, no roommates, no landlords, no mortgage. I get a lot of satisfaction out of doing our own home improvements just the way we like it. I also think we sail a lot more than we would if we lived in a house, there would always be some reason not to go down on the ship I think.

Living on board means that whenever the weather is nice and we feel like sailing, we can be there, alone or with a group of friends, in an hour. During the summer, there’s no need to pack for a long trip, we just drop the ropes and go exploring for two weeks!

Another interesting aspect is living in the city center for a fraction of the cost. We live right next door to multi-million dollar apartment blocks and share the exact same view and easy walk to town or work. We also live in a geologically scary area that is quite prone to earthquakes, so personally I always feel nice, safe and cozy in my little boat. In addition, we receive visits from penguins, dolphins and whales. It doesn’t get any cooler than that!

Do you sometimes miss a “normal house”?

oh absolutely I often dream of the day when I don’t have to share laundry/shower/toilet facilities (and a reservation board) among a large community of people. There are nights I’ve battled my way home through 70-knot gale-force winds and freezing rain, lugging 40,000 dry bags full of boat stuff, knowing I won’t sleep an eye before dawn.

These are the times when I envy all my friends and family asleep in their houses and wonder what the hell possessed me to do something so crazy! Sometimes it’s just the little things; Like wishing for once that I could drink wine from a nice glass instead of a heavy plastic container, or stabbing myself in the face with eyeliner while trying to get ready for work in a rolling surf.

What are your favorite places to sail?

Most of our sailing has been in the Marlborough Sounds in the South Island and off the Coromandel Peninsula in the north. Some of my favorite places to sail are:

Ship Cove – one of New Zealand’s most beautiful cruising spots

Ship Cove: a marine sanctuary where the fish are so tame that they climb up and eat from your hands

Ship Cove – There is a short hike that I like to do on land to a freshwater waterfall that you can drink and shower from.

Peachgrove and Coralie Bay on Great Mercury Island both look like postcards with glorious white sand that squeaks between your toes. We’ve also seen killer whales and humpback whales a couple of times which is always fun.

Southeast Bay on Major Island off the coast of Tauranga: The cliffs are largely made of obsidian glass, making them deep black and very bright in the sun. The water is deep but so clear that you can see every shell on the bottom of the sea 14 meters deep. Great swim, but only if you don’t mind the stingrays. There are huge ones that live here that are used to being fed by yachts – it’s a bit alarming when you first jump in for a swim on arrival and a horde of huge stingrays are heading straight for you!

Our classic final question: what does “sailing” mean to you?

For thousands of years, navigation has had an enormous influence on the development of civilization. The first tools and technology that allowed us to harness the wind and fly across oceans suddenly gave us the ability to travel great distances over the sea, feed ourselves and our communities with larger fish, trade with other continents, free wars, map the earth, colonize distant lands and make fantastic scientific discoveries.

When I sail I feel connected to this story. I sail the same ocean, with the same winds, and take shelter in the same anchorages that Captain James Cook sailed to observe the transit of Mercury in 1769. Navigation was instrumental in the liberation of humanity. From being a race destined to live in one place scratching all life in caves, we became seafaring explorers of the world. I think that for me ‘surfing’ ultimately means being free.