"If someone had told me thirteen years ago that one day I would be living on a boat, I’d have told them they were out of their mind. I was afraid of water and everything above and below it. I didn’t consider myself a good swimmer, and I certainly did not feel any affinity with the sea as so many do. In short, I loved my land-based life and couldn’t begin to imagine another. But that was then…
Today I cannot imagine living a land-locked life…a life without a boat to take us to people, places and experiences that would otherwise be inaccessible. Life afloat nourishes my senses and enhances every aspect of my life”.
Debra Ann Cantrell
Deb Cantrell, Ph.D., is a writer, researcher, adult educator and professional speaker. For many years she has worked with Aboriginal people in Canada, helping them to develop the capacity to become more self-sufficient and self-governing. In recent years Deb has split her time between an enduring commitment to Aboriginal issues and an expanding interest in holistic wellness in day-to-day living. This includes a focus on the inherent benefits of living a life of challenge and change .
Deb and her husband, Jim, began
to debate the implications of life afloat in 1987 and bought their first
boat, a classic wooden motor cruiser, in 1991. A year later they found
a 36’ Nauticat, ketch-rigged, motor sailor, that is home (and office)
for more than six months of the year. Currently, Deb and Jim (and first
mate, Sydney) are plying the waters of the Med in the sailboat, and the
motor cruiser is looking for new owners (see Red Witch).
Chat With Deb
Do you have questions about
the cruising life? About living aboard? Deb is happy to answer your questions
about any aspect of the cruising / liveaboard life, and if she can’t
answer your questions she’ll direct you to someone who can. E-mail
her at: debra@changingcourse.ca
Articles
Over the past few years Deb has written numerous articles about aspects of the cruising life and related issues. Some have appeared in GAM magazine, and others have been posted on www.searoom.com. Entertaining, informative, and sometimes written with tongue in cheek, the articles appear here in the order in which they’ve been written.
The
Gift Of Life Afloat
The Best Laid Plans
It’s Not About Being Rich
Leaving The Nest
Never
Too Old
What’s Your Hurry?
Afloat
in The Bahamas
What’s Your Custom With
Customs?