Today we’d like to introduce you to Abby & Bryan Dow.
Hi Abby & Bryan; we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Our story began in 2019 when we booked a trip to Roatan, Honduras. Choosing to stay in a 16 x 16 villa in a down-to-earth resort was a pivotal point for us. Bryan and I had eye-opening conversations with the locals during our stay, and it helped us realize that our lives were missing something. At the time, we owned a thriving landscape company in Maine. The pace of life was nothing less than a sprint as we got up at 5 am to respond to emails, return phone calls, and organize work crews. Although we were doing well financially and providing jobs for people, our daily grind was draining our souls. Needing a break from our heavy workloads -we chose a world-renowned place for its dive locations and jungle terrain. It was December and a slow time in the landscape business. We left our worries behind and set out to explore for an entire month.
Upon arrival at Turtle Beach Resort, the owner, Paul, showed us around. As we walked the lush grounds, bursting with flora and fauna, he introduced us to his staff by name. We became friends with Paul and his amazing crew. During that month, we had afternoon beach conversations about what our lives could be like if we exited the “rat race.” At the same time, we began talking with the staff and learning about their families and lives on this tropical island. Most people we spoke with were of a threadbare financial status; however, it struck a chord that these people seemed happy and fulfilled.
Our newfound friends in this developing country had something we were desperate to find- life satisfaction. It was in these beach chats and long walks along the sandy shoreline that Bryan and I discovered our answers. We decided there was value in living a fuller life with less financial burden. When our month was up, we had a new outlook on our goals and decided to return to Maine to work on freeing ourselves from the grip of our small business.
We already owned a 35-foot sailboat and decided to sell everything to move aboard. We are committed to having experiences and adventures! Family and friends wondered how this was something that we could afford. Were we retiring at age 50? It must be expensive to live on a sailboat. Were we putting everything in storage when we returned to our senses? Our simple answer to these questions and many others like it was – less is more. Thus began our planning for full-time life aboard life on Viking Spirit.
After selling the business, closing up our 2000-square-foot home, and selling 99% of our possessions, we finally set out on our sailboat in October of 2022. The transition was a culture shock, and we soon discovered that living in less than 400 square feet of space was tight quarters. While our original sailboat was great for long weekends, we needed more elbow room for comfortable personal space. We had come from Maine to North Carolina, and it was there that the search began for Viking Spirit II.
In November of 2022, we had the good fortune of finding a Beneteau Oceanis 46-foot sailboat. This boat needed some TLC and upgrades because it had sat for several years out of service. After 5 months of upgrades and hard work, we were ready to launch Viking Spirit II and live our sailboat dream.
We did the bulk of the work on the boat ourselves. We became more familiar with everything in our new home with every project completed. Knowing the systems on your boat is a key factor in troubleshooting when a problem arises. We have lived on 2 sailboats for 6 months and know that this is the life we were looking for.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been long, and it was a 2-year process to free ourselves from traditional land life. We were fortunate to have a buyer for the business while we were ready to sell it. The hardest part was downsizing the “things.” We had a home full of all the necessities- furniture, tools, knick-knacks—useful things, and closets full of items to use someday. We had a 2 car garage that was a workshop. It was a daunting task to whittle down and dispense with items that couldn’t be taken on the available space of a sailboat. Ultimately, we donated many items of value to get rid of them. It felt utterly freeing to watch our inventory of a full house diminish. This meant we were getting closer to our goal of sailboat life.
Another challenge was getting used to slowing down our pace of life once we moved aboard. It’s been so ingrained in our culture that it’s lazy to slow down. We used to crash through 5 days to get to the weekend. We were absent from our work and presented in our time off because our minds were always ahead to the next thing. We are still getting used to the challenge of living in the moment, but it’s always becoming easier.
The last thing that comes to mind is keeping in touch with people. It has to be more intentional now that we aren’t in a physical location for an easy drop-in visit. We have kept up with friends and family through regular updates on our social media pages, but we try not to take for granted that our special people always see these updates. It’s become more important than ever that we make phone calls and Facetime with our loved ones. It’s easy to be introverted when living on a sailboat.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Bryan is a part-time employee of West Marine, and I am a full-time content creator. We love to share the content of the sailboat lifestyle with others because of our daily challenges and the joy that boat life gives us! This is the hardest and most rewarding way of life; all wrapped up in one. Days can include your deepest struggles and bring unrivaled emotional highs on the water. It’s worth sharing from an authentic perspective. This consists of the highs and the lows of boat life. Some of the best footage we’ve shared is from when problems arise and life throws us a curve ball.
We’re known for relentlessly pursuing a dream and turning it into our reality. We always show examples of this through the content we put out there. We strive to be examples to others to show that a more satisfying life is achievable with the drive and intention behind your efforts. We’re also known for our sense of teamwork as a couple. Trusting your partner 100% and knowing they have your best interests in mind makes our relationship work on board a sailboat. Living on a boat is one of the planet’s last frontiers and demands a high level of self-sufficiency.
We are most proud that our skill sets are evolving like crazy! This includes boat projects, being full-time content creators, and how we relate to each other. It’s brought our life to all new levels. We’ve constantly stepped outside our comfort zones to reach this point. As far as content creation, it was a whole new skill for me! I have learned how to film, edit, blog, and how to launch a brand! I had no prior experience in this field, and the learning curve has been steep. Still so much to learn! Our fans have enjoyed watching us progress as we don’t try to hide that we’re new to this lifestyle and we make mistakes with our projects. We’re proud of the fact that when we set goals and achieve them. This is a unique way of life, and there are endless possibilities for content creation within our daily existence. We hope that social media content will be sustainable in our cruising lifestyle. I am constantly working to create quality content about how we live our lives and put it out there. Our channels are growing consistently, and we love hearing feedback and questions from our fans.
What sets us apart may be that we completely changed our lives and professions to jump in with both feet. Bryan comes from 7 years of Coast Guard experience, but I’m new to living on a boat. We’re different because we’re not polished. We want to create the content of real life. Some days can be great, and some days are utterly raw. The difference is we want to present the whole picture. It’s not all boat drinks and beach days.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Covid-19 changed the way we view the world. We witnessed many people living in constant fear due to the crisis, and we vowed not to fall into that trap. That was when we stopped watching TV and started our journey to becoming better critical thinkers.
We were at first cautious and concerned, as everyone was, thinking that it would be a death sentence to anyone that fell ill. After living in an extended lockdown, we realized that life must go on. Seeing people paralyzed by fear made us want to live our lives to the fullest. By curbing our television intake and primarily major news networks on a 24/7 loop, we dispensed with the fear factor and anxiety brought on by the crisis. Our moods and outlook improved by choosing to dispense with anything negative. We learned we’re happier people living in the moment- not absorbing soul-sapping snippets from major news networks on an endless loop.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sailingvikingspirit.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sailingvikingspirit/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sailingvikingspirit/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTuHrKErzmPeXz_uJl3TfIg
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sailingvikingspirit?lang=en
Image Credits
Abby Dow
