A couple who spent £400,000 on a catamaran so they could live at sea has revealed “it isn’t all cocktails and sunsets”.
Sue and Steve Sagar have been together for 40 years but say moving onto the yacht full-time has been “a real test” on their relationship.
The couple has travelled the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Canary Islands since they retired and bought the vessel back in 2023.
And despite friends warning that they were “crazy”, they’ve had some incredible experiences along the way.
But 59-year-old Sue, a former marketing manager, says no one really wants to talk about the difficulties.
“Living in such a small space has really had its challenges,” Sue, from Australia, told Luxury Travel Daily.
“We’ve been together just over 40 years but this has been a real test.
“Not just the close living – we are actually ok with that – but add the everyday stresses of boat life and there’s a new dynamic.
“You are constantly thinking about the weather, where your next safe anchorage will be and whether your anchor hold if the wind picks up.
“It can put pressure on your relationship when you find instructions being yelled at you in a critical moment.
“It all comes down to how you communicate afterwards.
“Being able to not take it personally and to say sorry is important.”
Sue and former airline pilot Steve, 60, started dating after meeting in high school and before they knew it they were married with a mortgage and two children.
But now their kids have grown into adults and flown the nest – and grandchildren are yet to arrive – the couple have found themselves with a “window” of time for themselves.
Sue said: “We don’t have grandchildren yet and our parents are in relatively good health, so this was our window.
“Steve had always talked of owning a yacht and I didn’t want us to hit 80 and hear him say he should have.
“But it’s not all cocktails and sunsets.
“Downsides definitely include sleep.
“It’s rare for us to have a full nights sleep as one or the other usually gets up to check our surroundings, especially if it is windy and there are other boats close to us.
“There’s some great anchor tracking apps and we have one which helps but I think we do still sleep with one eye open.
“There’s always a heightened state of awareness of all things to do with the environment and the boat.
“We also have to make sure the batteries have enough charge, watch our power and water consumption and we always have boat maintenance ‘to do‘ lists.
“I can’t remember living in a house and wondering if I could turn on the electric hotplate or is there enough water to wash my hair today.”
Perhaps surprisingly, neither of the retirees had much experience of boat life before they embarked on their big adventure.
Sue said: “Steve had sailed as a child and both of our parents had yachts over the years.
“But we really were only passengers on them when we went sailing.
“It has been a steep learning curve but lots of fun.
“Our children and parents seem very proud of us.
“They are happy that we are out here doing something while we are fit and healthy.
“We got a mixed reaction from friends, from the ‘are you crazy’ to ‘this is amazing I’ll live vicariously through you.”
The couple spent £400,000 on their dream catamaran which was “well set up” so they didn’t have to do many renovations.
Sue said: “The major thing we invested in was to install lithium batteries which have been a big game changer.
“And the good is so very good.
“Today we snorkled over an underwater sculpture park on an island in the Caribbean.
“We’ve anchored next to the main fort of Corfu island in Greece where an orchestra and opera singer were performing.
“We’ve swam through the bluest of blue water and explored lovely old towns in Europe.
“And we’ve crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
“But then there’s the bad which no one really wants talks about.
“Things break and if you can’t repair them yourselves you can be stuck in places for a long time.
“You are so reliant on the weather gods and boy have they dealt us some wind throughout our journey.
“I’d be lying if we haven’t talked about selling from time to time but we look at the positives and make the most of where we are.”
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