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Every story needs a beginning if only to provide context and a bit of method to the madness.
My story started on 15 January 2004, the day of my second birth. I’m not going to dwell on the details. Suffice it to say that I accidentally realized many things I never noticed before. And one of those things is that I am not irreplaceable. The second is that there is a difference between gratitude and blind loyalty, whether to an employer or even a country. The third is that I am extremely loathe to be in situations where I am not wanted.
For the past fifteen years, I have been exploring options to remove myself from my current situation. It’s not as much an abusive one as it is a matter of finding myself fenced in, with very few options that don’t require cutting through literal tons of sticky red tape and forking out small fortunes in the process. (I don’t have a vast amount of money to my name, so even having to pay a small fortune would wipe me out financially!)
Approaching my 50th birthday in 2026, there is another factor that also influences most of my decision-making. Many of my classmates and contemporaries are dead. Just like that. No sugar-coating facts. And I don’t want to die without leaving a good legacy. I don’t want to die with people just knowing that I went to work, came home, and visited with my folks on weekends. Oh, and played with my cats.
Hence, my search for a way to live differently from anyone else, without compromising on integrity, morality and my own emotional well-being.
Permaculture provides the foundation. The fully transferable ethics and principles of that philosophy still guide my life, despite the realization that my gardening abilities are suspect, at best.
Also, I need to know that I have a measure of control with what happens to me. I can’t control the storms ahead, but I want to be able to steer the boat I’m in. Not very religious, is it? But then divine provision has always been preceded by acts of faith.
What do I want to do with the rest of my time here?
I want to travel, and I want to share those thoughts and experiences with others. And I want to write stories. Lots of stories.
At first, I thought about getting a motorcycle, an Expedition Vehicle, an outfitted camper van… but then I had a new thought: why not buy a boat? Living on the water will enable me to travel extensively between whole continents without costing an arm, a leg, and a kidney, especially if my means of propulsion is environmentally responsible. It’s going to force me to live my life in a very small space for most of the time, severely limiting my access to and ability to accumulate “stuff.” That also limits my consumption footprint. The bonus is that I can still make a decent living while on board: vlogging, blogging and otherwise writing about my experiences and earning money from those efforts.
What will cost me most of my money is the vessel itself, coupled with some radical retrofitting to make it more practical, user-friendly, and environmentally responsible. Frankly, I have no idea where I will get that capital from. My heart tells me to completely liquidate my current life and put every last cent into this project, but then my sound mind intervenes and lets me know that I can’t gamble everything on a venture that may or may not succeed. (My crazy mind is dancing in the background, to a beat only she can feel.)
The compromise is that I sell my flat/apartment and use that money to purchase the trawler boat that I have in mind, all subject to a favorable inspection report. The electric motor will be financed partly by some of my retirement savings and partly by income from a YouTube channel that I have created to document this stage of my life.
I have named the channel Pindrop, with the subtitle of You.Are.Now.Here. It’s all about navigating through life, while creating pin drops and benchmarks that document your progress. Also, the map theme ties in perfectly with the idea of being a traveler and seeing new places and things along the way. Lastly, it also promotes the twin philosophies of slow travel and slow food, while supporting local communities that I come across along the way.
My initial outlay will be big for a South African who has been working in a mid-level local government position for the past twenty-odd years. The boat will be €30k and the engine retrofit will be €70k more. Not much for an American or a rich European, but it’s pretty much everything that I have. And while I am reluctant to ask for personal donations when my Ukrainian friends are fighting for their lives, I won’t refuse any kindness I receive.
This goal is not negotiable. The method, however, is. It’s big, scary, and much more than I can handle alone. I do need the extra money, but I also need support, ideas, and new plans to implement when I’ve run out of my own. Above all, I will need to stay true to myself and my own principles. And I need lots of hugs for the days when nothing wants to go right.
Now everyone knows. This is where I am right now. I have wiped the slate clean of everything that has been on it in the past and focus on this project for the next 18 months, until my 50th birthday. That’s the deadline. And this is a matter of “victory or death!” as I don’t dare let myself down once more.
Let’s go!
