A Gen Z couple said goodbye to their corporate jobs on land to start sailing for a life full of excitement.
Zach Seward, from Hampshire, and Becka Eva, from Surrey, left their ordinary lives to travel the world. England to travel the world.
The couple, who are both 26 years old, have so far sailed over 5,000 miles and visited France, Spain, Portugal, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Antigua Lesser Antilles, and are now in Grenada in the Caribbean.
Before living on water, Zach worked as an environment and sustainability business partner while Becka was a social researcher. In March 2022, they decided it was time to pursue their dream and bought a 40ft 1987 Colvic Victor Ketch for £38,000 in Plymouth.
It took them over three years to save, and as soon as the Covid-19 pandemic hit, they began their new life.
‘During the first lockdown in March 2020, Zach and I were confined in a room in my uni house together, and we were eager to see the world,’ Becka said.
‘We didn’t want to fly everywhere, and even though van life is really cool, we really wanted to go to small remote islands, which would have been difficult to reach on foot, let alone with a van.
Once they had decided that the 1987 Colvic Victor ketch was the boat for them, they spent nearly £10,000 restoring and renovating the boat before they started sailing.
‘The moment we stepped on board, we knew somehow, we would make this our home,’ Becka remembered.
Although the boat was almost perfect for them, they chose to add a few more details before they set sail.
They added safety equipment, new batteries, revamped the electrics, installed solar panels to make the boat fully off the grid, added a new VHF radio, another antenna as a backup, took the mizzen mast down for inspection, replaced sea cocks and skin fittings, added anodes, and antifouled.
The entire restoration took around six months in total, and they began their sailing journey a week after they had completed everything in September 2022.
Becka and Zach have since sailed over 5,000-nautical miles and have lived on their sailboat full-time since starting their journey, except for the occasional stop to avoid dangerous stormy weather.
They didn’t have much boating experience and instead relied on books and YouTube for guidance along the way.
‘We had both been dingy sailing since we were young – Zach more than I – but when it came to big boats, we didn’t have too much experience,’ she said.
‘We crewed on a boat from Swansea to Cardiff about four months before we bought our boat, and did our Day Skippers – a week-long qualification – but that was about it, until we got on our own boat.’
‘Apart from the course, almost no significant boating experience.
‘But thanks to the incredibly kind boating community, we have learned a lot.
‘Also from books, YouTube and just by doing, even if it resulted in a few electric shocks along the way.'
However, Becka and Zach have faced challenges during their sailing journey, recognizing that life at sea can be stressful and lonely at times, with the couple experiencing their fair share of stressful moments along the way.
‘It’s not an easy life. It’s physically demanding, can be stressful, and unless you socialize and make friends along the way, it can feel isolating being on a boat,’ she explained.
‘Our engine failed to start in the Plymouth channel, so we had to sail into the marina, encountering a strong storm in the English Channel just after leaving the UK.
‘A Catamaran collided with us in an anchorage in Martinique.
‘We experienced a week of 50mph winds in the middle of the Atlantic ocean when we sailed from Cape Verde in Africa to Antigua earlier this year.
‘We believe that it’s ‘not always simple, but it’s always worthwhile’.
Although sea life can be challenging at times for Becka and Zach, they have no plans of ending their adventures any time soon and intend to travel all around the world.
‘We plan to continue this as long as we find joy in it, simple,’ she said.
‘We would like to circumnavigate, but it’s not the ultimate goal as we don’t want to feel like our journey was incomplete without completing the entire route.
‘If anyone is considering getting into sailing and following a similar route, absolutely go for it.
‘Life is short, and the world is vast.’
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