The Side of Liveaboard Sailing Nobody Talks About

Living on a sailboat in St. Maarten isn’t always sunsets, turquoise water and freedom. Sometimes it’s losing both your jobs in the same month and finding yourself back at square one. That’s exactly what happened to us…

while living aboard Mutiny in St. Maarten. Just when we thought we finally had our act together, life looked at our plans, laughed, and threw them overboard. So here we are. Back at the drawing board. Again. To be fair, we’re getting pretty good at finding our way back there.

We Thought We Had It All Figured Out

A few months ago things were looking up. Lotte had landed a job at a rigging company in St. Maarten. Ramon had found a fully remote position. For the first time in a long time, it felt like we might actually stop worrying about money for five minutes.

We even started discussing crazy concepts like savings accounts. Turns out we got ahead of ourselves. After about a month, the rigging company told Lotte they didn’t have enough work to keep her on, as it is low season in the Caribbean from June 1st until November 1st.

Maybe during high season, Maybe later, Maybe…

And then there was Ramon. Ramon had briefly found himself working as an AI trainer. He even wrote a book about it called AI for the Rest of Us. Which sounds far more impressive than it actually was. When people ask what he did, we usually tell them:

“He trained AI to reveal all human secrets so it can eventually take over the world.”

Officially, his job involved reviewing conversations and helping improve how AI responds to people. Slightly less dramatic. Unfortunately, the company itself turned out to be less of a well-oiled machine and more of a collection of moving parts held together by optimism and unanswered messages.

• Communication was… creative.
• Processes changed constantly.
• Nobody seemed entirely sure who was responsible for what.

And somewhere along the way, Ramon realised he was spending more energy trying to understand the company than doing the actual work. So he walked away. Whether all the work he already completed will actually be paid for remains one of life’s great mysteries. Somewhere between:

• Where do missing socks go?
• Is there intelligent life elsewhere in the universe?
• And why do boat projects always take three times longer than expected?

For now, we’ll simply assume the money is sailing towards us with a very favourable current. So just like that… Both of us were unemployed again.

If you’ve been following us for a while, you’re probably thinking:
“Ah yes. Classic Mutiny.”
You’re not wrong.

Life Among the Riggers

Honestly, though, I don’t regret taking the job at the rigging company. Not for a second. Working in St. Maarten was an experience all by itself. The welding and fabrication department was mostly Guyanese guys who practically adopted me.

The Rastafarians kept telling me: “Hey beautiful, don’t work so hard!” Which is probably true. The rigging department was a mix of Americans, Dutch, French and Brits. Different accents, different passports, but everyone had a racing background and an opinion on how things should be done.

One phrase came up almost daily: “Riggers are tough.” What they actually meant was: “Riggers were trained by older riggers who were trained by even older riggers who believed kindness was a sign of weakness.” Some of the guys were great.

Others… Let’s just say they weren’t overly excited about teaching the new girl. One French guy answered most of my questions with silence. Which, surprisingly, is not a very effective teaching method.

Then there was another guy who seemed personally committed to proving I shouldn’t be there. At first, I tried to win him over. Then one of the nicest people in the company pulled me aside and said:

“Stop trying.”

Apparently five people had already quit before me because of this. That explained quite a lot. Still, I climbed masts, I learned new skills, I got stronger. And I discovered that I actually enjoyed the rigging job.

The Reality of Living on a Sailboat Full-Time

From the outside, our liveaboard life probably looks pretty cool; Crystal-clear water, palm trees, a sailboat in the Caribbean, and sunsets that belong on postcards.

And honestly? It is pretty cool. But there is another side that doesn’t show up very well on Instagram. We don’t have unemployment benefits. We don’t have a pension quietly building in the background. We don’t have an employer covering anything.

We don’t even have insurance on the boat because right now there are more urgent things to spend money on. Every month starts at zero. Every bill gets paid with money we haven’t earned yet.

Sometimes that feels adventurous. Sometimes it feels absolutely ridiculous.

Are We Persistent or Just Stubborn?

Lately I’ve been asking myself that question a lot. At what point does perseverance become stubbornness? How do you know whether you’re one breakthrough away… or just repeatedly running into the same wall?

Entrepreneurs love saying things like: “Success is built on failure.” And: “Fortune favours the bold.” Those quotes sound fantastic when they’re printed on Instagram graphics. They feel slightly different when you’re staring at your bank account.

The alternative is quitting. And neither of us has ever been particularly good at that. This is usually where Ramon and I become complete opposites. Ramon remains calm through almost anything. We’re broke? No problem!

When life burns down the plan, Ramon suggests a cold beer.

The future is uncertain? Fine! The universe has once again set fire to our plans. Let’s drink a beer! Meanwhile, I worry enough for both of us. Possibly for several neighbouring boats as well.

One day I’m convinced everything will work out. The next day I’m wondering whether we’ve completely lost our minds. The truth probably lives somewhere in the middle.

Why We Still Choose the Liveaboard Lifestyle

A fair question people often ask is: “Why don’t you just move back to Belgium or the Netherlands?” Trust us. We’ve thought about it. Many times. It remains our emergency exit. But only that.

An emergency exit. Because we didn’t leave Europe because life was difficult. We left because we wanted something different. Adventure, Freedom, New places, New people. A life that feels bigger than simply existing between four walls.

In fact, one of the very first questions we ever asked each other, and one that would ultimately shape our entire lives more than a wedding proposal ever could, was: “Do you want to travel for the rest of your life?”

The answer was yes. It still is.

Building a New Life Aboard in St. Maarten

So what’s next? Honestly? We have no idea. And that’s probably the most honest answer we can give. We’re networking like crazy in St. Maarten. We’re rebuilding the recruitment business and hope to attract some offshore and superyacht companies to recruit for.

We’re working on our sailing consultancy and helping future cruisers avoid expensive mistakes when buying a sailboat. In fact, we’ve recently launched a Boat Buyer Risk Scan for people who already have a boat in mind and want an experienced, independent assessment before pulling the trigger.

We’re chasing opportunities. Creating new ones when they don’t appear. Basically, we’re doing what we’ve always done: Trying. Will it work? We hope so. Will there be more setbacks? Almost certainly.

Will we keep sharing the good, the bad and the occasionally ridiculous parts of this journey? Absolutely. Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years, it’s that the best stories usually start when the plan falls apart. And judging by our track record…

We’ve got plenty of stories left. 

If you’ve enjoyed this story and would like to help us keep sharing the highs, lows and occasional disasters of life aboard, consider supporting our journey with a small donation. Every contribution helps us keep Mutiny afloat while we build the next chapter, and you can chip in from as little as €1.

And who knows. Maybe one day we’ll look back at this blog from somewhere across an ocean and laugh about all this. At least that’s the plan. For now. Fair winds to all you lovely people and don’t stop believing! Big love from the Mutiny Crew.

Thank you!

We are incredibly thankful for all the support from those who never stopped believing in us since we started living and sailing on Mutiny. You know who you are! We would also like to thank those who always discouraged us and tried to wave our dreams off as if they were idiotic, irresponsible daydreams. Thanks to you, we are always encouraged to go that extra mile.

Thinking About Buying a Sailboat?

If you’re dreaming about a life aboard and wondering where to start, these guides may help:

• Which Sailboat Should You Buy?
• 7 Mistakes First-Time Sailboat Buyers Make
• How to Choose the Right Sailboat
• The Real Cost of Owning a Sailboat

Already found a sailboat? We offer an independent review to help you spot potential red flags and avoid expensive mistakes before making an offer.