Boat life

If you could buy a catamaran, pack your bag with only your necessary possessions and sail off into the sunset, would you do it?

In 2016, this is what one of our inspirational Be Mobile Community Members did.

Meet Sue… and her dog Mindy.

For the last eight years, Sue, her husband John and Mindy have been sailing along the east coast of Australia. They migrate like the seabirds and whales that fly and swim alongside their boat.

This is no ordinary life. For that reason, she needs strength, resilience, fitness and a patience that flows with the rhythms of nature.

I asked Sue about her daily experience living aboard her boat, the Pelorus. What I also wanted to know was how she went from “struggling to get out of our dinghy and onto the boat” to someone who does a 5 kilometre park run for fun, when on shore.

I want to know how she stays fit and strong so she can continue to live this adventurous life.

Let’s set sail.

You clearly like exploration of the sea and waterways. When did you first start sailing?

My early years were spent on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.

My sister, parents, and I spent weekends exploring the beach near the Peninsula. Dad had a small fishing boat, which was the start of my boating experience.

Later in life I was living in Brisbane, Queensland. My husband and I bought a 23 foot sailing boat. John always wanted a boat; he is Danish, so he said it was his Viking blood calling!

We explored Moreton Bay with one blue heeler dog and a one and a half year old baby. Then baby number two came along. We had friends with sailing boats, so on weekends and holidays, with kids and pets in tow, we explored the sea ways.

What prompted you to take up sailing as a life style?

We moved to Sydney. Our friends from the local sailing club raced their boats and we joined in, and there were friends who used their sailboat for leisure sailing. Some lived aboard part-time and some sailed all around Australia and even overseas.

John and I were continually learning about sailing our boat. In fact, for my 50th birthday, we, along with six other people, sailed a 49ft racing sailboat back from Hobart to Sydney.

Then in 2013, my Dad passed away. I loved my Dad.

In his work life, he worked his way up to Assistant Commissioner in the South Australian police force.

When Dad retired, he and Mum were always going to travel and do many other things. However, some of what dad thought he was going to do slipped away, largely due to preventable health problems. He didn't exercise and gained weight.

Dad had a heart attack which he survived, but due to his unhealthy lifestyle and heavy drinking, his kidneys were not in good shape, so a heart transplant could not go ahead.

At 73 years, dad passed away.

I feel sad that he passed, but more so about how he passed. We all die, but giving yourself the best chance by keeping healthy and active until the end, is possible.

Then in 2015, I lost a dear friend. She was 55 years old and died of cancer.

Around that time, my husband John was taking on more workload. He is good at his work but not good at saying ‘enough’. I could see his health was suffering.

It was time to act. I knew if I suggested renting the house out and going sailing, which we had talked about, we could work remotely and figure things out as we went. This idea caught his attention, and we were off on a new journey.

In 2016, we put some things in storage and rented the house out, now that the kids were out of home.

We had the boat ready to sail off.

We turned left at Barrenjoey Headland on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and started sailing up north along the east coast of Australia.

What is it like to spend most of your time on a boat?

Our daily routine is all about the weather and tides. It dictates what time we need to get somewhere, whether we need to cross a sandbar timed with high tide and if the conditions are suitable for travel. You're out there rolling with the ocean and its rhythms for 4 to 12 to 24 hours, giving you time to reset.

As we travel, we make meals, read, keep watch for other boats, marvel at whales, etc. If the swells aren't too big, we exercise by moving around the boat.

Material things aren't as important due to limited space on a boat. Of most importance is family and friendships as well as your health.

Why did you start exercising with Be Mobile?

About five years ago, I thought walking, yoga, and kayaking were enough, but a shoulder and hip problem had me struggling to get out of our dinghy and onto the boat or dock.

In 2020 we bought 'Pelorus', our catamaran boat.

I was having trouble getting around the boat due to my hip. I had plantar fasciitis first in one leg, then six months later in the other leg. I also had multiple cysts operated on and when my recovery was over, my mind was focused on health and wellness.

It was time to get out there and live; my health was key to this.

I came across 'Be Mobile Physiotherapy 55+'.

Having flexibility for workout times and physiotherapists coaching you on how to workout was tailor-made for my lifestyle. As my strength built up, both my physical and mental confidence grew.

How does exercise fit into your sailing lifestyle?

When traveling, exercise is dependent on the elements and timing. If the seas are calm, I can exercise. When at anchor or at a marina, I plan when and how I'm going to exercise.

The challenge is to be as consistent as time and circumstance allow. The huge reward is the confidence in your strength and stamina to keep living the lifestyle that is important to you.

I’ve learnt that if something is not working for you, try something else. Keep yourself accountable. What works for me is that I plan in my diary - I schedule an exercise appointment with myself. As much as possible, I keep that appointment.

If someone asks me to do this or that, I can say, "Sorry, I have an appointment". I don't say what the appointment is, just try and keep it as much as possible. This helps me reach the goal of a healthy me.

How has exercise changed you?

To start, my daily tasks are easier. See the picture below.

This is no ordinary bed, it’s a queen size bed on our boat... it is heavy and awkward.

Before Be Mobile I needed my hubby for lifting the mattress so I could tuck the sheet in. Then I would lay there in recovery mode.

Since exercising consistently, my hubby no longer has to help. I can lift the mattress myself.

Also, I no longer crawl around on all fours, I walk on my knees around the bed with no pain and roll off the bed landing on my feet with balance.

That little black step is no longer in use.

It’s the little things, the every day ( or now and then) things that makes exercise so worth while, what ever stage your at.

Enjoy the little wins.

Exercise has helped me not only physically but mentally. I went from;

I can do this, I will do this, I am doing this!

Exercise has now become part of my daily life, leading to other health habits.

It has become a lifestyle change.

Being healthy helps me see my future more clearly. I have more roads to take. My husband and I have the health to travel and that is a big part of our future together.

Do you have any words of wisdom?

I have always liked Taylor Swift song ‘Shake it Off’.

For me this means to shake off what is holding you back, shake it off and do the best for your health and ability, get on with it.

As I get older, I think “Ageing is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength, we know things, so let’s get out there and use it”.

As some very wise person said,

‘If you do not make time for your wellness and health, you will be forced to make time for your illness’

Cheers,

Sue

Sue is a great photographer, therefore we included some photos from her travels...