... a happy meal dinner for two with sparkling cider in champagne glasses!

Beautiful idea!

Yes, absolutely, there are hundreds of people all over the world who live on their boat and travel aimlessly. A sub-culture? Yes. Certainly, it is labor intensive sometimes and, if done right, not very expensive, but also not free. The only food that's free is fish and I'm not really into eating fish... even once. :-( Repairs can be expensive, especially if one is addicted to modern technology.

I have written here several times about people I have met (just here in Toronto) who were clandestinely SOPPGL's. I forget much of the detailing of the events of my encounters with two couples because these were many years ago. But, suffice it to say that the one couple I remember clearly, were husband and wife who met and sailed from Thailand (or the Philipines) to (eventually) Toronto. The wife was still appearing as his daughter. I told him that I envied him.

There is one fellow, the late Tristan Jones, who, at the time, was in his famous sloop visiting England one autumn. Jones was a rather colorful writer and adventurer which, of course, made him quite popular at the marina where he was docked. He had been giving an evening interview to this one reporter and culminated his interview with "Well, I'll be going now."

"Off to the showers, are you?"

"No. South America."

The surprised reporter asked, "Now? Why?"

"I don't have a coat and it's getting chilly."

The sailing community is like that. Like you said. When one place starts to feel old, get back out there and find a new place to drop anchor. I have not felt Lake Ontario as old... yet.

By the way, Eric Hiscock died on board Wanderer V in New Zealand waters, aged 78. Susan Hiscock, his wife, stayed there a while longer, but eventually returned to their home in England. Eric was a British author of books on small boat sailing and ocean cruising. Sailing with Susan, he authored numerous accounts of their short cruises and world circumnavigations, accomplished over several decades.

Lin and Larry Pardey are sailors and writers, known for their small boat sailing. The Pardeys have sailed over 200,000 miles together, circumnavigating the world both east-about and west-about, and have published numerous books on sailing.

I'm sure there are several people here who will appreciate this reference: Laura Dekker is a New Zealand-born Dutch sailor. In 2009, she announced her plan to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe single-handed. A Dutch court stepped in, owing to the objections of the local authorities, and prevented Dekker from departing while under shared custody of both her parents. In July 2010, a Dutch family court ended this custody arrangement, and the record-breaking attempt finally began on 21 August 2010. Dekker successfully completed the solo circumnavigation in a 12.4-metre (40 ft) two-masted ketch, arriving in Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten, 518 days later

at the age of 16.

I could go on with stories about Miles and Beryl Smeeton, or John Guzwell, and a very long list of sailors of yesteryear or even today, like Laura Dekker. But you don't have to take my word for it!