Seventy percent of the Earth is covered in water. That means most of us will only ever explore thirty percent of it. That makes me feel claustrophobic. Now they’ve got this neat thing called boats. We’ve been using them for thousands of years. In fact boats built our civilization. Isn’t it then a no-brainer to get one, cover the other seventy percent and become a real globe trotter?

But I get ahead of myself.

I’ve spent most of my life in the city of Montreal which is not exactly renowned for its temperate climate. No, it’s downright hostile. I take issue with the fact that going outside without adequate preparation can literally kill you. This is not quality climate. More than climate, Montreal is a city which by definition is dirty, noisy, polluted and not particularly nice to look at.

Then there are the implications that go along with living in the city. The rat race, burning yourself out to just stay afloat, never mind getting ahead. We’re so conditioned to doing it we that we don’t even understand why we’re doing it. No one can remember the last time that they thought wow, today was the most  incredible day I've ever had; I want to do it again tomorrow. The sad truth is that if that’s not how we feel everyday then we’re wasting our lives.

Screw that.

I’ve got a secret. I’ve found a way out of the rat race. I'm ditching these winter boots and going barefoot.

Add up your mortgage/rent, electricity, heating, phone, cell, cable and internet bills.  Now imagine not having to pay that. What expenditures are left? Not a whole lot. That's the magical number that I'll need to live on a sailboat exploring paradise.

Not impossible.

It all started during a vacation in the Bahamas. I met my scuba diving instructor for the theory lesson. He gestured towards the clear turquoise water and said step into my office.

When he found out I was from Canada, he told me about An Embarrassment of Mangoes, a book that someone had given him about a couple from Toronto who had had enough of cold, stress, deadlines. They built a five year plan to sail off to the Caribbean.

I read it as soon as I got back. I had an epiphany. I took boating courses, got my amateur radio license, took sailing lessons and finally bought a sailboat,

which I sail out of the beautiful Baie D'urfe Yacht Club.

And you know what? I think I've taken to the sailing life. It's a pirate's life for me. Yar!

 To get my finances in order I needed to speak to a financial adviser but I was concerned about what they would think about my cockamamie plan. I shouldn't have worried. He was very tanned when i met him. I told him what my plan was and he said you see this tan? I just spent two weeks living on a sailboat in the Caribbean. Ok I thought, fate is smiling at me!