Sailing Nomadika · video

What this video covers

Dean and Tess, a couple transitioning from a summer of van life in the Yukon, buy their first sailboat to live aboard through winter in the Pacific Northwest with no prior sailing experience.▶ 0:32 A marina wait-list spot they had secured without owning a boat forced the decision — those lists run years long, and they treated the opening as a one-time opportunity.▶ 1:00 They crossed British Columbia to view a boat on Salt Spring Island, BC, conducted a sea trial that reached 6 knots, and made an offer the same day.▶ 5:02 Post-offer, insurance proved the sharpest obstacle: no insurer would cover first-time owners, and the process nearly killed the purchase before they found coverage.▶ 9:15 The previous owner sailed the boat from Salt Spring Island to their marina slip on the BC coast while Tess drove the van.▶ 10:51 Move-in night brought a quarter berth with low headroom, no sleep, and a resident sea lion colony.▶ 14:42 Their stated next step is practicing docking and completing a survey.▶ 17:04 Securing a marina slip before owning a boat, and the difficulty of insuring first-time liveaboards, are the two concrete logistical lessons the purchase produced.

More from Sailing Nomadika

We Anchored Alone Overnight for the First Time… Were We Ready??Apr 2026Our Biggest Sailing Adventure Yet Didn't Go as PlannedMar 2026Another Week of Firsts Aboard Our New Sailboat ⚓Mar 2026A Realistic Day In Our Liveaboard Life ⛵ Starting Over On The WaterFeb 2026

From Sailing Nomadika — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analysed video.