Laurén Ettinger
- Jul 26, 2021
- 2 min read

Creating Community: Advice from International Boatlifers

What’s in Today’s Episode:

Long-time cruisers Sabrina and Kristian share what it is like to live aboard a 46-foot catamaran in French Polynesia with twin baby girls. They share experiences from their twenty years of international sailing, how they started an adventure cooperative to realize their boatlife dreams, and how they changed up their lives to open their home up as a tour charter company.

“This vexing issue of how you are going to pay the bills and the boat…it’s no joke. There are a lot of expenses on a boat, and you are constantly pouring money into it. Much more than you ever realized…so having that income stream was really important.”

What Ally, Sabrina, and Kristian Chat About:

Lessons from their five years living on a boat
Getting pregnant (with twins!)
Starting an adventure cooperative and sharing their boat home with others
How they make their lifestyle financially sustainable
Running a tour charter business
How to baby proof a sailboat
Challenges of purchasing baby/child things for your boat
Their plan for social life and schooling for their kids in the future- traveling sailboat school!
Dealing with medical issues and health insurance while cruising and traveling the world
Moving internationally and buying a new boat during COVID
Traveling and living in French Polynesia
Non-violent "crew-munication"

“As a mom, as a new mom, you’re looking at all these things that you “should get” or what everyone else is doing and you’re thinking ‘that doesn’t really apply to my life here.’ In many ways the boat is baby proofed to some extent and then there’s other elements that are completely not and you have to be creative about it.”