We quit the 9-to-5 grind to live on a $125K yacht in Greece with our kids — it’s a dream come true
A British couple quit their hectic jobs and moved their family to a yacht docked in Greece.
And after ditching the 9-to-5 grind, they couldn’t be happier.
Laura and Ross Colledge decided to set sail because they worried their family was too disconnected.
“Ross was working 50-plus hours a week, and we were like ships in the night,” Laura told What’s the Jam.
“He felt our children’s formative years were slipping away before our eyes and he was missing so much.”
The parents wanted to provide “an exciting, adventurous, non-consumerist upbringing” for their children to “make them more worldly” while also accommodating their children’s “extra educational needs” — one of their sons has ADHD and is suspected high-functioning autistic.
So the family remortgaged their newly renovated house, bought a 2005 Bavaria 42 yacht they’d checked out a few months prior and moved to Greece in the summer of 2019.
The Colledge family started their journey in Mykonos, sailed through the Aegean and Dodecanese islands and eventually settled in the Ionian Islands.
“We have both been water babies as surfers and kayakers in Newquay for many years, so the ocean has always drawn us in,” Laura said of their previous life in southwest England.
The Colledges have been galavanting around the Greek islands for five years now and have loved their sojourning lifestyle — despite the unpredictability it adds to their lives.
“Sailing life is very changeable, so getting a work/life balance is tricky,” Laura admitted.
“Maintaining any kind of routine is a challenge. You have to be able to ‘go chameleon’ when the weather or other circumstances demand a change of plan.”
Ross is captain of the family’s boat, while Laura is the first mate and both of them are directors of BoatFit, an online health and fitness site, and Sailing Holly Blue, which chronicles their water-bound adventures — including some done in the nude.
Noah is currently homeschooled and Josh attends an online virtual secondary school as they sail, making friends of all ages from all around the world.
“Once we achieve residency here in Greece, we plan to spread our wings further afield,” Laura said.
The family plans to eventually upgrade to a bigger boat when the boys get too big for their current vessel but, in the meantime, have added many additions to their boat to better accommodate the family.
“We’ve included solar power, lithium-ion batteries, a watermaker and other mod-cons that mean we can live completely off grid, utility bill-free and self-sufficient if we choose,” Laura said, noting that most of the renovations have been made possible by collaborating with sponsors from their social media accounts.
As for their mental health, the mom says there’s “nothing more grounding than being so close to nature and at the mercy of elements.
“All other things become so trivial,” Laura said.
“And relationship-wise, you will soon learn if the person you are with is your soulmate. Sailing life is a 24/7 pressure cooker at times, and you not only have to learn to pick your battles but also where you will and will not compromise,” she added.
“Your relationship deepens to an incredible level and your respect — as well as admiration for each other — strengthens, too.”
