Sailing Spirits: Meet “The Reds”
The Camerons are redheads, affectionately known in the sailing community as “The Reds,” In true Scottish nature, they thrive on challenges in the great outdoors. Iain learned to sail dinghies, toppers, and lasers in the Middle East and then progressed to coastal sailing in Scotland. Three years ago, they sold everything they owned and traveled halfway around the world to buy a liveaboard boat. Since then, they have only spent days on land, born out of necessity, organizing visas.
The Camerons, feeling restricted by their professional nine-to-five lifestyle on land started to consider the possibility of living aboard a yacht, but before committing it, they sensibly stress-tested living on the water.
Above: Onboard SV Indioko in Bequia, St Vincent & the Grenadines. Image credit: The Camerons
Testing Out A Monohull
The Camerons’ research informed their desire to live aboard a catamaran since they generally lend themselves to more temperate climates, defined by large external living spaces. However, in Scotland, catamarans are few and far between. After scouring the charter market, they managed to source a sailboat with a captain in Edinburgh to see whether buying a multihull suited their needs. As soon as they stepped on board, they were struck by how different the movement and sail felt compared with a monohull. “I instantly knew that living on a sailing catamaran wouldn’t feel like we were camping. I could picture it,” says Brioni. The next litmus test was chartering a multihull in Croatia for two weeks exploring the islands of the Adriatic. After a month they returned and wished they were still living on the boat.
Brioni quit her day job as a primary school teacher, as did Ian, who worked as a technology consultant. “We sold everything we owned. Getting rid of our belongings was a whole journey in itself. ” says Brioni.
Boat Buying During A Pandemic
The Camerons made the schoolboy error of narrowing down their ideal boat to a LEOPARD 47 from 2005 before ever stepping foot on one. The latest LEOPARD catamarans models are popular in the charter market in tropical locations such as the BVI. However, once they are no longer needed they are sold onto private owners at a lower cost, making them more affordable. But they were unable to sea trial a LEOPARD in the UK or the Med. Eventually they managed to find one for sale in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a string of islands near Trinidad.
After liaising with the boat owner, who was trapped in the Dominican Republic due to the pandemic, the Camerons accepted the owner’s offer to check out the boat. They sold the flat and moved and with only a backpack each bought a one-way ticket around the world to St. Vincent.
Shop for used and new LEOPARD sailboats for sale.
Finding The Leopard 47: A Wild Goose Chase
Once they arrived in the Caribbean, with nobody to greet them, they relied on a picture to identify the boat in the harbor. It was nowhere to be seen, and they had to scour every port on the island to find it. They discovered that it had been moved from one port to another. When they finally uncovered the yacht, they got a nasty surprise; it was covered in mold and left in a state of disrepair. There were still Christmas decorations lying around from where they were left in a hurry after the onset of Covid.
At this point, rather than turning their backs on the sale, the Camerons negotiated the price. As there were no haul out services available on the island, the boat was stuck on the anchorage, giving the Camerons bargaining power. They spent six weeks living aboard the vessel, and eventually the sale fell through.
Above: Sailing to remote anchorages in Southern Panama. Image via The Camerons.
Homelessness and Hitchhiking Through the Caribbean
The Camerons found themselves homeless for over two months. They backpacked through the Caribbean and lived in multiple boats, shipping containers, and spare cabins. Logistically, it made sense to stay in the area. They sailed to St. Thomas’, in search of another Leopard 47. While they negotiated the sale, they lived in a squalid cockroach-infested motel. Their sale finally went through. Excitedly, they went down to the marina where they waited for it by the slip. To their surprise, they received a call from a broker delivering the boat refusing to berth it in the marina. It quickly became evident that he was an inexperienced sailor, and he smashed the LEOPARD (with no fenders on) against a fuel dock. He hung up the phone, jumped off the boat, hopped onto a speedboat, and headed seaward, leaving the damaged vessel n his wake. Since the sale had already been completed, and the Camerons were left to repair the damage.
Above: The Camerons 100th anchorage, San Blas Islands, Panama, Jan 2023. Image via The Camerons.
A Rescue Cat
The catamaran was battered, with only one fully functioning engine. That didn’t deter them from fixing her up. In fact, over three years, the Camerons have managed to fix almost every component of their LEOPARD. Before living on a boat, they had no boat maintenance skills. However they learned through YouTube tutorial videos and relying on fellow sailors for advice and expertise. They learned engine maintenance, fiberglass installation, and even tried their hand at sewing (stitching a new flag for every country they cross), and much more.
Image: Installing the first 1400W solar on our hardtop, St Martin. Image via The Camerons
Making an Income Living Aboard A Boat
While the dream of sailing around the world sounds appealing, the prospect of not earning an income is one of the main obstacles preventing sailors from living on the sea. Brioni and Ian successfully monetize their adventurous lifestyle, through documenting their lifestyle sailing around the world. You can follow their journey via their YouTube channel The Red Seas, and watch videos of them traversing some of the most dangerous passages, muddling through maintenance work, and upgrading the boat’s features.
They have also harnessed their technical skills. Iain has also harnessed his technological skills and sailing experience to create a marine navigation product by working with a manufacturer to produce Wayfinder by iNav4U.
Above: Brioni on the LEOPARD 47 introducing Wayfinder. Image via The Camerons.
Despite a challenging start to their adventure, the Camerons have no intention of ever living on land again anytime soon.
“If you are not willing to be a fool, you can’t become a master.”
― Jordan B. Peterson
Are you interested in living aboard a yacht? Check out the Best Liveaboard Boats Under 600K. Or, if you are at the beginning of your search and want to start with the basics, read Motor Yachts: A Definitive Guide.
Popular Liveaboard Catamarans
Some of the most popular catamarans suited to a liveaboard island lifestyle include Lagoon, Leopard, Fountaine Pajot, Sunreef, and Outremer.
To learn more about liveaboard yachts, read The Liveaboard Life: Best Liveaboard Yachts.
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