03/23/2026
These are some of my favorites from a story. I shot a couple of months ago about family sailing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico.
Just take it a moment to think…
At this very moment, all across the world there are families tucked into sailboats living on their own terms in ways that are most resonant with them.
Sometimes by necessity, more often by choice, lots of hard work and determination. These families are living lives that are difficult to understand for most.
When most people think about Sailing, notions of white sweaters and expensive nautical watches come to mind. So often Sailing is seen as a pursuit of the elite and unapproachable to most. Flipping that coin over folks will find a whole different world.
Practical sailors, sailors on impossible budgets. Families trying to live in ways that make the most sense to them They stay afloat…literally on whatever resources they can manage to find. Remote work or hybrid jobs or savings accounts or creative incomes. Each has its own approach and reason for it.
The scrappy ones, the rebuilders, the fixers, the ones who have more of a dream than a bank account, the ones that fix their flip-flops with duct tape, the ones who can get one more season out of their half inflated dinghy. The ones who share with each other what they have including their time.
These are the ones who are bringing new life to the sport and lifestyle. They are well provisioned with arts and craft supplies, pb&j’s and water toys. They are exposing their young ones to what it means to live a life afloat. Where resourcefulness, creativity, attunement and adventure are key.
All that being said, the life these families are choosing to live are also different. It’s difficult to speak in general terms about them. I can say this though.
Each one works incredibly hard to live in such an incredible way.
My time spent shooting these photos left me with a sense of reflection about my own life. Questions about how close to the middle or mainstream am I. What choices do I make to live in ways that are resonant with me, and how can I look a little further for inspiration than I normally do.
Maybe you will too
