Leap of Faith: Quit Your Job and Live on a Boat

Ed Robinson writes in his book, Leap of Faith, about how he has chosen a lifestyle of leisure and lackadaisicalness. The venue he espouses is a nautical one along the gulf coast of the sunshine state. He eschews commercialism, concern for domestic and foreign affairs, and the pattern of what he refers to as, “…an endless routine of work, bills, obligations and commitment,” remarking, “My only real obligations are to love and care for my wife and my vessel.”Herein lies certain ironies. Ed lives aboard a 36 foot 1980 Blue Seas trawler style yacht. Vintage notwithstanding, the Average John Doe would have to do pretty much what Ed did in order to own a lien-free boat this size and afford the fuel consumption of a circa 1000 liter diesel tank. That is, stop buying stuff that isn’t an absolute necessity, pay off all debt, and get rid of superfluous assets.And as for affairs of the state, to use the term in its broadest sense, some would say there is a certain oxymoronic quality to his premise that a serene and carefree anchorage is simply there for the taking. I might have missed it, but I don’t recall coming across any word of thanks anywhere in his book to the countless minions and masters in all walks of life that enable and preserve Ed’s opportunity to, dare I say, capitalize on his choice of alternatives. The fact that untold Coast Guard resources were not charged to him for several days he was incommunicado during his first significant blue water outing was as disappointing as his dismissing attitude; “The Coast Guard may have been glad that we were okay, but they seemed annoyed that we wasted their time. We hoped that wouldn’t send us a bill [sic].”Ed repeatedly asserts both indirectly and directly, “You will never have true freedom until you are debt free.” This notion is a veiled red herring in a couple of ways. Metaphorically, it is arguable that we all share a certain recurring and continuous debt to society precisely for our various freedoms. I wonder why Ed miss-thinks that his only “real obligations” are the attentions he gives to his wife and his boat.And in its most literal, tangible form, a debt is money that is owed to another in exchange for goods or services. In this vein Ed repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly refers to getting rid of credit card debt, mortgage debt, and all manner of personal loans, presumably all with an interest charge attached. In fact, except for interest charges, Ed cannot ever be truly, financially debt free. All that diesel, and other fuels of choice, such as his monthly rum consumption, in addition to the vast majority of essentials of daily living come at a charge. And I notice in a snippet on the internet that he has recently disclosed the reduction of his savings has prompted him and his wife to once again engage in money-making pursuits, i.e., Ed’s most distasteful four-letter word – work.As to his expertise as a writer, this was almost worth the $3.99 e-book price, but only because it got me thinking, as they say. It was a short, easy read, not especially entertaining or informative, but it dealt with several subjects of personal interest, namely frugality, living in Florida, boating, and personal responsibility. Once in a while he revealed some creativity with a turn of phrase, but not often enough to demark a particular writing style. I was puzzled by the vitriol he directed toward Florida in chapter 24 of 25, save the immediate area he chooses to call home. The tenor of that chapter cast a pall on the more upbeat writing that preceded it.As others have noted, I was struck by the number of typos (see the verbatim quote above about the Coast Guard). This is odd, given his employment history as I understand it.Finally, Ed seems to be a critical thinker, but only to a point. The ironies and incongruities of his tale remind me of the nonsense some TV shows portray under the guise of presumed coherent scripts, shows that fail to perform to the expectations of the trailers enticing us to watch. This book will appeal to the masses, much the way Jesse Ventura once succeeded in occupying the Governorship of Minnesota. I didn't hate the book, but in my world of ratings a single star is all you get. I doubt I’ll ante up for anything more written by Ed, although I give him credit for trying, and continuing to try.

I imagine it would be hard for anyone with a free spirit to read this work and not feel the oppressive weight that is the slow slog of grinding your way to the grave beneath the grey skies of industry, selling your irredeemable days for currency and accumulating trinkets that won't be accompanying your cold, moldering corpse into the dank, dark earth. All that which I just wrote, well, that's how your life may appear to you after you read this book - like a three day old, hard, tasteless bowl of gruel slowly choking you to death. The read may ignite a compelling need in you to escape to paradise, to a life in which you can't wait to 'Leap' out of the berth in the morning and greet the bright sunrise with a hot cup of coffee in your grip and a grin on your face - to days that end with you saying goodnight to stunning sunsets gleaming off the watery horizon in symphonies of golds, oranges, and reds. 'Leap of Faith: Quit Your Job and Live on a Boat' offers an inspiring glimpse into an alternative to the gloom - a peek into warm sunshine, blue skies, and aquamarine seas that could be yours if you have the courage - a little discipline - and a willingness to let go of impractically practical lifestyles that generate a great deal more misery than they do joy. It's a fast read, and yes ole Ed can pour it on a little thick in getting you to feel his passion for the life, but wouldn't you rather a writer really give a damn about you joining him in heaven? You won't help but "get it" by the time he's done with you, and then you'll be plotting and scheming in your head on how to make it happen for yourself. Thankfully, Ed's brief but effective strategy is laid out for you. Sure, some people want endless details and a flawless blueprint so that they can feel a sense of certainty before they make the 'Leap of Faith,' but this isn't a book written to make you feel sure; rather, it's written to make you believe that you can and should find a way to arrange your life so that you feel ALIVE.

I thought the book would be about boats. It is and it isn’t. It’s about freedom. It’s about finding yourself. About breaking your slavery to money. About walking away. About listening to the other drummer and insisting on yourself.We need more book like this! We need more writers like this! We live in a “MacWorld” with virtually zero romance anymore. There are no heroes. Well, there are a few, but the media and status quo hate them.There’s heart and there’s soul and this book talks all about it. The author could be Thoreau come back to life. Only he’s not sitting at the edge of Walden pond in the middle of a stark New England winter. He’s sitting on a sailboat sipping beer and at peace with life.

If you're looking for a book to give you some inspiration to make a major change in your life, you may want to read this one ... although, when I finished the book I felt rather sorry for the writer. He is obviously a drunk. References to consumption of alcohol permeates most every short chapter in this book. Alcohol rules his world and his major joy in life seems to be a non-stop happy hour on cheap alcohol. Sad, that. Anyway, if you're a person looking for practical information needed to make a leap from quitting your job to truly living on a quality vessel that travels the world, this is certainly not it. If you're looking to quit a job to live on a patchwork of a boat that rarely moves because you're trying to live on 15k a year, this may be a good read. It's very repetitive. To sum up: Drink. Get out of debt. Drink. Sell everything. Drink. Buy a cheap boat. Drink. Live on 15k a year. Drink some more. Ugh. That all said, I kinda liked it. He's doing his thing. God bless him.

A very short book, made even shorter with reproductions of various song lyrics which don't add anything to the book & reduce engagement with the author. No hint of the costs involved in the lifestyle, the only tip was to sell everything you own & buy a cheap boat. No mention made of running costs & how to pay for them, repairs to the boat, living costs, health costs (important in the US) or an exit route once they get too old. Only really valid for US citizens wishing to stay in the US.

I thought this would be really useful in terms of information about boat buying decisions, prep to leave a land based life and all that. I was a little disappointed. It was very, well, 'light'. If you are serious about moving from a land based life to a boat based life, this book will not really be much help.

Ramblings. Mundane and obvious.

Gave this book to hubby for a present and now he is even more determined to take the leap of faith than he was before

This book probably was written with the best of intentions but actually is repetitive and self indulgent.