Anyone who hopes to live aboard or cruise full time someday will want to talk to others who have already lived this dream. Lots of others . . .as many as possible . . . with all kinds of opinions. For the “someday dreamers,” the editors of Living Aboard magazine have organized a large gathering of liveaboards who have been there and done that and, in most cases, made it look easy.

And they’ve invited the dreamers among us to the party. Even better than a party that might not fit our time schedule or be held in location near home, this gathering of singles, couples, and families who made the transition to living aboard is available in the pages of a book, Escape from Someday Isle, a collection of the best articles printed over the years in Living Aboard magazine.

As attendees at this elite gathering, we can ” explore” the boats of liveaboards learning about their solutions to problems and gathering tips. We can delve into their minds asking how and why and why not. Unconstrained, we can ask about money issues, about lack of privacy, about personal issues. And we can do all of this at a pace that works for us. They’ll answer our questions (the ones they’ve heard a thousand times before), tell us what worked for them, reminisce about the good and the bad parts of making the transition and living it, and reassure the timid among us.

The pages of Living Aboard magazine are replete with the stories of making the move: before, during, and after. It’s told by many boaters with varying opinions. They sing the siren song with hundreds of voices. This book gathers the best of the advice and observations and makes it available to those who would do likewise. If you’re planning, hoping, or dreaming of a liveaboard lifestyle, this is one book you don’t want to miss. You don ‘t need a special occasion to add it to your bookshelf. You’ve been invited to a gathering. That’s special occasion enough. Don’t miss out.

Escape from Someday Isle Edited by Linda Ridihalgh (Living Abroad, 2004)