Meet Ron and Jackie Skelton, a young Midwestern couple that had the typical American life; work, a house, cars, some travel, and even the dog.

Take a few minutes to read their story, told by Jackie, and find out why they ‘left it all’ for a tiny floating home out on the big blue and beyond!

“I was working as a Public Health Nurse and Ron was working around the Great Lakes as a commercial diver, jobs that we both enjoyed. We were living the dream until we discovered that we didn’t really want that dream anymore. Not that we weren’t absolutely grateful and thankful for everything that we had, it was just that all of our stuff didn’t have a thing to do with our happiness. So what did we do? Ultimately, it was our desire for a minimized, downsized and simplified life that lead us to want to live and travel on our 36ft sailboat.

We bought a 26ft Macgregor sailboat and practiced on it for a year before selling it and buying our cruising boat, Hullabaloo, a 36ft 1981 S2. Then it was a (3 year) race to pay off the boat, get our finances in order and get both us and the boat ready to sail away. We rented out our home, sold most of our belongings and moved what was left onto the boat. It’s amazing how little (space, clothing, accessories, etc.) you truly need to be comfortable, and happy.

We left our home port of Muskegon, MI on July 4, 2015 and so far our tiny floating home is just the right size and more than comfortable for our crew of three (don’t forget about Lexie, our dog!). We plan to play in the Great Lakes until early fall when we’ll head to the East Coast through the Erie Canal and Hudson River. Once we hit the East Coast we take a right turn and go where the wind blows us until either the money or the fun runs out. It’s not a complicated plan by any means and, best of all, it doesn’t pigeonhole to any expectations, either our own or those of others.

In case you’re rolling your eyes thinking we’re independently wealthy, let me tell you, we’re not. We’re on a tight budget, we’re not trust-fund babies, we didn’t win the lottery (at least not that Ron has told me about) and we will have to go back to work at some point, but if there’s one thing I have witnessed from others that have taken that leap to follow their dreams, it’s that opportunities often present themselves and things just might turn out even better than you could have ever imagined. So we’re taking that chance, and our tiny house along for the ride!”

If you’d like to connect with The Skeltons, follow them on Facebook HERE or visit their website HERE!

To learn more about Ron and Jackie, visit their crew page HERE.

(All photos published with permission, courtesy of www.skeltoncrew.com)

By Jody Pountain for the [Tiny House Blog]