Wish I would have seen this when I was 16 years old. Just sent it to my daughter, Stella…
. . . sign up to the right to get immediate access to this full post,
plus you'll get 10 of our best videos for free.
Get Free Videos& Learn More Join Now!!for Full Access Members Sign In
scott garven says:
The comment…..do what you love because that is what you are here to do.
PERFECT
Rick Clark says:
Thank You for the video Liz…life is precious!
Chris Clifton says:
Great vid!
Ronald Evans says:
That was very nice and good to see.I It’s good to be happy..
Robert Bibber says:
More content like this please!
Don Cullen says:
What a sensational young lady. All power to her. Reminds me of Edmund Hillary who was told that he had conquered Everest. He said, no, I conquered my own fear.
ROBERT ROESCH says:
Thanks for this inspiring video..
Harold Conover says:
WOW,,that is so cool , what you are doing…Wish that I were younger….and had that mind set.
John Bukowsky says:
One of the great OCH joys includes the Subscriber comments. Notice that not one person suggested that Liz should be in college or pursuing a “normal” life. In fact, the comments are the exact opposite. General consensus is that she did what some of us dreamed of doing when we were her age but some of us took the more pedestrian path. It’s great to see young individuals keeping the sailing dream alive. They are the modern explorers. They have so much to teach us.
Michael Naumann says:
And who took the pictures?
Robert Muir says:
Have to admit, I always wonder in these stories how she paid for it. As a photographer with three children I worked to pay for top education in private schools and colleges. Got great results, but wonder how one covers expenses if they are pursuing a dream of traveling. Still working with 9 grandchildren to teach sailing to.
Dave S says:
A valid question. On her website she has 5 name sponsors. Either she or someone close has a keen business mind…not that there is a problem with that.
William McCaffrey says:
Yes, it would be nice to be given the funds at a young age to go off and be an adventurer. But, sadly most of us have to work for a living and have chosen to raise and core for a family, which is an adventure all in itself. I dream of being this independent wanderer at times, but love being grounded with all that ties me down.
Steve Costanzo says:
You said it best yourself, William. On one hand you chose to work for a living and to raise and core (sic) for a family. She,on the other hand, was passionate enough about her dream to dedicate her young life to its pursuit. When one lives dedicated passionately to the pursuit of a dream or a goal, money is rarely a problem. Sponsors and their money are almost compelled to join in. Granted, in the beginning she was gifted an old Cal 40, but anyone who has sailed much knows that an old boat is no picnic. Furthermore, I understand she did much of the work refurbishing and outfitting it herself. That alone tells me that she is more of a sailor than most people who have deep enough pockets (or access to them) to simply buy the latest and greatest for their adventure.
It’s clear from the video that Liz has always been precocious and adventurous, so it follows that living her dream has been on her radar from a very young age. I suspect that conformity and living someone else’s idea of what her life should have been have never played much of a role in her thinking. Ever.
Her life is a testament to courage and having the determination to dream big, and persist in those dreams. We can all take a lesson or two from this amazing teenager in that regard.
Steve Stone says:
Same question I always ask when I see young people use crowd funding to support their lifestyle or boat adventure without a mind for returning value to those who support them. In Liz’s case it took a complete paradigm shift for me, and longer term perspective. Liz was given a derelict boat by an elderly family friend who saw a spark in a gifted youngster, and from what I understand she did much/most of her own work to prepare the boat for the voyage.
I suspect she then lived for the first 8 years cruising on about the same cost as ONE of my twin’s cost for a SINGLE year of college, so that’s a real comparison in the value of different kinds of education just on it’s own. College being the “right” thing to do now for nearly 100 years in this country, and no doubt an admirable path for parents and grandparents to earn for, I always wonder if we’ll look back someday and realize there was a day that college educations became outdated and a very poor ROI. That thought is no doubt privileged and it’s a vastly different story for families of different means and situations. As my kids were going through this path I wrote Educating Stella, a piece about preparing my own daughter for the world.
Fast forward, Liz now has over 100,000 people following her every move on Instagram, sponsors as mentioned below, and a new book published by Patagonia (“Swell”). Those are numbers akin to major boating magazines, albeit different models. If only Lin and Larry Pardey had access to these modern day web-promotion tools in their day.
While there are others out there who have monetized their adventures through the YouTube/Instagram/Patreon combo, there are only a handful in the boating world who have done that with much success, and many of those have a self-centered/hedonistic feel to them. In contrast, the feel I get from Liz’s work is that she’s used her platform to become a strong voice for the climate and for the strength of feminine energy and intellect. Much different feel for me than Sailing La Vagabonde, etc.
Not sure how Liz (or someone else) funded her first few years of cruising, but I’d guess that her post high school ROI % is in a realm that college graduates rarely achieve. It’s the same old model of publishing creative work from your adventures, but the model and tools have changed to give more control to the individual and create less need for the big magazines to provide a path to the $’s/readers/supporters. And, Liz is a unique human for sure.
David Mitchell says:
Further to Liz’s story, these days there are plenty of young people doing much the same sort of thing as Liz is, hence all the variety of YouTube sailing channels. Many are funded by their viewers (patrons using artistic funding platforms such as Patreon etc), they also may work remotely where that is possible, and/or write for magazines etc. It seems there are a variety of ways to fund a sailing lifestyle, if that is your dream.
As a young at heart but retired guy with no dependants or partner, if I had the courage to sell my home and possessions, what with my superannuation pension i am sure I too could buy a boat and head off on such adventures. But alas, I am probably too grounded to follow such a lifestyle. Oh well, even though I don’t own a boat, I somehow via various friends etc have managed and continue to get opportunities to go sailing, so that is kind the next best thing. Hopefully, one day I will get my own sailboat.
Capt. Peter Watkins says:
Great story and video, someone else living their dream…….blue skies and fair winds….Peter
Raymond Morgan says:
You go girl, you go. Live that dream.
David Tew says:
A Cal 40 is a demanding boat to sail singlehanded, but has the advantage of being roomy, strongly built and fast. What a challenge she’s met and mastered!
Jim Hammond says:
You just have to say WOW! Great story and videos about her on the web. She looks to be in very good physical condition. Beats sitting on the couch with an IPAD. I can’t wait to get back on the ocean…
Emma Mathis says:
Liz is an amazing solo-traveler and if you liked the video, you have to check out her website SwellVoyage.com for travel updates and beautiful photographs! Inspirational for all sea travelers, especially women who wonder if they can undertake an adventure by themselves!
Sergio Gonzalez says:
Beautiful story, the search for real beauty and freedom.
Warren A. Wheaton says:
A dream fulfilled. A soul discovered.