Meet the married couple who swapped their four bedroom home for a seven metre BOAT in a bid to 'live with less'... and she can't even swim

  • Ben and Shamara Williams listed their ‘comfortable’ house on Airbnb 
  • Couple want to ‘live with less’ and have set a food budget of $60 a week
  • But mother of two Shamara, from Perth, doesn't know how to swim 
  • Regardless, the couple aim to travel to Shark Bay and the Kimberley

By Kirby Spencer For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 23:30 EST, 30 January 2017 | Updated: 23:31 EST, 30 January 2017

It’s only natural for couples whose children have flown the coop to consider downsizing.

But for Western Australian couple Ben and Shamara Williams the idea has taken on a whole new meaning after the pair packed up their lives to live aboard a 7.3 metre boat.

Braver still, is the fact that Sri-Lankan born mother-of-two, Shamara, doesn’t know how to swim.

Sail away: Ben and Shamara Williams (pictured)  have been living on the boat for more than a month and want to ‘live with less’

Ahoy there: The ‘everyday trailer boat’ Ben and Shamara live on is 7.3 metres in length and has 10 square metres of space aboard

‘Calm water I am comfortable with and it doesn’t scare me even if it is deep,’ Shamara told Daily Mail Australia.

‘But crossing the sea I don’t feel as comfortable, so we made a deal that we don’t cross the sea if it is bad weather because the chop and swell freak me out.

‘I have a lifejacket though and a noodle for if I go in for a dip.’

Perfect timing: With their boys, Sanjay and Ramesh, both studying at University in Perth Shamara and Ben decided it was the perfect timing to give living on the boat a go

Spirit of adventure: Shamara and Ben began their boating adventure after returning from a holiday to Europe to mark their 25th wedding anniversary

The idea for the trip first came when Ben, 49, looked up from his desk job of seven years and realised he ‘didn’t want to be there at 60 doing the same thing’.

He said: ‘Time is going quick and you still have the chance to do a lot of things after you turn 50’.

Shamara needed a little more convincing though and found it only after they spent two-months living in a camper van in Europe last year as part of their 25th wedding anniversary celebrations.

Home sweet home: The Phoenix could be home for Shamara and Ben for the next few years, with the couple keen to focus on ‘living with less’

TOP TIPS FOR BOAT LIVING 

Shamara and Ben have the following tips for those thinking of embracing a life on the water

• Utilise public spaces, including bathrooms, showers and barbecue areas. Make a note of the cleanest ones, or those with the best water pressure.

• Get a good gas cooker. This can eliminate the need for electrical appliances.

• Bring bean bags. They are comfier and are an excellent spot to watch the stars or fireworks from.

With sons Sanjay, 22, and Ramesh, 19, in Perth at university, and Shamara able to ‘live out of a suitcase’ they couple said it was ‘perfect timing’.  

The couple, who have been living on the boat for six weeks, told Daily Mail Australia they see the adventure as a ‘social experiment’ in living with less.

Cutting down on grocery shopping to help them prepare for their new weekly food budget of $60, they also put their home on Airbnb to help with the costs.

In addition, Ben is hoping to use his Scuba training to pick up odd jobs such as scraping barnacles off boats.

‘Maybe it won’t work out, but seeing if it could may be our best adventure yet,’ he said. 

With two-cupboards of kitchen space, no bathroom on board and a tiny space for clothes, Shamara said she does get frustrated ‘every so often’ but is trying to change her mindset.

Tight squeeze: There is only 10 square metres of space on board Ben and Shamara’s boat, with no bathroom and a small exterior kitchen

Living the dream: The Williams listed their West Australian home on Airbnb six weeks ago and set off to live on their boat The Phoenix for at least the next year

‘I’m a bit of a princess at times, I like hot running water and a toilet, but life’s too short not to do what you want,’ she said. 

There is only 10 square metres of space on board Ben and Shamara’s boat, with no bathroom and a small exterior kitchen

The couple use public bathrooms and showers and rely on solar panels to run their 12-volt camping fridge.

As for appliances, they have a kettle and wok they use on a small gas-cooktop, as well as Shamara’s one luxury item – her smoothie maker.

Meal preparation takes place on a custom-built raised engine hatch, with no sink onboard

With limited space in their fridge Ben and Shamara said they have already stopped ‘mindlessly grocery shopping’ and now focus on eating healthier foods such as vegetables as they don’t need refrigeration.

Thrifty living: Meal preparation takes place on a custom-built raised engine hatch, with no sink onboard

Home comforts: The sleeping quarters aboard the boat fits a double bed, where 157cm-tall Shamara and 198cm-tall Ben fit ‘comfortably’

‘I would go shopping a couple of times a week and spend more than a hundred dollars on food. With a big fridge you tend to overbuy so now we buy deliberately,’ Shamara said.

With limited space in their camping fridge Ben and Shamara have incorporated more food that does not need refrigeration into their diet

The Phoenix could be home for Shamara and Ben for the next few years, with the couple keen to focus on ‘living with less’

As for how long they want to spend on the water, Shamara said she is ‘the realist’ and agreed to a year, while Ben is ‘the dreamer’ and looks at it as if it could lead anywhere.

‘We are open to opportunities. Everyday looks different on the boat and I wake up in the morning and I’m excited,’ Shamara said.

Shamara is blogging about her experience here   

 

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