The liveaboard life.
Some of us have done while completing the Great Loop or summering on their boat, but the true, full-time liveaboards are fewer and farther between.
Enter COVID and as the world changed, my next guest, Joe Lovejoy, was completing his service as a U.S. Naval officer and relocating from his post in Japan to San Diego. He quickly became disenchanted by the thought of paying rent for an apartment that he couldn’t upgrade, or owning a house that would take a lifetime to finance. So he pivoted.
In coastal Japan, Lovejoy fell in love with the sea, often surfing, spearfishing, diving and just plain enjoying the ocean. He figured that living on a boat would be much more fun than any other land-based living, so he began a search for a vessel that would suit his needs.
The first boat he looked at, a 1982 Ed Monk 36, had everything he felt he needed. Still he forced himself to look at others in her size range that were for sale before doubling back and making a deal for the Monk, which he christened Theo Toko.
He made some upgrades to make her more livable and now, he tells me that she is happiest chugging along at 6 to 7 knots with friends, surf and dive gear, and no scheduled return date.
