February 8, 2023 9.00 am
This story is over 23 months old
Family sells Lincoln home to live life on the water in France
They plan to circumnavigate the world
Lee and Rachel McFall swapped life in North Hykeham for a boat in France and plan to circumnavigate the world with their three children - Bruce, Bobbie, and Archie.
A Lincoln family sold their home in North Hykeham and most of their possessions in pursuit of adventure — and are now enjoying life on a boat in France, with plans to circumnavigate the world.
Lee McFall, 43, worked as a hotel manager at DoubleTree by Hilton in Lincoln and his wife Rachel, 38, was a stay-at-home mum, but they decided to change the course of their life and take the plunge by buying a boat.
After leaving their Hykeham home last September, they spent a month in Spain where they also looked for boats. The process of buying a boat, including travelling to view it and other costs like hotels and visas came to around £20,000.
The couple then spent around €80,000 on the boat itself and, although leaving family and friends at home was difficult, they are loving their new life onboard a boat in Quiberon in France as they get ready to sail around the world with their three children – Bruce, 5, Bobbie, 3, and Archie, 1.
Neither of them work as per the conditions of their visa, but Rachel and Lee are working towards “hopefully being able to monetise our YouTube channel eventually and we are looking at other ways of bringing in income to help sustain the sailing life”.
The couple spent around $84,000 on the boat which they will live in and use to circumnavigate the world.
Rachel told The Lincolnite that once they leave Europe it will be another five years before they get back, but she is excited about the adventure that awaits with Lee and their three children.
The family will leave France and head to Gibraltar in March, and then onto Spain. They have a mooring booked in Turkey for June 2023 and plan to spend a few months out there and in the Mediterranean, before travelling to Cape Verde in around November.
In December or January they are planning to cross the Atlantic before having a year in the Caribbean and island hopping, as well as spending time in Costa Rica, the Galápagos Islands and in Indonesia.
Rachel and Lee sold their home in North Hykeham and most of their possessions before setting off on their adventure.
Rachel said: “It has been my husband’s dream forever and I’ve always wanted to travel. We were going to wait until the kids were older, but decided to go for it.
“We kept bedding and basic living essentials including plates, cutlery and cups, and clothes, but have to be quite minimalist. We also kept some sentimental things including photographs and jewellery which my mum is looking after.
“It was lovely in Hykeham and I enjoyed it and feel a bit sad not to be there, but at the same time I wouldn’t change what we’ve done.”
Rachel is home schooling her eldest son Bruce, who is also learning about safety in the water and the culture of being in France, saying he is “intrigued about everything to do with the sea”.
She added: “For anyone wishing to follow a similar dream I would say research as much as possible and try to find ways to live as off-grid.
“Unfortunately a certain amount of outlay is needed to get going but you can live as cheaply as you want once out sailing – live at anchor as much as possible, cook from scratch and eat onboard, make the most of what is free around you.”
Lee has always had a love for the water since he was a child.
It had always been a big dream for Lee, who said before he met Rachel he spent two years living in a transit van, with an original plan of solo sailing around the world.
He said: “I’ve always had a love for the water since I was a child. My granddad and my father are big into boats, and my father has owned several boats on the Norfolk broads.
“Since I was about seven-years-old I wanted to circumnavigate and it has taken me all this time to get to the point where I can financially push.
“It’s a big change, putting everything on the line… it’s been quite stressful I won’t lie, with three young kids, but they’ve adapted really well to the boat life.”
Bruce loving life on the boat.
He added: “It puts such a big smile on my face everyday. Just last night alone there was such an amazing full moon coming over which lights up the room, it is so beautiful. Some of the sunrises and sunsets we get to witness, even when it is 60mph winds and the boat is rocking, it’s exciting and brilliant.
“I thrive off of meeting random people from all over the world and taking in all the different cultures. To bring the kids along on that adventure is amazing and the best upbringing to offer a child, the most diverse it can be.”
The couple are currently awaiting a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI), which is effectively an electronic telephone number, before they can legally leave the marina.
Among the biggest challenges is that “near enough every day you fix something you find something new,” said Lee. “It’s never ending but keeps you motivated and keeps you going.” They have added solar panels, a wind generator, and extra batteries.
They also agreed not to buy each other Christmas presents and put their money into a Starlink (satellite broadband) so they can communicate with family and friends wherever they go.
Life is very different for the McFall family now.
Rachel added: “Everything breaks and you have to be very cool in an emergency situation and have to be able to deal with things yourself. We have been doing various projects to the boat and just the other day we attached a Genoa sail and repaired a puncture on the dinghy.
“It can also be stressful as not a lot of people speak English, but that’s also good for us to make the effort to learn the language.
“On the plus side, we’re free and can do our own thing. We will have so much opportunity to explore. The best thing about the experience is the freedom and unknown possibilities of where we’re going to go.”
Among the biggest challenges is that “near enough every day you fix something you find something new,” said Lee.
Life is very different for the McFall family now and Rachel added: “Life just seems to keep moving. It’s like I’ve already forgotten about land life and being back in the UK.
“I miss not seeing certain people like really good friends and families, which is a bit of a downside. But we are meeting so many amazing people here and the reception from the local boat owners and marina staff has been amazing. We are always looking forward.”
Lee and Rachel said their children have adapted well to life on the boat.
So what advice would she give to others thinking of doing similar? “Just do it, take the risk,” said Rachel. “Life is too short to worry about a 9-5.”
Lee added: “I would suggest to anyone who has a dream like this to pursue it. Don’t let anything hold you back. The main aim of life is to pursue your dreams, that’s why you dream. If everything was perfect you’d be bored as there would be nothing to do.”
Rachel and Lee will continue with their YouTube channel Sailing Quackers which was set up to help family and friends follow their adventure, but she said it “would be great if we became famous YouTubers, that would be amazing.”
The family in Lloret de Mar in September 2022 after they’d not long left their life in the UK behind.
The McFall family “will keep going until we’ve circumnavigated” before making a decision of where to go next. Lee said on his bucket list of places to visit is French Polynesia and “getting down to all those real out of the way places and random little islands in the middle of nowhere in the Pacific.”
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Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
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Update your MyLocal app from your app store (version 2.73) now and start enjoying these great new features today!
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