Discover Living Aboard

FREE • Explore the liveaboard lifestyle and see if living aboard is right for you

$0.00 USD

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Online Course Immediate Access • No Shipping • All On Demand

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Curious About the Liveaboard Lifestyle? Start Here.

If you’ve ever dreamed of living aboard but don’t know where to begin, this free mini-course is your perfect first step. Discover what it’s really like to call a boat home, get answers to your biggest questions, and learn practical tips to help you explore the lifestyle with confidence.

Whether you’re considering living on a boat full-time or just want to know if the liveaboard lifestyle is for you, this course will guide you through the pros and cons, costs, and challenges of life aboard.

What You’ll Learn • A Glimpse Into Life Afloat

✔ What living aboard and cruising really looks like
✔ How to know if you’d enjoy it
✔ Tips on managing kids, pets, family, and medical conditions
✔ A breakdown of costs and creative ways to afford it
✔ Free resources to continue learning about the lifestyle
✔ How to try it out before committing

Why It’s Different

This isn’t a deep dive—it’s a quick, realistic introduction tailored for beginners. Discover Living Aboard is designed to:

✔ Address common concerns with clear, relatable guidance
✔ Highlight ways to explore and prepare for the lifestyle
✔ Focus on practical advice from a seasoned liveaboard cruiser

It’s the perfect first step if you’re considering life on the water.

Immediate Access • Always Available

This free mini-course is fully online and available to you for life.

✔ Instant access: Login details appear onscreen after signup and are emailed for easy future access
✔ On-demand: Complete the course at your own pace and revisit it anytime
✔ Lifetime updates: Stay up-to-date as we refine and expand the content

Plus, you’ll receive a subscription to The Boat Galley Newsletter, packed with tips and inspiration for boat life. (You can unsubscribe at any time, and we never sell your email address.)

About the Instructor • Carolyn Shearlock

Carolyn Shearlock lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.

Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling books, The Boat Galley Cookbook and Storing Food Without Refrigeration. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.

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Our Mission

At The Boat Galley, we have one mission: to help you cruise with confidence.

As liveaboard cruisers, we understand the challenges and questions that come with boat life. That’s why we create practical products and courses designed to tackle the same issues we’ve faced ourselves—making your life on the water easier, safer, and more enjoyable.

Raved About By Tammy . . .

"I must say these courses and the whole website is just so full of important information. I've truly enjoyed exploring the lessons and learning all that I can before we buy a boat."

Verified Purchaser, Discover Living Aboard

Thumbs-up icon with stars, representing customer testimonials praising The Boat Galley’s products and resources.

Where You’ve Seen Us

Meet The Boat Galley Team

At The Boat Galley, we’re all cruisers. We know the joys—and the challenges—of boat life. The steep learning curve, costly mistakes, and hours spent searching for answers can be overwhelming. We’ve been there. That’s why we’ve created practical tools, trusted resources, and real-world guides to help you skip the frustrations and focus on enjoying your cruising life.

Carolyn Shearlock

Founder of The Boat Galley
17 years liveaboard cruiser
US, Mexico, Bahamas, Central America, Virgin Islands, Turkey
Cruisers University instructor

Larry Webber

Cruising Guide creator
6 years living aboard and cruising
US East Coast from Florida Keys to Maine and Bahamas
Ex-Air Force; singlehander

Nica Waters

Provisioning guru; podcaster
On & off living aboard since 1992
Atlantic crossing; US, Caribbean, and Bahamas
Years of cruising with kids

John Herlig

VHF pro and frugal cruiser
Cruiser and delivery captain
US East Coast, Bahamas, Haiti, and Caribbean
Cruisers University instructor

Pamela Douglas: Creator of the Cruising With Your Dog course, 7 years cruising the US East Coast and ICW with her dog, Honey.

Pamela Douglas (& Honey)

Creator of Cruising With Your Dog
7 years cruising with Honey
US East Coast and ICW
Part of the Go Pet Friendly team
15+ years writing about dogs

Julie Tijerina

Graphics designer
8 years living aboard
US East Coast to SE Caribbean
Design and layout for all printed products

Katherine González

Social media coordinator
Pacific Ocean: Seattle, WA to New Zealand, incl. French Polynesia
Complete newbie to sailing prior to her 11,000 nm voyage

Kimberly Ward

Boatshow booth "mom"
Sabbatical and part-year cruiser
US, Bahamas, Caribbean
Family cruising New England to southern Caribbean

Curious about our story and what drives us? Learn more about us here.

Discover Living On A Boat

Very generous information

New to this website and I am so impressed that for free you provide all this informative and educational materials. Thank you for your time, experience and generosity. I am so very grateful as I am a novice sailor who is now retired at 62 years young lol. I am working on taking my years of experience to another level as I am about to purchase my first sailboat within the next year. I live in S. Florida now (native of Boston MA), my experience has included bareboat charters in the Caribbean,and around Cape Cod and Newport RI. a few deliveries from Boston to S. Florida, Bermuda and Bahamas. I will continue to look forward to your newsletters and valuable experience and advice. If there’s anything I can do for you it would be my pleasure.
So grateful,
Thomas G. Of Palm Beach county Florida.

As someone who hasn't sailed yet but dreams of doing so, I must say these courses and the whole website is just so full of important information. I've truly enjoyed exploring the lessons and learning all that I can before we buy a boat.

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