Meet Northern Ireland couple who sold their home for a yacht in the Mediterranean

To everyone it seemed like Peter and Laura had a life in Northern Ireland which was ideal.

Recently married, they both had stable jobs, a home, a dog and then one day, they sold it all to buy a boat.

Peter said: “We had an amazing house. And after two years of renovating it and working away we just thought ‘this is boring'.

“Pretty much one day I had a bad day at work one day and I said to Peter, ‘let’s look up boats’. Two weeks later our house was sold,” added Laura.

The young couple packed up their belongings and headed for Croatia to set sail on their new home and a new adventure in life.

Laura and Peter's life has many advantages.

Laura said, “It’s like a caravan on water. I think when most people visit us they’re surprised we have a bed.”

And for Peter, being at sea has an amazing difference. He’s visually impaired and can’t hold a driving license but he can steer a boat.

He said: “Things are going a lot slower so it’s better for me. We’re both qualified captains so if there’s ever a problem, we’re both there. It’s given me more freedom than I would have had at home.”

And on-board and travelling the Mediterranean with Peter and Laura are their two golden retrievers.

“One problem was all the hairs. We didn’t have a vacuum on board for the first six or seven months so that was an issue,” jokes Laura.

“When the weather is bad they can get anxious but it’s not that bad at all.”

Peter jumps from his yacht in the Mediterranean.

And while they set out boating as a medium-term experiment, this now seems like their way of life.

Laura said: “We would struggle to go back now.”

Peter added: “Our outlook of everything has changed a lot since the beginning. We initially thought, ‘let’s get on the boat and go as far as we can’. We never really factored in the fact we might love this lifestyle.

“It’s less about the destination we go and more about the journey to get there.”

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