“Simplicity afloat is the surest guarantee of happiness.”
- L. Francis Herreshoff
Life aboard an old wooden sailboat is a lifestyle that is minimalist by nature and meant to be kept that way. The bells and whistles of modern sailing vessels have a time and place for things like racing but in the pursuit of the authentic, raw experience that has intoxicated mariners for centuries, they really just get in the way. This sentiment was the driving philosophy in the design of the Herreshoff 28, or H28 for short. Holiday is a 1951 H28 that I spend my summer’s living on full time with my pup, Lucky, exploring the rugged coast and wild islands of Maine. I like to think that if L. Francis, her designer, was still alive today, he would nod his cap with joy and approval of the life we lead with one of his most notable designs.
I did not grow up sailing. I came to it relatively late in life and entirely on a whim. I was living in Washington state, pondering a move to Alaska to work with the sled dogs with the complete and utter pipe dream of finding a sailboat to live aboard. I had zero sailing experience but like many adventurous spirits, the call of the sea is a strong one and I leaned into it. That plan has yet to pan out but I did still find my way onto the water. I took a job aboard the Schooner J&E Riggin out in Maine after randomly coming across the job posting. She was a 1927 built wooden oyster dredger repurposed into a charter boat, taking 20 or so folks out on week-long overnight trips. Something about it just resonated with a side of me that had lied dormant and I couldn’t resist giving it a go.
It was the summer of a lifetime, exploring new bays and islands each day, experiencing this incredible place in its purest form, and awaking that subconscious longing for the sea that seemed to have been lingering for years. It felt like exactly where I was supposed to be and exactly how I was supposed to be there. Even with its 130-foot size, the Riggin was essentials only and getting my intro to sailing on this boat was idyllic. She was stripped of excessive tech and overcomplicated systems, took all hands-on deck to sail, and every meal was cooked over a woodfired stove. It was a dream to say the least.
From there I was hooked on all of it. I crewed aboard other boats, professionally and with friends, and while sailing always has some degree of pleasure in it, none of them quite compared. When I stepped back and pondered all this, I realized it was the minimalist, raw nature of the Riggin that really did it for me. And the wood too, of course. Then I serendipitously found Holiday on Facebook marketplace, of all places, and I felt right back on track. I pushed in all the chips on her and I haven’t regretted the decision even for a day. I have spent the last four years restoring her in the winter months and out exploring every second I can be in the summers. Every year more things seem to come off the boat whether it be hardware or technology and with every removal, she becomes more of a joy.
Minimalism does not necessarily mean having few things but more so that everything you have serves a purpose. That is where Goal Zero comes in. This year we are super stoked to have the Yeti 1500 power station, Alta 50 fridge, and Nomad 200 solar panels aboard. I was hesitant to introduce so much tech aboard, but the non-invasive, incredibly functional nature of these products were a no-brainer, in hindsight. They provide an exceptional boost in quality of life and even safety aboard and this year that is more necessary than ever.
This season marks Holiday’s 75th anniversary and we will be sailing her back to eastern Canada where she was built for a homecoming adventure. It is our biggest expedition to date, and it was essential to introduce these luxuries aboard to make the trip feasible. We will be sailing in some truly rugged and remote regions requiring power to support safety gear like VHF radios, our Garmin inReach, and so forth as well as give us the deep provisioning stores the Alta 50 electric cooler provides for increased self-reliance.
The products have all proved incredibly functional and low impact on the minimalist nature I work hard to preserve aboard. The Yeti 1500 solar generator packs one heck of a punch for the compact nature of the build and supports our power needs without a problem. The Nomad 200 panels fit exceptionally well in our cockpit and keep us topped up even on overcast days. And the cherry on top, Alta 50 portable fridge/freezer, has been a game changer with regards to our diet aboard. Any adventurous person can relate that this wanderlust spirit can also come at the expense of self-nourishment, but PB&Js can only get us so far. With the ability to keep the boat stocked with proteins and other perishable groceries, our adventure horizon is expanded exponentially.
The best part about all this gear is I can have it all removed in minutes. None of it requires a hard install or is invasive of the aesthetic that a boat like Holiday has. The gear is all super sleek in build and allows for a seamless integration into our already tight, compact space. There are no faulty wires to chase, no holes to drill, nothing excessive, just the essentials. The compressor on the fridge was a concern going into this project, but I was pleasantly surprised at how quiet it is.
Luc Milam @holidayinmaine
