The Melbourne couple who moved to a yacht in the Whitsundays

Who wouldn’t want to live on a yacht in a tropical paradise with the love of their life?

That’s how Eve Houghton explains the decision to move from Melbourne with partner Joel Pringle to live on the water in the Whitsunday Islands.

The couple bought their 35-foot vintage sailing yacht, named Opal, last year. Decked out with beds for four and a galley kitchen with oven and stovetop, their tiny home has everything they need, including enough space to work from their laptops when they’re not swimming or snorkelling.

It’s a dream lifestyle with postcard views, but it’s also the culmination of hard work and planning.

When they met, Houghton and Pringle were living in Melbourne, Pringle newly divorced, and neither with much to their name. But they soon came up with a shared vision of building a life together based around freedom, natural beauty and healthy living.

“The romance of the idea initially drew us in,” says Houghton.

That romance kept them going through hard times, working from their Melbourne rental to build businesses they’d be able to run remotely. Pringle, a designer with 18 years’ experience, built Joel Pringle Logo Design, while Houghton started Melbourne-based Plentiful Catering.

“We literally had nothing at that stage,” says Houghton.

When they eventually had enough money to buy a yacht in Queensland, they chose one of a vintage they could afford outright. Built in 1982, the Duncanson 35 had the old-school looks they loved. But it needed work.

“She hadn’t been looked after for a long time,” says Houghton, “and although she looked beautiful, almost every single thing on board needed to be replaced.”

Opal wasn’t the only one requiring work. When Houghton and Pringle bought the yacht, they hadn’t actually learned to sail yet. “It was a steep learning curve after that,” says Houghton.

On their first night aboard, the couple took two “old sea dogs” with them – Houghton’s dad and his best mate – who had years of sailing experience, but that didn’t stop the evening descending into what Houghton calls “the worst night of my life”.

Heading from the Sunshine Coast towards Airlie Beach, the yacht was tossed about in a swell; no one slept, Houghton was seasick, and their mainsail was torn. An attempt to cross Wide Bay Bar, “notorious for being one of the most traitorous bar crossings in Australia”, involved battling conditions that threatened to tip the yacht. Then the engine cut out.

“Imagine trying to sail a yacht through waves you would see at a surf beach,” says Houghton. Opal was one of seven vessels rescued by the coast guard that day.

For the next couple of months, the yacht underwent a major refit. New sails, running rigging and an anchor were put in, as well as solar panels, electrical wiring and “almost every other part of the boat”.

“She’s now a literal dreamboat,” says Houghton.

Life on board in 2020 has stretched the couples’ life experiences in many directions.

“I feel we’ve learnt more this year than my whole life combined,” says Houghton. “Not just about sailing, maintenance and navigation, but also about ourselves, our environment, our businesses, the way we deal with extremely difficult situations, our relationship, our family and our community.”

Living and working together in such close quarters was one of the hardest things to adapt to, but Houghton feels like they’ve finally found their people in the sailing community.

“Never have we experienced a community that is so kind, generous, successful, interesting and friendly,” she says. “Everyone does all they can to help each other in any way they can.”

They’ve found some unique experiences, too. The couple remembers one particularly special evening, sitting on the deck in Nara Inlet watching sparkling phosphorescence, made even more special when dolphins started frolicking in it.

“It made their bodies sparkle and they looked like little torpedos of glitter dashing around the boat,” says Houghton.

She says she’s grateful to have the right person to share the experiences with.

“Joel and I talked about doing this yacht life on our first date,” she says. “We knew from the day we met that we wanted to do this together.”

This article is part of a series about Australians who have created their dream homes and lifestyles, brought to you by Set For Life.