Living on a Boat with Dogs: Our Journey from City Life to the Sea | BITE
Discover how we left city life behind to live on a boat with our dogs. Follow our journey from camper adventures to life at sea, sharing challenges, discoveries, and everyday moments of nomadic living.
The morning in Milan used to be a mix of sounds: the tram screeching on the tracks, shutters rolling up, and the hurried chatter of people already watching their clocks.
For years, that was our soundtrack. Not a wrong life, mind you—just one that, eventually, didn’t feel like ours anymore.
We are Sami and Massimo. This is the story of how we traded concrete for water, bringing along two large Akitas and plenty of questions about what life could be.
The Impulse That Changed Everything
There was no business plan, no long meditation. One ordinary morning in the fall of 2024, we woke up and, almost on a whim, started looking for a camper. A few hours later, we had bought one.
That camper was our first real act of freedom. It taught us the essentials: how to live in small spaces, manage resources, and share every inch with two dogs half the size of the cabin. It wasn’t always comfortable, and it wasn’t easy—but it was real.
When the Plan Literally Broke
They say things break to make way for the new. For us, it was literal: the camper broke down.
Standing there on the roadside with our dreams stalled, we realized something important: we didn’t want to go back. We needed more than just a bigger vehicle; we wanted a deeper challenge.
That’s how we moved from wheels to waves.
Today: 10 Meters, Four Residents, a Remote Office
Today, our home is a 10-meter boat. The morning soundtrack now is the wind whistling through the rigging and the splash of water against the hull.
We still work in insurance, but now we do it while watching the horizon shift. Every day is a learning curve: sea rhythms, technical maintenance, and acrobatic life with our Akitas—who, against all odds, seem to have found their sea legs.
We’re Not Gurus, We’re Explorers
We want to be clear: this isn’t about selling a formula for happiness or freedom. We are learners, explorers navigating new territory. Often tired, sometimes confused, but finally moving.
This blog exists to capture those moments, give meaning to the journey as we live it, and share the beauty—and effort—of choosing a direction instead of a destination.
If You’re Here…
Maybe it’s curiosity. Maybe, like us, you sometimes feel that static life is a bit too tight.
Whatever the reason, welcome aboard.
The rest of the journey will unfold as we go.
After all, what we’ve learned is: the better is in the end!
Internal links
- Home
- Category: Logbook
- Sails alone
Diego comes aboard with only a few hours' notice, we sail out chased by lightning from a storm, and when the engine dies a few miles from Roccella Jonica, only the sails are left to bring us in.
- The crew before the captain
Spritz's return to the water after her yard work was set for September 8th, but we weren't the first to get there. First of three articles on the real start of the voyage to Lisbon: a fever, two German lads who arrived on schedule, and a boat entrusted to a crew before it even had a captain aboard.
- Communicating When It Really Matters
Communicating isn't just calling for help from outside the boat: it's first about understanding and sharing what's happening inside it. Fifth and final article in our boat safety series: NITS, briefings, debriefs and closing the circle.
- Why Accidents Rarely Start with an Emergency
The emergency is often the last link in a chain of threats and errors recognisable in advance. Fourth article in our boat safety series: Threat and Error Management, explained through a concrete case.
- How to Make Better Decisions at Sea
Faced with a problem, the risk is also fixating on one detail and losing sight of the bigger picture. Third article in our boat safety series: situational awareness, fixation error and the PIOSEE model.
- Safety Starts with the Crew: CRM, Leadership and Communication
A crew is not born a team: it becomes one when everyone's skills and information become available to the group. Second article in our boat safety series: CRM, BRM, leadership and closed-loop communication.