Lifelong Mainer, and professional mariner, Matt Garand is the creator of A Life Aboard, a look at year-round living on a sailboat in Maine. Matt and his wife, Skye, live aboard in South Portland and use every available chance to throw off the lines and explore the coast.
Matt has been sailing since he was a young child, having learned the basics from his grandmother, an avid sailor. His first sailing job was on the 74ft engineless windjammer Frances in high school, eventually becoming captain years later. After high school Matt attended Maine Maritime Academy where he studied Vessel Operations and Technology and obtained his USCG license . Most importantly, this is where he met Skye, also a professional mariner and perfect companion having spent summers as a child living aboard a sailboat in Maine.
In the years since that first job on the water Matt has worked on schooners, tugboats, research vessels and offshore supply boats on routes almost encircling North America, from northern Newfoundland all the way down through the Panama Canal and up to the outermost Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Currently working as a mate on a tugboat, he spends all of his free time working on or enjoying Polynya, a 50ft Gulfstar Ketch which he and Skye live aboard year-round.
A Life Aboard is for everyone that loves boating and living on the coast of Maine, seeks out adventure, or wants to learn a bit more about living an alternative lifestyle. Look for posts on how you can enjoy boating in Maine, what it’s like to live on a boat in the dead of winter, or how to thrive in small spaces. Living aboard is an adventure every day. As is evident in the miles he has logged at sea, Matt is passionate about the ocean and the vessels that travel upon it. Expect weekly posts from him here at Bangor Daily News. For even more great content, his website, A Life Aboard is an excellent resource for more technical information and additional resources.
For the most up to date content like his page, A Life Aboard, on Facebook. His regularly updated Instagram is also sure to draw you into the world of a liveaboard and the life of a mariner.
If you have any questions about life aboard, or topics you would like to see on the blog, please don’t hesitate to contact Matt here.