Grim find: 57yo's boat home nightmare
Joel Sanders decided to move on from his one-bedroom flat after spending time on the water and loving it.
The 57-year-old spent time working on a cruise ship before deciding he wanted to stay on the water permanently after he returned home to the UK.
After a short conversation with boat owners along the canal in Hemel Hempstead, Mr Sanders took the leap.
'Within a week I had bought a boat, travelled across London in it and was in that same marina,' he told The Sun.
'I am very intolerant to noise and in a flat I felt that my private space was invaded by other people's noises.
'You could always hear your neighbours.
'A boat has all the benefits of a detached home and if you don't like the place where you are because it is too loud then you move.
'I live a simple nomadic existence. You get a sense of independence and freedom on a boat which is very hard to get on the land.'
Mr Sanders spent 12 months living in the marina before upgrading his boat to an AUD $125,000 1996 Colecraft which allowed him to move around the country.
He now splits his time between Nottingham, Birmingham, London, Oxford, Bristol, Reading, and Gloucester.
Despite the savings made from not having an apartment or car, Mr Sanders spends significant amounts of money on maintenance of his vessel as well as more than AUD $3000 annually on a boat licence.
It hasn't all been smooth sailing for Mr Sanders either – he recently found a dead body floating in a canal.
Despite the negative aspects of his new lifestyle, Mr Sanders is happy with the move from land to water.
'With boating the good days are great but the bad days are very bad. It is a life of extremes,' he said.
'Boating is a fairly intensive part time job. It makes you feel more alive somehow when you have to manage those things that you once took for granted.
'It really toughened me up. I have learned a huge amount.
'Most of my friends when I bought it said I was mad, and I wouldn't last three months. The things it gave me were so thrilling to me that I ploughed through the difficulties.
'I will take the physical challenges for as long as my health will allow me to for the benefits.
'With the housing crisis a lot of people are deciding to buy boats, but it is not a lifestyle that is right for people who just can't afford to live on the land.
'You need to want the lifestyle.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
3 days ago
- News.com.au
Global teen trend hits Australia as DAISE launches in Woolies
A popular brand designed for young beauty lovers has just launched in Woolworths – after a hugely successful launch in the US. DAISE, created by Kiwi entrepreneur Jaimee Lupton, is a fragrance and bodycare line made specifically for Generation Alpha. While Gen A is defined as those born between 2010 and 2024, meaning there are still babies in the age group, Ms Lupton said DAISE was for those 12 and up who are currently using brands designed for much older consumers. After initially launching the 'tween' brand in US mega-retailers Ulta Beauty and Target, it was released in the UK, and has now just landed in Woolies, where Aussies have been snapping it up in droves. 'With Gen Alpha emerging as the fastest-growing cohort of beauty consumers, we saw a clear opportunity to create something for them that created a positive and age-appropriate experience as they engage with beauty and bodycare for the first time,' Ms Lupton told The Beauty Diary. 'So many brands tweens are buying are intended for those much older than they are, meaning the active ingredients and 'anti-ageing' function of the products are not always suitable.' Ms Lupton, the mastermind behind global beauty brand Monday Haircare, said the target buyers of DAISE are unlike generations that have come before, largely due to the rise of social media – which created a 'clear gap in the market'. 'We were seeing Gen Alpha and younger Gen Z completely immersed in the beauty space, discovering products on TikTok, building routines, and speaking fluently about ingredients and trends (even more so than their parents),' she explained. 'But the products available to them weren't made for them. Tweens and teens are often either using brands designed for much older consumers, or stuck with 'kids' products and brands they no longer relate to.' Indeed, with its colourful packaging and flower-shaped bottles, DAISE looks like nothing else on the shelves in Woolies – and that's deliberate, said Ms Lupton. 'We thought about colour, texture, and shape as a means to spark joy and focus on play rather than performance,' she explained. 'We've designed everything from flower-shaped lip balms to whipped body washes because we know this generation loves products that are tactile and visually exciting. 'It's about creating something that's fun, dopamine-boosting, and that shoppers will enjoy using and will talk about with friends.' It appears to have worked, with social media awash with rave reviews about the new Woolies range. 'It's finally here... the pineapple fragrance is my favourite,' one said on TikTok. 'These smell amazing and its CUTE packaging,' shared another. While one declared: 'OMG, definitely giving these a try, what scent should I get?' Ms Lupton said DAISE launched into the Australian retail giant last month with its Foaming Body Wash and Exfoliating Body Scrub and later added the brand's Mists and Body Sprays to Woolies shelves. 'Our Exfoliating Body Scrub has been super popular and has already climbed to be the number 8 best-selling item in Woolworths' total body care category,' she said. 'Our fragrance products, such as our Fragrance Body Mists, are our best-sellers in our established markets like the USA and UK so we expect those to be incredibly popular, too.' Woolworths confirmed the product range had launched in its supermarkets and in Big W stores last month, and while its early days, popular picks among shoppers have been the vanilla body scrub, closely followed by coconut. The fact the brand is currently exclusively sold in a supermarket is a deliberate strategy for Ms Lupton, who said she believes 'accessibility isn't just nice-to-have'. 'Our consumer is young and beauty-obsessed, but they don't always have the budget or access to shop in high-end or prestige environments,' she said. 'By launching through mass retail we're meeting them exactly where they already are, both physically and financially. 'DAISE is about democratising beauty and self-care, and mass retail gives us the scale and reach to actually deliver on that promise.' Recent data shows 12-14 year olds are spending around $US300 (about $460 Australian Dollars) a year on cosmetics, skincare products, and fragrances – a huge amount considering most aren't old enough to earn money yet. While industry experts state 'you're never too young' to be interested in self-care, many brands have issued urgent warnings to parents after it emerged kids were buying products that were too harsh for such young skin.
News.com.au
7 days ago
- News.com.au
20-year-old fitness influencer reveals 6 weight loss rules that helped her lose 52kg
Weighing 105kg at just 15, Jessica Turner faced relentless bullying at school and was cruelly called a 'whale' by classmates. Five years on, the student from Surrey in the UK has lost half her body weight — and those same bullies are suddenly trying their luck on Instagram. 'I never really got any male attention before uni … but now I get doors held open for me all the time,' Jessica, now a fitness influencer, said. After years of comfort eating and zero exercise, the now University of Exeter student ballooned to 105kg at just 160cm (5ft, 3in) tall. 'I looked at food as a source of comfort. I had very low self-esteem, so I didn't like going out very much,' Jessica recalled. While at school, people would often make comments. 'Someone said I was walking up the stairs 'too slowly', and another actually called me a whale,' she explained. 'They would laugh at me. I never felt like anybody found me attractive.' The turning point came during the 2020 Covid lockdown when Jessica, then 15, decided to take control. 'Covid hit and everything shut down and I thought 'I've got an opportunity to better myself and I have a lot of time on my hands'.' Starting with YouTube home workouts, inspired by Joe Wicks and Chloe Ting, she slowly fell in love with fitness and nutrition. 'Once you start seeing results, it gets easier,' she said. Jessica, now a successful fitness influencer, credits a protein-rich diet and regular exercise for her dramatic transformation, losing an incredible 52kg since 2019. 'I was 105kg, so my health was on the line,' she said. 'I was bigger than my mum and most people in my family. 'I felt so miserable in myself that I didn't really care what I was eating.' Her diet used to revolve around calorie-laden junk food. 'I used to eat lots of cakes and chocolate because it would give me short-time gratification,' Jessica explained. 'After school, I'd do a little Tesco shop and get a bag of sweets and chocolates.' Now her typical day looks very different. Breakfast might be protein pancakes topped with Greek yoghurt, berries, and honey. Lunch could be an omelette with cheese and ham, plus a side salad. And dinner is typically something like a Mexican chicken rice bowl, packed with peppers, onions, and avocado. 'I make sure I eat at least five fruits and veg every day, and I hit my protein goals, eating over the government-recommended amount of 2,000 calories a day,' the health fanatic said. 'You don't have to be scared of eating; you can achieve your goals without starving yourself. 'If I can do it, so can you.' Alongside the diet overhaul, Jessica took up weightlifting to tone up. 'I had loose skin on my arms and legs, my inner thighs in particular. 'Only when I started weightlifting did I start to build muscle. I haven't looked back since.' Her journey hasn't just changed her body, it's changed her confidence and life trajectory. 'If I hadn't gone through my weight-loss journey, I wouldn't be at a Russell group uni (meaning one of 24 leading, research-intensive universities in the UK) and I wouldn't be studying law,' Jessica explained. She said her social life has transformed too. 'People 100 per cent treat me differently, even on the street. 'When you're a bigger girl people don't respect you as much. I never had someone hold the door open for me, but as a girl now I get that all the time.' Many of Jessica's bullies now follow her on Instagram, but Jessica hasn't forgotten how they made her feel. 'Then you have guys trying to speak to me (on Instagram) and I'm like 'no, I still remember what you did.'' Jessica hasn't had any long-term relationships yet. 'I'm very career oriented so I'm prioritising that,' she said. 'I want to share my journey not just to celebrate how far I've come, but to inspire others,' she said. 'I want to show that no matter where you start, it's possible to rise, grow, and achieve what once felt out of reach. 'If I can do it, so can you.'
News.com.au
06-07-2025
- News.com.au
Model praised for ‘normalising' secret-shame all women experience
A popular swimsuit model has been praised for 'normalising' a wardrobe mishap that almost every woman has suffered while attending Wimbledon. Brooks Nader was recently at the annual tennis tournament in London when she unknowingly came on her period. As a result, the 28-year-old was left with a patch of blood on her long white skirt, an experience anyone who menstruates will be all too familiar with. Studies show that persistent stigma surrounding periods has long left women feeling that menstruation is unclean and embarrassing, and can lead to feelings of shame and discomfort. But Nader proved she is determined to break the cycle of negativity surrounding the perfectly normal bodily function, and took to social media to poke fun at her relatable period mishap. 'Tries to be chic,' Nader wrote on a video she shared Friday. 'Starts [blood drop emoji] at Wimbledon.' In the clip, the model could be seen wearing a cap-sleeve black blouse with her skirt as she spun around to reveal the blood stain. 'Of course #Wimbledon,' she added in her caption. Her relatable moment was applauded by many of her 216,000 followers, who praised the star for 'normalising' the incident. 'You're so real for this,' wrote one commenter, while another shared: 'Happens to us all.' 'Thank you for normalising what we go through,' a third added. 'OK even beautiful women go through this,' another said. As one praised: 'I love that you shared this! This is real life for women!' Stigma and shame surrounding periods can be dated back thousands of years (the Bible literally refers to menstruating women as 'unclean) and have continued to modern day through sociocultural norms. These feelings of stigma and shame have created a long-running expectation on women to hide their periods. Still, researchers in 2021 found this secrecy can cause other issues, such as preventing people from identifying when their periods are unusual and subsequently seeking necessary healthcare, The Conversation reports. It's for these reasons that Nader's video has struck such a chord, as it is viewed as helping to break down the stigma that is deeply entrenched in society. 'Serving looks, realness and breaking taboos,' one follower wrote on TikTok. 'This is the most relatable thing ever,' another agreed. As one concluded: 'Absolutely nothing to be embarrassed of ever, it happens. Thanks for showing it.' Nader shot to fame after winning the 2019 Swim Search held by Sports Illustrated, and was featured in the swimsuit edition of the magazine in 2020, 2021, and 2022. In 2023, Nader became a cover girl for the magazine.
