Image: buzzfeed.com
Liz Clark, 34, was tired of bartending in San Diego, California. When she was given a Cal 40 sailboat, she jumped at the chance to explore the world. Her only stipulation was that she must document her explorations around the world.
After working on the boat, which she named Swell, for two years, she set sail from California in 2005.
For a while, it was just Liz, a self-proclaimed “she-pirate,” and the open sea. Then in 2013, she brought on board a first mate, a 6-month-old rescued kitten that she named Amelia.
Amelia quickly adapted to life on the sea and enjoys fishing from the boat and exploring beaches.
“She has adapted to living surrounded by water,” Clark said of her cat companion to Buzzfeed.
“She has to go out of a cat comfort zone often,” Clark said of Amelia. “But I think she now understands that I will keep her safe and she will have a lot of fun in the end. She makes Swell feel much more like a home.”
Clark has traveled the western coast of Mexico, Central America and the South Pacific while logging over 18,000 nautical miles at this point in her travels. She shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
“I sleep on a pool mat under the stars,” Clark said of life aboard Swell. “But I feel rich when I look up at that night sky and breath the fresh ocean air and leap into the sea each morning.”
Image: buzzfeed.com
Image: buzzfeed.com
Image: buzzfeed.com
Image: buzzfeed.com
Image: buzzfeed.com
Image: buzzfeed.com
Image: buzzfeed.com
Image: buzzfeed.com
Image: buzzfeed.com
