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Captain Fatty Lives the High Life on the High Seas

Captain Fatty Goodlander is an original sea gypsy. The 56-year-old sailor has lived aboard boats for 48 years sailing the world's seas and circumnavigating the globe.

Goodlander and his wife, Carolyn, have sailed more than 100,000 miles on their 38-foot cutter, Wild Card, raised a family and scraped together a modest living from their floating home.

This summer, Goodlander, who is editor-at-large of Cruising World magazine, will send regular dispatches from his boat to Weekend Edition Sunday as he explores Southeast Asia.

"Sailing to me isn't just about boats and it isn't about the destination," Goodlander says. "It's about freedom, it's about passion, it's about lust, it's about life."

Wild Card operates around the clock, often sailing for a month at a time out of the sight of land. On some days, the boat travels only 50 miles, a pace that Goodlander takes in stride. He and his wife work together to captain the boat, taking turns keeping watch when the other is working or sleeping. The couple is constantly aware of their surroundings, he says.

"If you're careful and considerate of that environment, you can sail around the world numerous times," Goodlander says. "I feel like I'm a lot safer than if I lived in Chicago or Boston."

Goodlander, a journalist for 30 years, admits that living full-time aboard a small boat isn't the most lucrative job in the world, but he finds joy in touching others through his articles in Cruising World and through books he's written. The sailing life is something Goodlander says he'll never get out of his system.

"Freedom is my drug," he says. "Freedom is my God, and I mainline this drug. I want to be the man most capable of doing things on a whim."

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.