“About”
Thanks for checking out my site. Everything I write is just me — no AI.
This is my space to explore and process my more personal thoughts. Mostly around tech, sailing, and self sufficiency. If you want more grounded examples of all, check out paperwing.dev. There you’ll find practical information about maintaining and living on a small boat, as well as our open source projects.
If you’d like to reach out, contact me at hi@jamieatlason.com.
FAQ
Why write?
Personal blogs of others have meant a lot to me, and I want more of this kind of content out in the world. I try not to take it too seriously.
What’s up with the boat stuff?
Originally, we set out to document how minimally someone could live and still be comfortable (think “FIRE”). I’m also quite religious, and there’s a lot of precedence for living minimally to help one connect. Read the books highlighted below and blogs for more thoughts on this.
How is it going so far?
We lived on a mooring for 2 years off grid, and on a slip for 1. The mooring never got old, but was just barely too much work with demanding jobs. The slip was easy, but was missing the romance and connection to nature. Proving our minimum lifestyle was surprisingly simple and rewarding.
As for sailing and cruising, it’s reshaped what I thought I wanted out of life and my goals. I love the nature, the people, the self reliance — all of it.
Do you recommend this lifestyle?
Not really.
Everyone I’ve met who has pursued the same things in life has been a little “off”. That includes us. The boat in particular is very hard, and I’ve seen it end horribly multiple times. Like any ambitious thing, I’m not sure I’d start it again.
And yet, we’re continuously thankful we took the leap. Many of the changes I love most in myself have come from sailing. I take life less seriously because of it. If you’re considering something similar, delay it till you can’t bear it any longer. Then “go small, go now”.
Books
Not necessarily my favorite, but books that I come back to the most.