Dream House | Carolyn Barrett calls 42-foot Catalina home

A house is a physical structure that shelters and protects us from the elements. Some of us take for granted that this place of refuge is generally on land, but that is not always the case.

Many people throughout the world live on the water. For example, there are those in Japan and India who live on sampans, barge-like vessels designed more for living quarters than for seaworthiness, or the very wealthy who spend most of their time on luxurious yachts. In fact, today, many are getting rid of their pricey homes in exchange for a more thrill-seeking lifestyle – living on a boat.

But what does this departure from the norm offer? If you have a love for the sea, you will enjoy ever-changing vistas as you leisurely sail the waves. The sense of freedom; fantastic ventilation as the sea breeze cools and seduces. Neighbours are not usually a problem, except for the occasional passing shark. The ever-present colourful hues of the seas and oceans refresh the human spirit. Traffic is unheard of as you visit the coastal areas of the world.

Today, we board an aquatic residence off western Jamaica, home to Carolyn Barrett. She hasn’t invested anywhere in a land-based residence, preferring the maverick dream life of being on the water.

Her boat is a 42-foot Catalina, acquired three years ago, and is well equipped for long-distance travel, with all its new electronics on board. There is a galley (kitchen) with a double sink, fridge, stove and oven, and a microwave. The salon (living room), incorporating a dining area, seats eight persons and is converted to a double bed when necessary. The cabin has the bunk (sleep) section. The cockpit (where the controls are located) seats 12 persons, and the outside deck accommodates a further 12.

Barrett is a colourful adventurer whose life has been filled with the bold and daring. She grew up in Lake Placid, New York, and as a young child, begged for and received her first 13-foot sailboat.

At 19 years old, she left home for the Caribbean, and when she arrived, she realised that she had been born in the wrong section of the world. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the intelligence and security service of the United States, came to Puerto Rico searching for her because she could not be found – they found her!

Her first husband, David Capps, a Vietnam war veteran, succumbed to the poisonous, dangerous chemical known as agent orange, which also killed many others during that war.

Barrett was educated at the Ivy League Stanford University in the United States and studied biology there. She has run hotels throughout the Caribbean Islands and boat charters and is an accomplished national circuit (snow) ski racer, scuba diver, and boat captain. She remarried to a Jamaican she met in Antigua while living there for 15 years and has been a Jamaican citizen for 30 years. She has four children.

This is dream house living for those like Barrett who are courageous enough to risk going beyond the limits of their usual environment.

Barry Rattray is a dream house designer and builder. Email feedback to barry-rattray@hotmail.com and lifestyle@gleanerjm.com.