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Home Tour
Living On The Sea
By Ronda M. Parag | Photos by Alicia Johnson Photography
Following their hearts and dreams, Shaun and Shona Carcary created their dream home that might seem to some, unconventional. While homes come in many shapes and sizes, the Carcary’s home just so happens to float. Rather than wait for that perfect time to retire and plan their future, the seed was planted more than 23 years ago when they were visiting in Pass-a-Grille and spotted a Trawler. Shona said to Shaun, “That’s exactly the kind of boat I wish for one day.”
Shona grew up in South Africa and has been happily married to Shaun for 35 years. In 1997, the couple moved their family of two girls, two dogs and a cat to Tampa. Together, they have built several successful family businesses including Realty Buy Design and Hey Vacay. After gifting their home on the bay, along with all the furnishings to their children, they followed their passion to live on the ocean. A small 500 sq. ft. condo that was already part of their retirement plans, allows them to continue to work part time with their children and grandchildren, while having a land base. “This freed us up to move around and still work part time from our boat or the condo,” said Shona. “Less is truly more...in fact it’s the secret to happiness.”
Shaun named the boat Happy Wife and the tender Happy Life, and he let Shona choose the boat saying, “As long as we are together and on the water, I don’t care what we live in.”
The couple transformed their home by doing all the work themselves with the exception of the granite installation and some engine work. The initial refurbishment took seven weeks with Shaun and Shona working 12 hour days.
—Shaun and Shona Carcary
“I like to say it has taken us seven weeks and 4 years, because we are continuously tweaking and doing maintenance checks on her,” said Shona. “On September 16, 2016, we had our first night on board and our first dinner too.”
Every square inch of the vessel was re-done, besides the walls, to create the couples dream home. “The cabinets are all original to the boat – it had such great bones and the hull of a Hatteras is like a tank, so we knew we had a great vessel,” said Shona. “We fixed one engine, rebuilt our bed in the stateroom, redid the counter tops in kitchens and bathrooms, new appliances, tiled the wall and floors, installed new toilets. We redid all the canvases and repainted the boat from the exterior red to white. We made sure to keep as much of the woodwork as possible on the outside.” The couple wanted to keep the integrity and vintage aesthetic, while making their home on the water comfortable and and current. “I did not want to have the typical “boat interior” with fitted leather furniture and embroidered anchor pillows, but rather have it feel like a true home,” said Shona. “My design inspiration came from our own home which we owned in South Tampa. I love earthy, neutral colors and draws inspiration from nature.” The design elements include the use of stone, distressed wood, shells and wicker, along with touches of silver, gold and tin metals. “The use of whites and neutrals was my grown up style, and I absolutely love the peace that it brings,” adds Shona.
When describing the design, Shona says she tried to bring an eclectic mix of modern, vintage and boho. She used durable fabrics and furniture like leather, wicker, sisal rugs that can withstand the elements. She used some wallpaper in her grandsons cabin with an octopus to provide an ocean feel, but wasn’t easily dated and suited other guests too. The master suite has plenty of storage allowing Shona to keep all her clothes, shoes and multitude of string bikinis.
Perhaps the most striking feature is the clawfoot bathtub that sits on the flybridge. It was one of Shona’s main requirements of living on the boat. “I need a regular bed and bathtub in order to live on a boat (tongue in cheek) when we started out on the vessel search,” recalls Shona. “When a friend jokingly suggested that the only space would be on a helm – I said to Shaun – ‘That’s it!’ We will put a clawfoot tub up on the helm and the rest is history.”
The dining room table is a hollowed out tree stump. “We installed a shelf in it with pebbles, and that houses all of our little travel mementos from around the world,” said Shona. “Our tiny art wall in the hallway is also a favorite with little original artworks bought directly from artists all over the world.”
“Everything we have around us, on our boat either means something to us or has a purpose,” said Shona. “From our travels, we have purchased functional items.”
When not traveling the world, the couple is docked at the Westshore Marina and tends to the daily chores of life including going to the store, running or going to the gym, and working from the boat. When out on the water, Shona says, “I write, paint, read and exercise on board, and we also paddle board, snorkel and fish. The days tend to blend together and we don’t even know what day it is. We want a life well lived and that’s what we are doing right now!” M
