A cake of soap can be a versatile little thing. It costs next to nothing, but it goes a long way. I use it to wash my face in the morning; I used it to wash my body and hair; I use it for shaving and I even wash my underwear and T-shirts with it. But I never use it to wash my socks because I don’t wear any. I’m always barefoot.

To be sure, when I call myself a minimalist, I don’t mean a prehistoric troglodyte. On my catamaran Spalax 2 I have running water – hot and cold; I have electric power for lighting, navigation and fridge. The electricity is provided free of charge, curtesy of my solar panels and wind generator. And fresh water is provided by my water maker which – you guessed it – runs on electricity.

The wind is my friend. In addition to electric power it provides transportation. I hoist my sails, point my boat in the right direction and my Eolian friend does the rest. Once I reach my destination, I take my ten-speed touring bicycle ashore and away I go. An early morning workout on my bicycle as I explore the new destination is what my body craves. 

Fishing is my passion. Whenever I sail, I drag two trolling lines behind my boat. The mahi-mahis, the yellowfins and the wahoos I caught over the years are too many to count. All I know is that they didn’t come from a fish farm and were absolutely delicious. On land, I become a prehistoric gatherer always on the lookout for fruits such as mango, papaya, breadfruit, pomelo, guava and of course coconut.

Talk about a minimal carbon footprint. The only footprint I leave behind is in the sand of a newly discovered tropical beach.

Granted, the boat, the solar panels, the wind generator and the water maker cost me a pretty penny, but the feeling of living “off the fat of land” is priceless.

Marjan Golobic

Nouméa, New Caledonia