Everything You Always Wanted To Know
Joshua Smith
Founder and Editor at Cruising Freedom
This is the definitive guide on Distant Shores TV for 2023.
Over the last 10 years, I have spent 57 hours watching and researching everything I could about Distant Shores TV to learn more about their story.
They are, after all, the original cruising video creators looonggg before the YouTubers showed up. Many consider them to be the pioneers of sailing videos:
I’ve personally not only learned a ton from their videos but got hooked on the cruising lifestyle.
If you wanted to know:
➜ What sailing boats Paul and Sheryl have had
➜ How they made their money to keep sailing
➜ What they’re sailing today and its upgrades
➜ If they’re still filming their TV shows
➜ What kind of boat is Distant Shores #4
➜ How you can start crossing oceans
Then you’ve definitely come to the right place.
Before we start, a quick introduction from me…
The Cruising Freedom Author
Ahoy, Matey! I’m Joshua from Australia.
I’ve built the perfect business to sail the world.
A business model which can allow me to:
➜ Own a catamaran debt-free
➜ Go for weeks without WIFI
➜ Create semi-passive income
➜ Inspire others to dream big
But more on that later… 🙂
Distant Shores FAQs (April 2023)
Boat Name
Distant Shores 4 doesn’t have a name, and they sold their previous boat a little while ago.
This is their ‘goodbye’ video:
Crew Members
Paul Shard (age 56)
Sheryl Shard (age 56)
They have been together for 30+ years having grown up in school today. In their 20’s they began sailing and never looked back, and never had children along the way either.
The Boat
Distant Shores recently sold their yacht which was a Southerly 480, also known as Distant Shores 3.
They are currently sailing on friends’ boats and test-sailing certain designs with other cruising couples.
Distant Shores 4 is launching in 2023 and will be an Orion 49 yacht with 3 cabins and 2 heads. Much like their previous 3 boats, they have chosen a monohull instead of a catamaran and have opted for an aluminum hull.
Upgrades
Paul and Sheryl haven’t really shared much about the new boat build. Once I have some more information about their upgrades, I’ll definitely be sharing it here.
Location
While waiting for their current boat to be built, Paul and Sheryl are in the Caribbean helping fellow cruisers.
Past Cruising
I typically like to share where certainly YouTube cruising channels have explored so you can see if they have been to some of the destinations on your bucket list. However, Paul and Sheryl have practically been around the world multiple times and stayed at just about every well-known cruising spot.
Affording It
Paul and Sheryl started out with a simple boat after a few years of working full-time jobs. They kept things simple along the way and managed a tight budget.
Net Worth
Distant Shores TV has a net worth of $1,100,000 as of 2022.
Making Loot
How did they afford to sail when they started at a time without ways to work remotely? Well:
➜ They would find odd jobs in ports
➜ They learned how to fix sails for others
➜ They wrote books and articles for sailing magazines
Once their name and stories became popular, they then started documenting their journey and selling the licensing rights to their TV show to stations around the world. It was a hit in the 1990s as they did all the filming mostly by themselves.
Collaborations
Have they been on any other YouTube channels? Absolutely! I have seen them with:
➜ SV Delos
They also had the Windtraveler family from S/V Asante on their boat.
Note: Windtraveler isn’t sailing anymore. Brittany and Scott divorced in 2019 due to the stress of building a business, losing their business (hurricane), and raising 3 little girls in the British Virgin Islands without any family support.
I was a long-term fan of their blog.
Big Moments
What a journey they have certainly have had!
In the last 40 years:
➜ They have been arrested on more than one occasion
➜ Being true sailors, they have run aground more than once
➜ They have gotten themselves beached many times
➜ They have also published the longest-running cruising vlog that I have ever seen
Future Plans
Will they be stopping anytime soon? Nope! The sea is their home and there is so much to learn.
Key Takeaways
What can we learn from these two wonderful humans?
➜ You can live for decades on the ocean
➜ Don’t be afraid to be humble out there
➜ If you can’t afford a catamaran, get a yacht
➜ Be willing to do your own boat work
And stop messing around, as we only live once!
Conclusion
Paul and Sheryl have inspired many of us (myself included, and for a very long time!) to explore the world through the winds in our sails.
While their popularity has waned over the years as other channels have taken over, they still remain true to their mission to help other yachtsmen to explore new passages, anchorages and regions of the world.
I certainly can’t wait to see what Distant Shores IV will become, packed with 32 years of experiences behind them.
Create Your Own Cruising Freedom
Hey! 😃 it’s Joshua again…
Clearly, I’ve been very inspired by the Shards and their travels…
Some say I’m obsessed, but sailing the world is my childhood dream.
They’re living the dream, but that dream isn’t actually that far away.
I mentioned earlier about discovering the #1 cruising business model.
With this exciting opportunity, I’ll be able to:
➜ Generate a sustainable full-time income through learning basic skills
➜ Fund the purchase of my first sailing catamaran without any loans
➜ Do it without selling to friends and family (I found a better solution!)
➜ Share my lifetime passion for sailing, cruising and global adventures
Keen to discover more? Jump on the free training right now. 👨🏻💻
(I share more about it on the next page…🙂)
