She was sick and tired of paying rent and had always dreamed of owning waterfront property. However, the reality of economics put buying a home with waterfront access out of reach. But with a bit of creative thinking and an opportunity to have the dream come true albeit in a slightly different way, Jill Simmons found her home by the sea – or should I say on the sea.

Since April 1994, Simmons has been living on a houseboat. Docked in Fairhaven, she has the best of all worlds – panoramic views of the water, absent the crippling property taxes.

Simmons, a retired New Bedford police officer and current harbormaster for Mattapoisett, was familiar with houseboats. Her husband George “Skip” Gray, a retired police officer from Marion, was living on one when they first met in the 1970s.

“He had the party boat in Marion,” she recalled. Their lives went separate ways for a couple of decades. But her desire to live near the salt water never evaporated.

Some twenty years later, she was able to reel her dream in – and her husband.

“A guy I was doing some work for had built a stick house on a barge,” Simmons said.

At 576 square feet, the 18- by 32-square-foot home contains a great room that functions as a living room/kitchen space. It has a bedroom and bathroom and windows everywhere that look out onto New Bedford Harbor, a place with which she is well acquainted. Simmons is the founder of the New Bedford Police Department dive team and seaport security program.

The water-bound home does not have a motor and would have to be towed should it be relocated.

When asked about personal possessions, “Sarge” gave a typical direct response, “You don’t accumulate a lot of crap.” She explained, “When you live in a house with a garage and a basement, you fill it up. That’s what people do.” But when you are living in a tiny home, especially one floating on the water, collecting material possessions is simply not an option, she emphasized. Simmons chuckled, saying, “I’ve got way too much stuff right now.”

But living in a houseboat requires more than a mere paring down of material goods; it takes knowledge and a willingness to understand the dynamics involved in maintaining this unique type of structure.

For starters, there is waste management.

“The Fairhaven pump-out boat takes care of that in the summer, and in the winter, I get a service that comes and pumps out the sewer tank,” she said.

Simmons’ knowledge of marine rules and regulations and the everyday realities of living on a boat is essential for making it all work out.

“The thing that people fail to understand is it’s a boat. You have to pay attention to the weather, your lines, the water temperature. You have to know every aspect of a houseboat and how to deal with it.”

Technically speaking, Simmons has mastered the science as well as the art of living on a houseboat. She said that it drafts 11 inches and in the wintertime, she keeps a thermometer in the ocean to gauge the temperature; after all, her freshwater tanks are attached to the underside of the structure.

“The average temperature of the seawater in the winter is thirty-two degrees,” she said. If it gets any lower than that, she has to take measures to ensure the water tanks don’t freeze.

Over the years that Simmons has lived in her houseboat, which is named Sea-Hab, she has had her own electrical power line dropped from a nearby pole.

“I don’t have to pay the marina for electrical power,” she stated with a smile. Conveniences have not been lost either. “I have full Internet and cable access,” she said.

More recently, Simmons has purchased suitcase-sized generators for emergency back-up power.

“I have to be able to carry the generators myself in case I’m alone and the power goes out. I have to know how to wire them up and keep things going,” she said.

Life in a marina carries with it a host of considerations, but for Simmons and Gray those considerations are outweighed by the joy of living so close to the ocean. After long careers dealing with the public, along with years of living in close proximity to neighbors, this couple understands the joy of friendly interaction as well as peace and quiet.

“In April, I’m glad to have people coming back for the season, and in late October, I’m glad to see them go,” she said.

And there are numerous details both small and large involved in living on a boat.

“Gray water can go overboard, so it does,” she said. Gray water is water used for bathing or washing dishes. As for fresh water, she fills her 350-gallon tanks as needed.

“Everything is about being conservative,” she shared. “I grew up with my grandparents on a farm … they didn’t waste anything.” Simmons is proud that her environmental footprint is small. “I don’t make a big impact.”

And then there is her address…

“I fought with the registry for years,” she said, explaining that you have to have a physical address to get a driver’s license because a post office box number doesn’t qualify.

“I finally got them to accept Fairhaven Harbor added to my P.O. Box number as my legal address.”

Regarding the costs involved in owning a houseboat, she said that because it’s a boat first and foremost there aren’t property taxes involved, just excise taxes. As for the marina expenses, she said those run around $4,000 per year plus insurance at around $1,700 annually. When contrasted against the average mainland rental unit rate of $1,300 per month, the cost savings quickly add up.

Of course there are some logistical considerations. For one thing, there is the trip from the parking lot to the front door, which in Simmons’ case, is about 485 feet.

“Oh, that can be very tough in the winter,” she said. But she’s not complaining.

And what about the fact that the Sea-Hab doesn’t have an oven? Well, that’s simply not a problem for this couple. Since tying the marital and marine knot in 2003, Gray handles the galley duties. Simmons laughed, “I don’t cook!”

By Marilou Newell

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation sent its regional interpretive coordinator Amy Wilmot to Marion on Monday, August 15, to encourage area residents to take advantage of the abundance of nature, culture, and history the region’s state parks have to offer.

Wilmot, who has been employed by the DCR since 1995, said the talk organized and sponsored by the Marion Council on Aging was the perfect opportunity to tell the public about the wonderful state forests and parks within 30 minutes of Tri-Town, a few that are just a bit farther out, as well as a couple that would be considered day trips but nonetheless, on the must-do list.

Massachusetts, the fifth smallest state in the country, is actually ranked number nine out of 50 on the national list for most acreage of state park land. There is just about half a million acres of state forest and parks in Massachusetts that are open for all of us to enjoy.

“We encourage everyone to use our parks,” said Wilmot. “And it’s not just state forests and ‘parks.’ We have pools and we have golf courses, and we have skating rinks…. Great outdoors as well as history.”

When Wilmot says the DCR encourages ‘everyone,’ she means everyone.

Since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, Mass DCR has invested a significant amount of money and resources into making parks, recreational waters, beaches, and hiking trails wheelchair and ADA accessible for all to enjoy.

For example, at Horseneck Beach State Reservation in Westport, boardwalks have been installed and bathhouses modernized, and sand mats have been placed to help beachgoers cross the sand with greater ease.

“Walking on the sand can be difficult,” said Wilmot. In addition to beach mats, Wilmot said special beach wheelchairs are available for use at Horseneck Beach that feature larger “bubble tires” to traverse the sand. Accessible water floats can be used as well, which are essentially like floating stretchers, as Wilmot described them, which allow those with mobility challenges to enjoy swimming.

Did you know that the DCR offers Massachusetts residents age 62 and over a lifetime MassParks pass for a one-time fee of just $10 that entitles you to free entry into all Massachusetts state parks, beaches, and forests with free parking?

Although most area parks like Fort Phoenix in Fairhaven and Nasketucket Bay State Reservation offer parking for free, several others in the state charge a per vehicle parking rate, which is definitely money well-spent.

“The Nasketucket State Reservation is an absolutely fantastic place to explore all throughout the year,” said Wilmot. “It’s one of my favorite places.”

One of the parks Wilmot highlighted was Freetown State Forest with its free parking for family use of the wading pool and splash pad, which Wilmot said DCR recently invested in to upgrade. With the use of slides, Wilmot showcased attractions at Freetown State Forest, including Profile Rock and miles and miles of hiking trails.

Myles Standish State Forest also made the list of Wilmot’s favorite Southcoast spots, which offers not only hundreds of camping sites, but also 15 miles of paved bike path within the 13,000 acres of protected state forest. There is swimming there, picnic sites and parking for the day for beach use is just $8; however, seniors with a MassPark Pass – free!

“And fall is an absolutely beautiful time to visit,” said Wilmot.

Another of Wilmot’s favorites is in Foxboro, a bit farther away but worth your time, Wilmot said.

1. Gilbert Hills State Forest is open year-round for passive recreation with no parking fee, and restrooms facilities are open year-round.

“It’s a great place to go hiking,” said Wilmot. “I always recommend this place. The trail maps are really great.” Lions Falls is a small but beautiful waterfall that Wilmot testified is a gorgeous 1.5-mile hike in the spring.

“It’s an absolutely wonderful place,” Wilmot said. “There’s a hill … and that’s the highest spot between Blue Hills [Reservation] and Diamond Hill in Cumberland, Rhode Island.”

1. Gilbert Hills is also a location of an active raven’s nest, a rarity in this part of the state.

Wilmot also encouraged listeners to visit Mount Greylock in Lanesborough, as well as Walden Pond in Concord next year to experience a number of upgrades and improvements the DCR has done to the two locations, including more ADA accessibility to the sites.

The Boston Harbor Islands, also part of the state and national park system, are a highly recommended day trip, with $18 giving you full ferry access to all the islands and back for the day.

One of the state’s most recent acquisitions for the eastern Massachusetts region is Sweet’s Knoll State Park in Berkeley alongside the Taunton River abutting Dighton Rock State Park.

Sweet’s Knoll, acquired in 2010, is a smaller park of roughly 50 acres, Wilmot said, and there are three miles of abandoned railroad bed that can be explored and hiked. Parking is free.

“We want people of all abilities to come in and enjoy our parks,” said Wilmot. Some parks even offer special hiking wheelchairs that come with straps that those accompanying an individual with a wheelchair can pull up to lift the wheelchair and its occupant above more challenging areas of a hiking trail. “I want to stress the importance of sharing this wealth of natural resources we have.”

Whether it is a state park, a town park, or a community park, Wilmot emphasized how important it is to share them with the children in your life.

“If you do go visit one of these parks,” said Wilmot, “bring a kid with you.”

For further information, visit www.mass.gov/DCR, call 617-626-1250, or email Mass.parks@state.ma.us.

By Jean Perry