Distant Shores: Paul & Sheryl Shard’s Life Under Sail
Thirty years afloat and still exploring: Paul and Sheryl Shard have turned their shared passion for sailing into a self-sustaining lifestyle and a quiet legacy.
At-a-Glance:
Web Name: Distant Shores
Names: Paul & Sheryl Shard
Generation: Baby Boomers
FI Status: Financially independent through media production and sailing ventures
Travel Type: Sailing monohulls, including custom-built yachts
Travel Regions: Over 60 countries across the Atlantic, Caribbean, Mediterranean, North and Baltic Seas
Media Platforms: Television (AWE TV, Nautical Channel), YouTube, Vimeo, distantshores.ca
Backstory:
The Shards’ maritime journey began not with a splash but with a spark: a shared fascination with sailing and a quiet decision to design life differently. Raised in Mississauga, Canada, they were drawn to performance, storytelling, and the mechanics of self-sufficiency. Paul studied Computer Science, Sheryl Theatre, and when they graduated from York University in the early 1980s, they married and set their sights on building a boat. Over three years, they constructed a 37-foot Classic named Two-Step in a Toronto backyard. It was a marriage of form and function: a sailboat, a home, and a vessel for creative independence. Launched in 1988, Two-Step carried them across the Great Lakes, to the Bahamas, through the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and back via the Caribbean. Along the way, they captured footage and moments that would later form their first documentary.
The Shift:
Their transition from sailors to media producers was not premeditated but organic. With cameras rolling, they collected footage from that first voyage to craft Call of the Ocean, which aired on the Discovery Channel in 1994. That broadcast validated their intuition: there was an audience for honest, lived sailing experiences. Recognising an opportunity to align their passion with a sustainable profession, they launched Distant Shores, a sailing television series blending seamanship, adventure, and the rhythm of liveaboard life. It became their platform for exploration and income, and a medium through which they could extend the horizon of their travels into other people’s living rooms.
How They Made It Work:
Living aboard and filming across oceans takes more than wanderlust. For Paul and Sheryl, it took a hybrid model of creative and practical income streams: television licensing, book publishing, and public speaking. They authored Sail Away!, a practical guide that has since helped a generation of cruising hopefuls. They contribute to sailing publications and host seminars at global boat shows. Their website functions as a learning portal and content archive. Each boat upgrade, from Two-Step to various Southerly models, and then to their aluminium expedition yacht Distant Shores IV was timed with audience growth and evolving needs. Their approach is rooted in frugality, adaptability, and precision. Decisions around equipment, routes, and provisioning reflect an integrated system where creativity meets logistics. They didn’t wait to retire to live on their own terms: they iterated their way there.
Where They Travel & Why:
With over 110,000 nautical miles under their keel, Paul and Sheryl have travelled to more than 60 countries. Their journeys include inland canals in France, high-latitude fjords in Norway, and the turquoise cays of the Caribbean. But theirs is not a journey fuelled by escapism. The destinations are chosen as much for cultural immersion and narrative potential as they are for scenic anchorages. Filming Distant Shores demands practical planning: predictable light, safe mooring, and permission to fly drones. But it also grants them the licence to linger. They can spend a month tracing Viking routes or sampling Mediterranean markets, guided by genuine curiosity. Their travels have become a lens for understanding both geography and self, always returning to a fundamental question: what does it mean to live well, afloat?
Challenges & Real Talk:
Behind the polished edits and sunlit sails lie moments of grit. Paul and Sheryl have faced mechanical breakdowns, bureaucratic red tape, and unpredictable weather. Running aground, replacing rigging mid-voyage, and navigating customs requirements in unfamiliar languages are all part of the job. But they show this, too. Their storytelling acknowledges that sailing life isn’t always romantic. It’s logistics, maintenance, delayed parts in remote ports. It’s making repairs between filming schedules. Yet these moments do not deter them: they enrich the story. Their approach is not to chase adversity for drama, but to normalise it as part of the lifestyle. The quiet message is one of resilience: you don’t have to be fearless, just prepared and persistent.
What Keeps Them Going:
The enduring appeal of this life, for Paul and Sheryl, is in the balance it offers. Motion and stillness. Autonomy and connection. Each journey is a chance to revisit places with deeper understanding or to chart new territories with fresh eyes. Storytelling gives purpose to the travel; the sea gives rhythm to their work. There’s a humility in their method: they do not chase records or seek fame. Instead, they build a body of work that documents a way of life few attempt, and few still sustain. Their longevity is a testament to alignment: their personal values, their professional mission, and their chosen lifestyle move in the same direction.
Advice to Readers:
Paul and Sheryl do not hand out mantras or manifestos. Their advice is precise, tangible, and earned. They suggest starting small, perhaps chartering or crewing before committing to full-time sailing. Learn to fix things. Prioritise safety equipment. Choose a boat you can manage and maintain. Expect setbacks, then plan around them. Their greatest offering is not a template, but a lived example. They’ve crafted a life where exploration is sustainable, not sensational. For those drawn to the water, their story is not a blueprint—it’s a chart. Flexible, honest, and always adjusting for the wind.
Links to More:
Website: https://distantshores.ca
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/distantshores1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DistantShoresTV
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DistantShoresTV
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/distantshorestv/
Disclaimer: Income, income streams and financial independence details & status are drawn exclusively from publicly available sources. No inference, harm, or misrepresentation is intended toward any individual or entity.
