Our Story
In 2020, like a lot of people, we were forced to rethink everything—what we actually had control over, what we didn’t, and what kind of life we wanted on the other side of all the uncertainty. We had a business in Ohio, a house full of stuff, and a routine that looked the same most days. And then one day we decided to let it all go.
We closed the business. Sold almost everything. And we bought a 1978 Formosa sailboat—designed by Kelly Peterson and built by Formosa—without knowing exactly where it would take us. Our plan was simple: wherever the boat ended up, that’s where we’d move... that was Texas. No safety net. No backup blueprint. Just a direction we felt pulled toward.
To make it real, we created countdown rings—a long chain of everything we needed to do before casting off. We hung them in our dining room, and every day we tore off a ring and watched the list shrink. It became a ritual, a reminder that the life we wanted was getting closer, one small step at a time.
Now we live full time on that same 1978 sailboat, traveling wherever the wind, weather, and our curiosity take us. Everything we create—including Tattoo Yacht Club—comes from this floating home, built on the belief that the simple life, the self-reliant life, is worth chasing.
Mike "Jarl"
I’m a retired tattoo artist who spent most of my life building a shop in Ohio that grew bigger than I ever expected—multiple locations, a tight crew, and a steady stream of people who trusted me to put something permanent on their skin. After stepping away from the machines, I shifted gears and became a broker in Florida, picked up more art projects, and started doing speaking gigs when people wanted the honest version of how this career really works.
Now I’m living on our 1978 sailboat and putting that same work ethic and straight-up energy into Tattoo Yacht Club. The ocean changed my pace, but not who I am—these days I’m focused on a simple life, staying self-reliant, and being as resource-independent as possible. It’s still art… just from a different kind of studio.
Mary Ann
I’m an award-winning web designer who ended up trading my desk for a 1978 sailboat. Somewhere between long crossings and quiet mornings at anchor, I started Tattoo Yacht Club—a project that mixes my love for design with the off-script way we live out here. I’ve picked up a handful of design awards over the years, but most of my ideas now come from this little cabin and whatever the ocean throws at us. Living aboard has taught me to work with intention and a bit of grit, and that’s the same energy I put into every brand and piece of art I create.