Solo on river shantyboat: quits city to live free at edge of society

Seven years ago, Martin Haseman set out to find a way to live for free in America. He tried RV life, vanlife, a sailboat — but even on BLM land, finding a free long-term parking spot is harder than it sounds. The water turned out to be the loophole. On the Tennessee River and its tributaries, there are thousands of miles where you can anchor for free. The only rule: move every 14 days, though just by a mile. Martin has been working that system for five years. His expenses: food, propane, gas, a cell phone bill — and $100/month for a TVA marina pass, which gets him access to public marinas across the entire watershed for shopping runs, overnight stays, and showers. Beyond the low cost, the river solves something most off-grid setups struggle with: water access. Martin has a pump, hose, and propane hot water heater rigged for showers and dishes. The TVA supplies drinking water for the region, so quality is already high straight from the source. And because the surrounding land is all public property, no one can build within a quarter mile of the shore in any direction. Martin lives, effectively, on a nature preserve — forest and riverbank as far as he can see. That natural richness, he says, is what he didn't expect to find, and what he's learned to value most. Parked on a small lagoon off the Duck River, we talk about what this life actually costs, the history of shantyboat culture in America, and what it means to opt out of the economy one anchor drop at a time. Another Time, Another Place: https://www.youtube.com/@ATAP...AnotherTime