A hurricane destroyed the boat on which a former Topekan lived. Now he's bought another

Though the fishing boat on which he used to live was destroyed by a hurricane, Randall Listrom can't wait to live on a boat again.

"I miss being on the water," the retired Topeka police officer told The Capital-Journal this past week.

Listrom had announced days earlier on his personal Facebook page that he was buying a sailboat, which will be his new home.

More:Retired Topeka officer lives on a boat on Florida's Gulf Coast. He's bracing for Hurricane Ian.

"I would like to thank everyone for the kind words, prayers and support over the last couple of months," he wrote. "Hurricane Ian may have taken most of my worldly possessions, but she could not take away the things important in my life (all of you)."

Former Topekan Randall Listrom's life quickly turned stormy

Living on a boat is the latest adventure for Listrom, 67, who's seen his share of interesting experiences.

A native Topekan and graduate of Topeka High School, Listrom served with the Topeka Police Department from 1977 until he retired in 2005. Most of his assignments involved narcotics enforcement and criminal intelligence.

Listrom was then a contractor for the U.S. State Department, working with the U.S. military on assignments in Iraq from 2007 to 2009, Afghanistan from 2009 to 2013 and the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Jordan from 2013 to 2019.

In January 2021, Listrom bought and began living on Thin Blue Line, a fishing boat used for trawling that was 35 feet long. The boat had no sails and ran on diesel fuel.

Listrom was among about 30 people who lived on their boats anchored off-shore in Charlotte Harbor near Punta Gorda, Florida.

With Hurricane Ian approaching in late September, Listrom wasn't able to get Thin Blue Line out of the way because it lacked a working engine.

More:After Hurricane Ian, a former Topekan learned the fate of the boat on which he lived

He loaded up his SUV with as many possessions as he could, reinforced Thin Blue Line's anchoring system, bid farewell to his beloved trawler and drove inland, where he rode out the storm in his SUV.

Listrom returned Sept. 29 to see that Thin Blue Line had sunk in shallow water, with only its top part being visible.

"It is with sadness that I report Thin Blue Line has been located," he said in a Facebook post. "She put up a valiant fight and drug anchor 900 yards before sinking 100 yards short of shore in about 10 feet of water. Ian won the battle."

Supporters on Listrom's Facebook page offered their sympathies while adding that they were glad he was safe.

Hurricane Ian claimed 144 lives, according to USA Today.

"I came out of it pretty well," Listrom said of the hurricane. "That's not the case for everybody here, but I came out OK."

More:12 Kansas National Guard nurses go to provide hurricane aid

'I can basically float in 18 inches of water'

Since then, Listrom said he has stayed in a fifth-wheel trailer owned by a friend, who is Listrom's boat mechanic and lives near Punta Gorda, while they have been away in Michigan.

Listrom's insurance company declared Thin Blue Line a total loss, and offered him a settlement he considered unacceptable because it was too low.

He said he wrote a six-page letter making his case to the company, which responded by agreeing to meet almost all his demands.

Money from the settlement is going toward the purchase of a catamaran, which Listrom learned about from an online ad.

He went to see it at its current location at Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Listrom closed Friday on the purchase of that boat.

He said Sunday he was trying to find someone to help him sail it south from Fort Lauderdale through the Florida Keys, then north up the Gulf Coast to Punta Gorda, where Listrom plans to live on the boat off shore.

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'It's going to be a challenge'

Listrom's newly acquired boat is much different from the original, he said, as Thin Blue Line II is a used 1998 Gemini 105M catamaran.

"The nice thing about the Gemini boats is that they're easy to sail," Listrom said.

He said the new boat has a 50-foot mast, is 34 feet long and has a small engine, though Listrom's new boat doesn't sit as high in the water as his former one did, he said.

"I can basically float in 18 inches of water," he said.

Listrom acknowledge he has no sailing experience and said he anticipates learning to sail and adjusting to the boat will be "a new experience" and "a challenge," he said.

"But that's been kind of my whole life," he said.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Former Topekan Randy Listrom buys sailboat to live on after storm loss