Randall Listrom had wanted to live on a boat along Florida's Gulf Coast.
In January 2021, the retired Topeka police officer realized that dream.
Then came the hurricanes.
Hurricane Ian destroyed the boat on which he lived in September 2022.
So Listrom bought a replacement boat.
But that was destroyed last month in an unexpected collision caused by another boat as Hurricane Helene passed 200 miles to the north.
Hurricane damage is "the cost of doing business down in Florida," Listrom told The Capital-Journal on Tuesday. "It just is."
Listrom, 69, was consequently without a boat and living in a third-floor hotel room about two miles inland this week when he learned the impending arrival of Hurricane Milton had forced his area to be declared an evacuation zone.
So he drove all night Monday to exit the Sunshine State amid traffic he said was "practically bumper-to-bumper."
"Florida is pretty much evacuating," Listrom told The Capital-Journal late Tuesday morning from Georgia, about 60 miles south of Atlanta.
He planned to keep driving until he found a motel room in which to stay, he said.
Meanwhile, Listrom said, he had some "good news."
He said arrangements were being made to enable him in about two months to redeploy back to his former job as a U.S. State Department contractor, working with the U.S. military in the Middle East.
Listrom dealt with hurricanes Ian and Idalia
Living on a boat has been the latest adventure for Listrom , who's seen his share of interesting experiences.
"I've done it all, seen it all," he said.
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 he kept anchored about 1,000 feet from shore in Charlotte Harbor at Punta Gorda, Florida.
Listrom likes living on a boat.
He told in a Facebook post in July 2022 about how he awoke to see dolphins playing in the water beside his trawler, and they followed him as he rowed to shore in his dinghy.
But Hurricane Ian in September 2022 sank Thin Blue Line while Listrom rode out the storm inland in his SUV.
Listrom then bought a sailboat, Thin Blue Line II, on which he lived until last month.
He successfully rode out the storm surge from Hurricane Idalia in August 2023 while sitting anchored in a cove near Punta Gorda.
Listrom's boat was hit Sept. 26 in shallow water in Charlotte Harbor
But misfortunate struck on Sept. 26 as Hurricane Helene passed 200 miles to the north of Charlotte Harbor.
At the time, Listrom said, he had Thin Blue Line II anchored in water that was about 6 feet deep. Winds were coming at 25 to 35 mph, and gusting a bit higher.
Listrom wrote on Facebook that afternoon that "a couple boats" in the harbor had broken anchor and drifted off, but Thin Blue Line II was holding steady.
“This will all be over in four more hours,” he wrote.
But about two hours later, he said, a sailboat that had broken loose from its anchor rammed into Thin Blue Line II, gashing big holes in it and pushing it into a flooded park near the shore.
"Firefighters came out and got me," Listrom recalled.
"Make sure your readers know I am a pretty good sailor," he added. "I did everything right this time — then the sailboat hit me."
Listrom provided The Capital-Journal a copy of a photo of his boat, which he said remained sitting Monday in that park after the floodwaters receded.
He said he expects the boat to be declared a total loss but hasn't yet settled with the insurance company on it.
Listrom also lost his vehicle as a result of Hurricane Helene and has been paid for that, he said.
What's next for former Topekan Randall Listrom?
After his boat was hit, Listrom said he spent the entire following night helping a friend deal with storm surge, which was affecting his home.
Then he got a room in the hotel where he stayed until he evacuated on Monday.
Now, Listrom said, he's looking forward to being deployed by the State Department to the Middle East.
But first, he said, he plans after the hurricane passes to finish dealing with the insurance company regarding his boat.
He'll then return to Kansas and stay for about a month before leaving for deployment, he said.
This story was updated to correct an error.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Ex-Topekan lived dream on Florida coast. He lost 2 boats to hurricanes in 2 years
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