REAL CRUISING

[captain58sailin]

Boatless4now,
I have seen both sides of the street, and like the above posters a lot of it has to do with your particular temperament. Back in '88 I met a young man from England, who had built a 32' sailboat from the bare hull up and proceeded to cruise about where it made him happy, I crossed paths with him in Hawaii, we were both working for the same man refitting a sailing tourist vessel for USCG inspection, he was a really good carpenter. His way of going about was cruise until he was down to $5000.00 US and then go to work where ever he was to boost his bank. He told me that as he got older that his bank would increase as well, so at $5000.00 he considered himself broke and would earn more money. Myself I went a different route and opted for the same path as many of the previous posters, and have built up my retirement and investments to support me, plus use the active income I have now to refit my vessel as best I can, so that when I do step off the dock permanently, my equipment is in the best shape it can be and hopefully stave off any monster repairs for a few years. I also opted for a multi functional vessel, which made her slightly more expensive, but I have the option of commercial fishing, for income, with a 7 ton freezer hold and more hydraulics than your average cruising sail vessel.
It is kind of like boats, the plans, and how to, come in all different shapes and sizes. As wide as the imagination of human beings. All the best in your quest.

[Boracay]

If you have good cruising skills and a good reputation then you should not find it hard to get a boat, doing deliveries or whatever.

[Salmon Hatchery]

I'll give a different point of view.
I'm a 22 year old college student. My boat sailed me straight to the poor house. Though its literally held together by a whim, an prayer and a hell of a lot of epoxy, its my passion. The only steadfast goal I have in life is to be able to sail an amazing boat around the world for the REST of my life. In order to follow through with that my plan is to graduate college, to to grad school, make enough money doing something i most likely won't enjoy, only to reap the benefits for the rest of my life. Now i fully realize that this is a very self-centered goal, and...... i've got no argument
So that's not how i currently finance my sailing, (now I cook) but thats how I plan on financing it in the far future.

[Hampus]

Sven Lundin, or Sven Yrvind as he calls himself now is probably one of Swedens most mell known sailors. He lived an amazing life really and always went his own way. His books are really funny and inspirational. You acn read alot about and by him on his webpage, it's in english: Welcome to Sven Yrvind- the official website If you're interested, I advise you to really take your time reading his texts and looking at the pictures. Enjoy!

Edit: I'm not going off topic really. Sven gives a different approach to cruising and how to fund it. Certainly not for everyone though.

/Hampus

[Vega1860]

Originally Posted by Salmon Hatchery

I'll give a different point of view.
I'm a 22 year old college student. My boat sailed me straight to the poor house. Though its literally held together by a whim, an prayer and a hell of a lot of epoxy, its my passion. The only steadfast goal I have in life is to be able to sail an amazing boat around the world for the REST of my life. In order to follow through with that my plan is to graduate college, to to grad school, make enough money doing something i most likely won't enjoy, only to reap the benefits for the rest of my life. Now i fully realize that this is a very self-centered goal, and...... i've got no argument
So that's not how i currently finance my sailing, (now I cook) but thats how I plan on financing it in the far future.

If I were a 22 year old cook with the goal of cruising, I would join SIU (Seafarers International Union), ship out as a cook on commercial vessels, and get some experience at sea while earning good money that you have no opportunity to spend ashore on cars, rent, entertainment or toys. I know several men and women who have been able to put together a substantial nest egg as well as an impressive maritime resume in a very short time. It is hard work but very rewarding with the added benefit that it is very common for people in the maritime trades to take long layoffs between jobs so no stigma attached and you can ship out from just about anywhere.

If you want it quick (And I am certain that at your age you do) there is no substitute for hard work and sacrifice.

[Rhosyn Mor]

I consider my self a full time cruiser, in that I do not have a land base, and spend all my time working out how to get to the next destination.
Unlike many others here, I have very few resources, my only savings are a cruising kitty. Everything I have is invested in Rhosyn Mor one way or another. I Am one of those who cruise to a destination, stay there a while, work, do any repairs or upgrades while there and then sail to the next spot. on Rhosyn Mor my cruising costs look to be about $7000 a year. This covers me and basic maintenance, large items, such as this years repower require a stop to work. I do not " camp out" on Rhosyn Mor and live quite well overall. Boat systems are very simple, no fridge, hot water, pressure water, watermaker etc etc. But there is a well stocked galley and library. When people ask me what I am going to do about long term viability there are two replies A) what happens, happens and I would rather do this now ( 52 this year) and not have regrets that I did not undertake cruising sooner, and
B) Being a UK citizen means I will always have free healthcare etc. ( I might be of the last generation of Brits who will be able to say that )
My one suggestion would be to read Pete And Annie Hill's " voyaging on a small income" Pete is a friend of mine, and truly lives his philosophy

[kevingy]

Boatless,

I'm not out there yet, but I'd like to put in my $0.02. This is more philosophy than practice anyway.

When you see, “go now”, that doesn’t necessarily mean go out this weekend, buy a boat, and sail away. In my opinion, “go now” means make a plan now, start living the plan now, and then, when you’re ready, go. Your plan determines when you are ready. No matter how you look at it, the amount of time needed between plan and go depends on your individual choices. That amount of time might be a week or a lifetime.

Also, I’d like to dispel the perception that all cruisers are either wealthy living off of a trust fund or retired and living off savings. There are many that have chosen to continue to work while underway. They move from place to place working as much or as little as needed to keep going. The jobs range from unskilled to tradesmen to technical. It’s not the case that you must have a sizeable cruising kitty to even consider cruising.

Personally, I am a computer programmer on land (working from home) and intend to continue to be a computer programmer while underway (still working from home). I will continue to draw my hourly rate, but will probably work fewer hours, resulting in a lower gross income. However, my cost of living will also be greatly reduced. In the long run, I anticipate my net income will actually be higher. I will continue to save for retirement. I will continue to invest. This leads to my exit strategy, should I choose to eventually exit.

Finally, there is no one definition of “real cruising”. Each of us needs to define what “real cruising” is for ourselves. Don’t ever let anyone else define what is “real cruising” for you. If you try to live by someone else’s definition of “real cruising” (or anything else for that matter), you will be unhappy. There are some (on this very forum) who are holier-than-thou and look down their nose at those who work while underway and consider them "not real cruisers" or make a distinction between a "cruiser" and a "live aboard", “live aboard” being a working cruiser. They try to tell you that you can’t work because that’s not what cruising is about and that you're foolish or ignorant to think that you can cruise and work at the same time, when it's really the case that you don't fit into their box.

Personally, I dismiss them with a wave of my paw and a loud “Bah.”

[getlostonpurpose]

In my opinion, anyone who already has a boat, wants to cruise, isn't tied down with family, and is in a web/computer based business can cut the lines and head out today.

Wifi is just about everywhere nowadays and it's only getting better. You can move between anchorages/docks with wifi, do short passages on the weekend, and just about keep a regular work week if you really wanted. But then again, most computer based jobs don't require a regular work week at home anyways. Make sure the power/charging setup on your boat is adequate enough to power the computer and you've got somewhere comfy to sit and that's about it. Just like sitting at your desk at home. I can make calls, videoconference, etc sitting right here in the anchorage on Moorea in French Polynesia. I've met several designers, webmasters, and other traders out here doing that. No, it's not retirement but who cares. I'm out here at least.

The big hurdle is getting the boat and setting it up.

Drew

[Highlander40]

All good posts. You can't go wrong by living simply.
At 52 years old, I can afford to sail away ( by myself) but I have a family ( wife and 6 yr old) so the thing comes down to being happy and comfortable in my own skin.
We have a power boat so its easy to get back but we do go places. Mostly from CT to Canada (almost). I guess the thing is we don't have to run away to have fun and adventure.
What blows my mind- I can not immagine heading off with even 250K in my pocket.
Thats just not enough. My ideal is to have 250K in interest income.
I know how rapidly a boat falls apart. This week I am looking at 10 K or more for a new generator.

Even if you can't GO NOW you should BOAT NOW.

[CharlieCobra]

Ok, I'm on the other side of the IT street. I'm a tester who specializes in Stress/Performance testing. Writing deliverables is one thing but have any of you IT guys currently cruising run across a need for QA out there?

[nautical62]

Originally Posted by kevingy

Boatless,

When you see, “go now”, that doesn’t necessarily mean go out this weekend, buy a boat, and sail away. In my opinion, “go now” means make a plan now, start living the plan now, and then, when you’re ready, go. ....

I very much agree with this. I'll ad that when many say "Don't wait - get out there now.", it doesn't mean expect to go soon and cruise the rest of your life on what you have now. It could mean change your job so you can cruise a few months a year. It could mean take a sailing sabbatical for a few years and then get back into the workplace. It could mean cruising part time and living aboard part time taking casual or temporary work.

I think the real message behind "go now", is don't put off your dreams for ever. Forever never gets here.

[Hudson Force]

I guess I subscribed to the go now, go early plan; however, with some restraints to keep a job. I decided to live on a sailboat when I was about 14. I kept some photos on the wall & I kept the plan through college. I met a lady in college that I had infected with this plan and we moved aboard a 1969 30' sloop that we bought in 1971 with even the downpayment borrowed. We worked our day jobs for 32 two years as public school teachers and cruised to the Bahamas during summer breaks. 'shorter cruises during many of the Christmas and spring breaks. We stayed on a 33' sloop until our children were 7 & 9 and then bought a 41' so we all could have some private space. We retired in 2002 and cruise fulltime now. We never owned a house; we never made a lot of money, but we were frugal. Now, with our pensions and retirement incomes we can cruise and live on about half of what we earn. There is a great freedom in non-ownership. We have no car, no storage unit, ..we own nothing that is not on board. Our only monthy bill is for our cell phone. We are not minimalists,- we did fly to Egypt for a couple of weeks in February. We anchor out often. We maintain our boat ourselves. ...and on occassion my wife will tell me that she loves our life! 'take care and joy, Aythya crew