Cruising while NOT living aboard?

[thesaltytar]

An idea I've wondered about is living in an area and keeping the boat someplace else. When I get breaks from work we could join the boat, sail on to a different destination, come back home, enjoy land life, then I could go back to work.

The concept has advantages and disadvantages. Our non live aboard boat wouldn't have to pull triple duty as home, attic, and basement, so we could keep her fairly lean and, God forbid anything happen such as a hurricane, not have all our proverbial eggs in one basket.

But is it feasible? Have any of you done this domestically or abroad? I'm curious what the pitfalls are.

And I have nothing against living aboard, maybe we will do so in the future. I have for many years; but right now we're liking the concept of trying this approach.

[El Pinguino]

Been doing that since 2003/4 - until Covid struck.
Home in Australia - boat in the 'southern cone' of South America with the exception of 18 months when she was in New Zealand.
Typically 6 months pa on the boat spread over two or three trips. Longest unbroken spell on the boat five months. When she was in NZ it was +/- a month on the boat - a month back on the farm.

Pitfalls? None that I can think of.

Covid rather stuffed things up but hope to normalise things in the near future. Only 2 and a bit months on board so far this year - another two months coming up.

[El Pinguino]

PS It has been handy that I have been nominally retired since 2006 and am now my own boss.

[more]

Originally Posted by thesaltytar

An idea I've wondered about is living in an area and keeping the boat someplace else. When I get breaks from work we could join the boat, sail on to a different destination, come back home, enjoy land life, then I could go back to work.

The concept has advantages and disadvantages. Our non live aboard boat wouldn't have to pull triple duty as home, attic, and basement, so we could keep her fairly lean and, God forbid anything happen such as a hurricane, not have all our proverbial eggs in one basket.

But is it feasible? Have any of you done this domestically or abroad? I'm curious what the pitfalls are.

And I have nothing against living aboard, maybe we will do so in the future. I have for many years; but right now we're liking the concept of trying this approach.

99,9999999 people doing like this
have boat in marina and coming on boat xx week yearly or on weekend
only strange people living on boat all year, living on boat all year is not healthy all this people have problem with back,neck

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by more

99,9999999 people doing like this
have boat in marina and coming on boat xx week yearly or on weekend
only strange people living on boat all year, living on boat all year is not healthy all this people have problem with back,neck

A majority commute between home and a marina where the boat stays in that marina which is its 'home port'.

Not so many 'move base' while doing this.

Over the last 19 years I have left my boat - in no particular order and in most cases more than once - Gulf Harbour and Mt Manganui(sp) , NZ; Puerto Montt, Puerto Williams, Antofagasta, Chile; Port Stanley F.I. ; San Fernando (BA), Arg; Colonia, Uruguay; and -during Covid - Puerto Lucia, Ecuador.

Security has been good everywhere , cost has varied from four fifths of not very much to rather a lot, only worrying one has been Antofagasta due to risk of bravazdas(sp) , terramotos and tsunamis but she survived 2 x 3 month spells there.

[Mike OReilly]

We do a version of this with our cruising life. We live and cruise on our boat for about 1/2 the year, then we haul out for the winter and go do other things. We have no permanent land home, but we do travel on land (via cheap, little car).

We tend to base the boat in an area for a few years so we can explore and get to know the place. Then we move on and repeat.

[smith8273]

There is a YouTube family that does that. Sailing around the world part time. He sails during summers, leaves the boat wherever and files home. The channel is called 'Slow Boat Sailing.' or something like that.

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

We do a version of this with our cruising life. We live and cruise on our boat for about 1/2 the year, then we haul out for the winter and go do other things. We have no permanent land home, but we do travel on land (via cheap, little car).

We tend to base the boat in an area for a few years so we can explore and get to know the place. Then we move on and repeat.

We do similar. We live on the boat in New England for 5-6 months, then we live in our house in Florida for 6-7 months. We've toyed with the idea of getting an RV and doing the Southwest US during the winter. However, I still work (remotely) full time, so I have to admit, I do enjoy having my office (home office..I've been WFH for over 15 years), 6-7 months out of the year.

[wingssail]

Many people do this.

Money is one issue. You must pay for the marina berth when you are not using the boat, meanwhile paying for your residence elsewhere. Flying to and back from the boat is also expensive. But if you are working and affluent this is not a concern.

Secondly you need to arrange good custody of the vessel while you are gone. That includes keeping it clean, checking the bilges, running the engine, and other typical "boat watching" tasks. Things happen to a boat which is sitting idle. Finding a reliable person to do this can be challenging. Cost may be an issue depending on where in the world you leave the boat.

I also note that for many people there is some hard work putting the boat away when they get ready to leave, and re-commissioning it when they return. Some folks take two weeks, or more, at each end. Others just leave. But my friend, who has a boat, two houses and two cars, and is very careful about how his stuff is cared for, spends half of his year either getting something ready to leave or getting it ready to use when he comes back.

Finally, for some of us, it is an emotional thing. Depending on where in your list of "what's important to me" your boat lies, you many not wish to let it out of your sight so long. For me, I can hardly stand to be away from the boat for two weeks. On the other hand, it's just a boat, maybe I should stop worrying so much.

[thesaltytar]

I had a bad experience in Panama leaving a boat. This is back when the Yacht Club was still around in Colon. I had to park the boat (it was my mom's catamaran) and go back to work for a couple months. I left the boat in the care of a local agent.

When the government decided to annex that area for the port, the marina never passed that information along so they could continue taking slip fees (or alternately my agent never informed us - never did figure out which scenario it was). Long story short I got a call to get the boat out in two weeks or it becomes property of Panama.

I flew down there and the whole marina was razed. Rubble. Everything of value (electronics, VHF, GPS, all nav equipment) was gone. Even took my sextant. Motor didn't start. I got a tow to the entrance, wind was blowing westerly so I ended up in Bocas del Toro (an easterly wind would have put me at Portobello).

In all the excitement I never got my zarpe. The harbormaster informed me the government had seized the vessel. I technically became a pirate by stealing my mom's vessel from the Panamanian government. So there's that.

The whole experience really put a damper on my hopes of going places and leaving the vessel in someone else's care for short periods of time and remains a present concern.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by thesaltytar

I had a bad experience in Panama leaving a boat. This is back when the Yacht Club was still around in Colon. I had to park the boat (it was my mom's catamaran) and go back to work for a couple months. I left the boat in the care of a local agent.

When the government decided to annex that area for the port, the marina never passed that information along so they could continue taking slip fees (or alternately my agent never informed us - never did figure out which scenario it was). Long story short I got a call to get the boat out in two weeks or it becomes property of Panama.

I flew down there and the whole marina was razed. Rubble. Everything of value (electronics, VHF, GPS, all nav equipment) was gone. Even took my sextant. Motor didn't start. I got a tow to the entrance, wind was blowing westerly so I ended up in Bocas del Toro (an easterly wind would have put me at Portobello).

In all the excitement I never got my zarpe. The harbormaster informed me the government had seized the vessel. I technically became a pirate by stealing my mom's vessel from the Panamanian government. So there's that.

The whole experience really put a damper on my hopes of going places and leaving the vessel in someone else's care for short periods of time and remains a present concern.

If you aren't too attached to your boat (and you can afford to pay for what happens), go ahead and leave it. But if you love your boat, and just want to hug it every day, don't let your eyes off of it for long.

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by wingssail

If you aren't too attached to your boat (and you can afford to pay for what happens), go ahead and leave it. But if you love your boat, and just want to hug it every day, don't let your eyes off of it for long.

I think the moral of the story is really about WHERE you leave it and with whom do you entrust watching.

We've left our boats on the hard in the winter in freezing climates for over 15 yrs with no issues.

[thesaltytar]

Okay, thank you for all the input. I realize I might just be once burnt by circumstance. I'm aware how statistically wrong a case study can be even if it's my own.

So how well does your boat stay laid up? There was talk over extensive layup and prep, and I realize this is different for different people. But how about mold? It's not a big deal when I keep my boat at home on the dock, plugged in, air circulating, AC running. But all the sheets, fabrics, surfaces.. especially in a hot climate. What do you come back to?

Do you always haul out and drop the sticks? Or do you keep a wet slip with shore power plugged in?

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by thesaltytar

Okay, thank you for all the input. I realize I might just be once burnt by circumstance. I'm aware how statistically wrong a case study can be even if it's my own.

So how well does your boat stay laid up? There was talk over extensive layup and prep, and I realize this is different for different people. But how about mold? It's not a big deal when I keep my boat at home on the dock, plugged in, air circulating, AC running. But all the sheets, fabrics, surfaces.. especially in a hot climate. What do you come back to?

Do you always haul out and drop the sticks? Or do you keep a wet slip with shore power plugged in?

First up - Panama. I wouldn't leave my boat there because of the incidence of lightning strikes.

Laying up? Ecuador was an unexpected 2 years with the boat - laid up ashore - closed up tight as a crabs' bum at 20 fathoms. Salinas/La Libertad although tropical has a very dry climate
No mould. A few tins of food assorted had 'popped'. Plastic handles on a few pots and pans had become 'sticky' . A bilge pump and two shower sump pumps had ceased to function. The alloy parts of the bilge pump - having sat in a dry bilge for all that time - had turned to a a grey powder.

Elsewhere - non tropical - mould in the galley area used to be a problem. Wiping down with eucalyptus oil solved that. It was also a bit of a problem with the neck area of wet weather gear.

I always leave all lockers open so everything can breath. In the south some people would pay to have the boat opened up and 'aired' every few weeks. Leaving the boat closed lets the moisture condense out of the internal air. Opening it up all the time just lets new moisture into the boat.

Stick only comes out for maintenance. Apart from Puerto Montt - where I prefer to be out of the water getting work done - and Ecuador where there are surge issues always afloat.

Re-activation and ready to go sailing I allow a week if a lot of storing is involved. Sometimes longer if I find I have arrived at the start of a five day fiesta for the sainted mother of the great unwashed or some such. Laying up about 2 days.

Hope this helps.

Extra bit - all the countries I have been to give at least 1 year temporary import for the boat. Most give two.

[Jim Cate]

only strange people living on boat all year, living on boat all year is not healthy all this people have problem with back,neck

Sheesh, I sure wish you had told me this back in 1986 when Ann and I moved aboard and began cruising full time. But then, I suppose that some folks think we're "strange"...
And yeah, some health issues have popped up during those years, but then at age 84 and 82, that could possibly not be related to living aboard, doncha think?

And those have been the best years of my life, mate, and well worth the cost of having you think I'm strange and sickly.

Jim