Sailing away for a Dollar a day???!!

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Ram

I paid $68 usd to have my cat hauled out pressured washed & sit on the hard for 9 days in Tunisa-......
My costs are runnin about $1000 a month for everyhing, thats food, fuel and what ever for the last 2 years for 2 people, ....in the Med , ......, and crusiing all over wile doing so.

Well thats excellent to be able to do that in the Med and continuing to cruise and enjoy yourselves.
These posts do inspire me with confidence that when we get to do it later this year, that *touch wood* as long as the boat hangs together in an afordable maintenance way, we will have enough dosh to fulfil our humble dreams and still have a dollar or too for a beer at the end of the day.



Tunisia has been on my radar for a while, but I havent heard too many people mention it. It sounds perfect as its just a quick hop from Palma.
What were the facilities like for hauling and where were they?
3 nm's south west of Hammamet is a very slick looking one. I could do 9 days there anytime 36°22'24.40"N 10°32'49.86"E

Mark

[ssullivan]

Originally Posted by Divecoz

Panama and Nicaragua are two. In Fact I am waiting to hear back from a fellow I did a hotel for in Mexico concerning one or the other as our next project location. Would I ever want to actually live there ? I'll let you know when and if this project ever lands...

What about this?:

Press Releases: Panama: Floods - Sep 2004, Emergency aid for hurricane disaster in Panama, Contributions: Panama: Floods - Sep 2004, Emergency aid for hurricane disaster in Panama

and this?:

Category:Hurricanes in Nicaragua - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Looking at this map tracking a bunch of tropical weather, Indonesia and South America look good:

Image:Global tropical cyclone tracks-edit2.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Zach]

I've been struggling with this question as well. It seems like stepping back decades and centuries in boat technology or lifestyle is the easiest (perhaps the wrong word) way to cut costs.

The harder someones willing to work to sail the boat, the less parts are required... and less to maintain and replace when they wear out. I've about had it with my aft lead lines, jamming jib halyards while wrestling a 170 genoa down isn't fun...

Have you guys considered using the same size running rigging for everything so a 600 foot spool would do everything needed, enough for spares? Might add some windage and weight up high, but the topping lift would be hard pressed to ever chafe through.

[ssullivan]

Originally Posted by Zach

I've been struggling with this question as well. It seems like stepping back decades and centuries in boat technology or lifestyle is the easiest (perhaps the wrong word) way to cut costs.

The harder someones willing to work to sail the boat, the less parts are required... and less to maintain and replace when they wear out. I've about had it with my aft lead lines, jamming jib halyards while wrestling a 170 genoa down isn't fun...

Have you guys considered using the same size running rigging for everything so a 600 foot spool would do everything needed, enough for spares? Might add some windage and weight up high, but the topping lift would be hard pressed to ever chafe through.

Zach,

I agree. This is the only way I have ever found to save $$ - using very rugged and industrial type stuff and having as few systems as possible.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Zach

It seems like stepping back decades and centuries in boat technology or lifestyle is the easiest (perhaps the wrong word) way to cut costs.

wrestling a 170 genoa down isn't fun...

You're right. And the purity of sailing is enhanced when its just a wet bum and a nose to the wind.

I have been on a boat with everything electric (even a cappuccino maker - i kid you not) electric winches and 2 forestays about 1 foot infront of the other. At the wheel there was a lighted panel showing the boat and every winch with a toggle button next to it to bring the winch in or out.
Because of the forestay Genoa arrangement to tack you had to furl the working Genoa, tack on the main and then unfurl the new working genoa.
So tacking was this series of button pushes with dancing fingers playing with the winch control thingy and the autopilot. Great fun for the first 30 minutes and then you just get bored!! Theres nothing to do! No fun! you never 'feel' a rope! You never feel the water on the hydraulic rudder; no tell tails on the sails or shrouds or backstay because all the instruments and furlers. It doesnt feel like sailing it feels like playing a computer game.

Originally Posted by Zach

wrestling a 170 genoa down isn't fun...

Look at the racing boats. Why arn't they using big genoas anymore? See photo below and have a look at xsracing.org or other racing sites. Now think: a jib means less chafe, less running rigging, less cost, winches don't need to be as big as you only work them for shorter time, and even allows itself to be self tacking.

So find out why the are going back to the 'old days' and see if it can work for you

[stevelxls]

I don't know everyone elses view, but comparing this topic to (for example) the topic US off shore sailing regulations (http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ons-12453.html) highlights the vast difference in attitudes and outlook between the many members of this forum.

Here we are 'sailing away for a dollar a day' whilst that topic is primarily discussing five figure sums of equipment to allow yachts to go offshore!

There are clearly many people throughout this forum with the money available to buy every conceivable piece of equipment going. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I don't fall into that category, so does that mean I should miss out and the seas should become some sort of exclusive water based 'country club'?

... I think I'll stick with Sailing away for a dollar a day???!!

[Divecoz]

Sometimes a thread just needs to re-focus seems they all either get Hi-jacked from time to time or worse die an early death.
I am still in hopes RAM re-joins the discussion soon and sees the question concerning just what a $1000.00 per month of his money buys for him.
So back to the idea of a Dollar a day??? make that $10 $20 even $30

[ssullivan]

Originally Posted by Divecoz

Sometimes a thread just needs to re-focus seems they all either get Hi-jacked from time to time or worse die an early death.
I am still in hopes RAM re-joins the discussion soon and sees the question concerning just what a $1000.00 per month of his money buys for him.
So back to the idea of a Dollar a day??? make that $10 $20 even $30

Did you want to know what it buys in the Northeast USA, or just the Med? I have a spreadsheet from our experience in the USA on the same budget.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by ssullivan

I have a spreadsheet from our experience in the

Originally Posted by ssullivan

USA on the same budget.

That would be good!
I have the spreadsheets from an article posted in some mag a while ago with links here somewhere (wouldnt know where as budgets don't get their own forum here! ) and I would like to compare any others.

There is one basic interesting thing I've found for the whole $1 or $1,000 per month bit is the same as why this discussion gets derailed here like Divcos say. Its because maintenance costs and other costs not associated with living get mixed into the spread sheets.
On one from the magazine the $8,000 family flights home per year were factored in.
But if you took off the enhancements to the million dollar boat and the $10k side trips the actual living budgets were pretty much the same. Only real difference was the number of restaurants.

So if we leave the length of string that is maintenance (unless its so noteworthy like the $60 haulout for 9 days) then we can actually see great figures of where life is cheaper, or how to make it cheaper etc.

Now if you think $1 per day is stupidly small, my budget is only about $16 per person (2 of us) and that = $1,000 per month (no maintenance included).
So that $16/$32 per day doesnt sound like much to me at all. (Pity the folks whose maintenance budget is out of the 1,000 because then they may have to live on $8/16 per day or whatever.)

Really then, for all of us, living for 2 days per week on fish we have caught and cheap rice/lentals/local veges is of paramount importance. Then I can splash out once per week at the pub and still have fuel for the dink, power and getting to the next place.



Mark

[Ram]

I spend about $1000 a month in the Med, , first the boat is new so I have not had to pay any repair bills yet.
Food is the biggest thing so far, we eat on board most of the time, eating out only a few times a week -you can find a good meal out for $12usd if you look around and ask people where a good and cheap place to eat is.
We spend about $ 20 a day on food for 2 of us on board . We do grow sprouts ,and that is very healthy and cheap and we shope at the local food markets and eat whats in season

For fun We ride our bikes somtimes in the countryside and load up on figs, grapes peachs, pairs and lots of other things, My Girl friend is French and and not shy, many times she has seen someone that was growing things and has asked for a taste, and before you know it there giving us all we can carry away,We catch a few fish and Octopuss we are careful on how much we spend, IF we want fish , we buy it right off the fishing boats.

Many of the Marinas in Greece are Free, I think about half of them and on the other hand only 25% bother to come and charge you , most places you can stay a few days before you are charged. The charge for a 12 meter cat in Greece is about 10 euros when you are charged.

You know when you find a great place you dont want to tell to many people , because your afraid too many people will come and mess it up for you , well thats how many places in Greece are, Cheaper than Turkey, I think much nicer and the people are great. My boat is staying in a marina free all winter, I found many places like this, I am paying a guy 300 euros to watch it a month .
Quite a few months we spent less than $1000, somtimes a little more
with the devauleing of the $ I suppose its gonna cost a few hundred a month more this year.
Fuel costs are about $150-200 a month if we need to get somewhere (pick up a charter)

Tunisia Is also very cheap in some places, other places not so cheap, Great master wood workers will work for you for about $20usd and some skilled labor for $7usd a day ,and im going to have a lot of nice custom things done next winter there.
I kept the boat there last winter and it cost about $100 a month , food is even cheaper there, but on a whole not as good. in the winter there only about 3-4 veggies you can get for months.

[DaveyJones]

Great thread here.

The $1000 per mo sounds good.

What would you think the extra cost would be if the boat were not necessarily new but more along the lines of a barnacle barge with new engine, new heavy sails, and new minimal rigging.

Aside from getting thrashed by a water spout or running on a reef what are some of the unexpected expensive things that can happen to an old boat.

Hard bottom paint with regular in the water cleaning sounds good to me.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by DaveyJones

What would you think the extra cost would be if the boat were not necessarily new but more along the lines of a barnacle barge .

I can tell you exactly:

USD$341.65 per month exactly!

Thats $4098.60 per year.

Methodology: Adding up all the "Gear, Repairs" over 5 yachts of varing budget over 1 yar after having cruised for several years, then averaging. (One goose who spent $17k in one year I left out!)

So, mate, there you go. As an exact figure as you are likely to get.

Read it from Cruising World here cw_stories_9


*In all seriousness its not a bad figure to think about. Great article!


Mark

[DaveyJones]

Thanks,

That's good to know.

[s/v Breakaway]

I haven't tread his website for quite some time, and he is currently living ashore, but I recall James Baldwin lived quite modestly around the globe for several years aboard a Pearson Titan 28 that he did a beautiful renovation to:

Atom Voyages | Voyaging Around the World on the Sailboat Atom with James and Mei

[Zach]

Any more thoughts on this?

I keep struggling with cheap replacements that will last a shorter period than quality expensive gear. Even if its used, the lifecycle of quality and the ability to rebuild seems important. (Struggling with the cost of manual bilge pumps... common sense dictates buying the best bilge pump possible, if its the last thing keeping you afloat!)