Yacht Sitting Idea Experienced Couple

[fsh_bait]

We are a couple with about seven weeks bareboat charter experience who for the past two years have been traveling the US, housesitting pets with stays found at "trustedhousesitters.com". We have all five-star reviews and enjoy the lifestyle.

We have downsized many times and all possessions now fit in a small cargo trailer we tow behind our Subaru Forester. Husband works full-time at a very good job (56 years old); wife is retired nurse (56 years old).

Next year we plan on finding the right catamaran and will live aboard on the US coast until retiring in 2024, at which time we will branch out to explore at least the Caribbean.

In the meantime, we would be interested in boat sitting a late-model boat (mono or cat) in FL or other mostly warm location, that is on a anchored/moored or in a slip, at a marine with great wifi and good clubhouse facilities. We would consider caring for a cat or dog for limited stays as well (a month or so), but will agree to a longer stay without pets.

What do we want? Place to live, good internet at marina/on boat, want to improve boat maintenance skills and mingle with others experienced sailors, and a couple plane tickets (if stay is outside the US). Expect to stay at anchor/mooring/slip unless owner wants us to take the boat out.

What do you get? Someone to maintain your boat, security, free labor, peace of mind, pet care for shorter sits (happy to provide many references).

Our current pet/housesit (a long one), ends November 28, 2022. We have availability to go anywhere your boat may be, after that.

We are interested in any/all comments about our plan and interest from yacht owners who may be tired of worrying about their boat.

[Mike OReilly]

I'll be interested to see what comes. This topic came up recently in another thread. Like you, my partner and I have been house sitting for some time now (years for us). We live and cruise on our boat in the warm months and house sit during the cold.

https://www.housesitterscanada.com/h...itter/ann_mike

I'd love to try boat sitting, but have yet to find any way to connect with potential owners. I know it does happen, but seems more ad-hoc, less well organized that the house sitting world. Probably because there are far fewer opportunities, but perhaps it's because people are just unaware of this kind of arrangement.

Anyway, good luck. Love to hear if you have success.

[fsh_bait]

There are many longer-term winter house sits in Canada on TrustedHousesitters, but I bet you have an easy time finding the right one on the site you use as well.

I'll let you know via this thread, if we find a stay/path forward based on the Cruisers Forum, or find something elsewhere (our financial planner guy has quite a few clients who bought boats during the pandemic so we may get lucky and find a sit that way).

[Mike OReilly]

We use three sites (Housecarers, Mindmyhouse and Housesitters Canada). I haven't tried Trusted, although I'm sure they're good as well.

We tend to gravitate to longer house sits, and prefer rural/remote. As you've no doubt noticed, there's a real uptick in demand now that Covid travel restrictions are easing. Good times.

[goboatingnow]

Whilst house sitting is a “ thing “ albeit rare enough , I’ve not seen boat sitting except those who are friends of the owners. Living on a boat wears things out , insurance can be an issue and quite frankly most boats don’t need attention and if they do , people pay gardinage

I’ve only ever seen it on big yachts and then it’s a paid job, with references etc.