Work from a Boat (WFAB) - liveaboard rental?

[SgtSparky]

New to CF and looking for information on any cruisers/yachts offering "office" locations on a blue water (Caribbean?) liveaboard?

I'm a professional (Male 50) work-aholic! but want to relax when I unplug at the end of the day.

If anyone has information they could point me to, I would greatly appreciate it.

I'm hoping I can find something for this upcoming March (2022) for the entire month.

Preference would be to have a crew aboard since I've not been boating

Hopefully I didn't miss any forums as I couldn't find info for this. (Maybe AirBNB unique locations?).

Cheers.

[dougweibel]

Welcome to CF.


It is not at all clear what you are looking for. Are you looking to live on someone else's boat, or are you looking for a place to keep a boat, or something else?

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by SgtSparky

I'm hoping I can find something for this upcoming March (2022) for the entire month.

Preference would be to have a crew aboard since I've not been boating

You don't own a boat, and have no experience. You want to rent a boat for a month that is fully crewed.

This is known as a Charter. 1 month charter with captain and crew is going to be very expensive.

[SgtSparky]

Agreed. Blue water charter with private office, wifi, etc.
Only been on a power catamaran a couple times and fell in love with it!
So I'm guessing AirBnB would be my best option?
Or if anyone is looking to bring in a little extra $$ for the month of March?!?

[sgl]

Laptop workaholic on a sailboat ? Tricky. My wife and I have been working remotely full time for a year in Bocas Del Toro, Panama for a year. Originally we were planning on living on a sailboat. But constantly looking for reliable wifi is hell, and your office on the water will be cramped and uncomfortable. We gave up on that idea and bought a house instead, with a small motor boat out front. Well will do the sailboat thing when we can dedicate all of our energy to it, otherwise you're just spending your week stressed out, hot, uncomfortable, and unproductive. Not worth it.

[denverd0n]

Blue water charter with a private office? AirBnB? Sorry, but it is still not at all clear what you are looking for. Do you want to be out cruising the ocean? Do you want to be in a slip at a marina, or maybe anchored in a quiet bay somewhere?

Whatever the case, unless you are chartering a mega-yacht (for mega-bucks) it is not likely to have anything that anyone would consider a "private office." More like a small cabin where you can sit with a laptop.

Perhaps your expectations need to be narrowed down a little more, and even reigned in some.

Good luck, in any case.

[JPA Cate]

If you'll need to move a lot of data around, you will not like marina's wifi. Usually, it is very slow. Something private using satphone might work, but will be $$$ intensive.

We've friends who work from their boat (a Tayana 55), and they wind up shackled to expensive marinas (better wifi), and hardly cruise at all.

Imo, sailboats are not really a good platform for this kind of work; a trawler might suit better.

With a crewed charter and you working, everyone else will be bored out of their gourds; and if you're traveling and paying attention to that, what work is going to be done?

First, check out rates for crewed charters, and see how the costs fit your budget. Mostly, charters run for 1 to 2 weeks.

Fwiw, it might be more fun to work 3 weeks, out of a small apartment, and go play one week on a charter, either trawler or sailboat, depending on your interests.

Ann

[captlloyd]

Here is a solution. Fly into Cancun, take the ferry over to Isla Mujeres and rent a condo for a month through Airbnb. Then at the end of the day, take one of the many cruises available around the island or sip cocktails on the beautiful beach. WiFi is pretty good most of the time. This can easily be done for less than $3000, or more if you are looking really upscale.

[Narfi]

I am pretty sure I read about a company in Croatia that was catering to chartering cabins for digital nomads. It might be worth looking into?

Edit: I think it was this company,
https://www.45degreessailing.com/digital-nomads/
(I know nothing about them)
Looks oriented perhaps towards a younger crowd, but it sounds like what you are talking about, maybe they do something similar in the Caribbean somewhere?

[Simon.Sails]

I think that's quite feasible, at least in the Med. You've got really fast 4g reception almost anywhere near the coast, so whether you're anchored in a nice bay or stay in a marina, you can certainly work on a boat. I know I do. Crewfinder and other sites may be what you're looking for, just make sure you clearly state your needs; a boat that stay somewhere and has a comfortable desk. Probably a catamaran I'd say?
So many cats stay in marinas most of the time, with liveaboard owners and empty guest cabins.

[Tetepare]

The request is reasonable enough from an Airbnb perspective most people use.

To summarize what has already been said, you might find a cheap cabin on a boat in a marina, and the wifi will suck. The other option is probably what you’re dreaming of, cruising off an island while on your laptop; that’s a $1000/day charter. Not much in between, but look hard enough and you’ll find something.

[SailSonoma]

Just sent a PM for your consideration