Greets from... the ocean?

[jago25_98]

When people ask where I'm from, I'm not sure what to say. I was born near Poole so that's usually what I stick with. I also know Plymouth quiet well.
The truth is I don't identify with anywhere now.

I work at sea in Oil and Gas. The sea seems the only constant. When I'm not working I usually stay with a girlfriend, though sometimes with family.
Last year I spent a lot of time in Argentina and working in the North Sea.

A couple of years ago I'd saved up enough cash to buy a house but I wasn't sure where on earth to settle down and I ended up losing the lot in an investment screw up.

I now have little cash but I have the dream seeded of livingaboard. I'm a beginner to Yachts though. Looking at what I want to get out of it I'm wondering if possibly a Yacht isn't the best thing to deliver... what do you think? This is what I'm looking to get out of it:

1) Home. I've never had my own place & I don't feel welcome on land. I've been living out of a suitcase and I'm sick of it. I'd like to buy a place but I've no idea where to do it... why not a Yacht? I'd be up-sizing.
2) Avoiding bureaucratic procedures and land annoyances. I hate paperwork. VISAs with girlfriends has brought a lot of heartache. I can't stand airports. I'd love to avoid as much of that as possible. I'm not sure a boat would help much... I'd really like to be able to avoid all this. It would be tempting to go cowboy I'm sure, not so much for the money but for the freedom. In a sense I want to do things we feel we can't do on land.
3) A challenge. My own thing. As an employee I always feel limited... like a child. It would be nice to grow a little. I'm a jack of all trades, master of none so it seems like a dream of good fit. I enjoy the thought of finding cheap ways to achieve things especially in the challenging environment of electronics and seawater.
4) I wonder if it could inspire some moves in some kind of modest business
5) I think it's perfect to find myself. I think regardless of cost I might just have to do this to get it out of my system.

However, the threat to me is costs. I read a book called "Sailing the farm" about a Vegan who grows all his own food, running everything at very low costs and does a little trading to get by. Very inspirational but he sounds single...
For me getting out on the water would give me an immediate sense of freedom but how far does that freedom really run if you're using a credit card in a shoddy currency?
That's the aspect that worries me, bills and repairs that I can't do myself. I always remember having my campervan, knowing that I could fix it myself if I just had somewhere to do it under the dry and the tools to do it with! Very frustrating at times. I don't want to have that experience too much again.

Training is in earnest so far; competent crew. This little solent adventure included:
- slipping off the quay straight to under sail at LymingtonSpa (!) and then hard tacking before even getting into the channel,
- a force7 off Bournemouth pier at the helm for the ~2nd day,
- onto mooring under sail with a broken engine,
& experiencing someone crashing into us at mooring.

Needless to say I had some memories I'll never forget.

The dream matches very well with my heart but boats are very much the depreciating asset and I know it's would be very challenging to keep things dry and feel spacious. For the moment I feel the next stage would be getting in with a crew, getting Day Skipper nailed, maybe short term chartering and possibly doing some boat delivery work just to make sure this is for me.

I have an appreciation of the magnitude of what I'm getting myself in for but I also have a sense for how horribly nieve I must be...

I'm very interested in some kind of alternative lifestyle. I've seen very interesting things on my travels. This thread seems intriguing:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post994047

As for cash, I wonder if I'm pipe dreaming. I had a 5m camper, my goal would to be more comfortable than that:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...s-81331-5.html
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...-71780-14.html

[tbodine88]

I knew a guy who worked oil rigs in the north sea like you and kept a live aboard yacht in Antigua for when he was off. He seemed to be doing ok.

Look at some boats, and decide what style you'd like. Then worry about all else.

Good luck and welcome

[Tony B]

I work the oil rigs in the GUlf of Mexico and I live aboard in Kemah, Tx.
I cant see anything complicated about that.
I could go ahead and list many places that I used to live but if someone askes me where I live, I simply say Kemah, Tx.
Matter of fact, I am sending this from a deep water platform right now - Im on the Murphy Oil Corp. "Medusa"

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here. Your plans and wishes sound great. There are bureaucrats in the boating world too but probably not so many as the landlocked world and you can always sail away.
kind regards,