Want to cruise? DO IT NOW!

[Marco]

Thanks for all your postings... i so agree with you that i thought i'd share my project with you. I'm 27 and ten years ago i said i would sail around the world. I still remember the day and circumstances... i was a guest on a friends boat circumnavigating sardinia in the med... since then, more or less i have taken every step in my life accordingly. I'm italian, grew up in italy but figured i would graduate earlier and get a better paid job in the uk. i did so, chose economics and finance in the uk, graduated, got a job within a month in milano, worked there for 3 years in consulting (riding the degree abroad factor) till i hit a bit of a dead end... luck and circumstances sent me back to the uk. switched to a banking job in the city where the pay is decent for a dreamer. I developed a spread sheet to manage my dream, cold bloodedly, budget required to set off, budget for boat, for fitting out, for yearly living for first few years etc... had sailed since i was a kid but had never owned a boat so i thought i needed to know about the responsibilities of being an owner and not just a dreamer... in 2004 i bought a battered 1978 J24 with osmosis for a few thousand pounds, sailed it in the solent, raced a bit but mainly cruised. Then sold it last july. I had accumulated enough cash for part two of the project. I bought a tiny tiny flat in central london and rented it out... appreciation and rental income will be needed when somewhere on the other side of the world - now it's not much income given the mortgage but rents are due to go up and in the uk you can quite easily cash in capital gain by remortgaging periodically. Meanwhile i still live in shared rented accomodation. In November i finally bought the boat for the trip, a sigma 36, fin keel spade rudder 1983 cruiser racer by marine projects. I dont want to discuss whether she is the ideal boat or not (not even a skeg?!). I will quote the eternal sentence, every boat is a compromise and she is my compromise. She is very strongly built and has a good reputation in offshore races, even challenging races as the fastnet (see also the sigma 33 and sigma 38) and i will learn to accept her draw backs. I considered many other boats but this is what the budget managed. The boat was purchased with a 2/3 loan that i will repay in 5 years. I should be able to repay it earlier but more or less that brings me to my target departure date, 5 years... i will try to make it by 21 april 2010. my 32nd birthday, planning a 3 to 4 years trip. Apart the fitting out part (e.g. just ordered the windvane) i still have to find out who will join me (friend, girlfriend?), and what will happen with my life afterwards. but i'm sure i'll anwer these questions in the next few years or during the trip. For the time being it is reading posts like yours that i think that i have to think about health as a potential issue, even the health of my parents... my granpa died recently and i realised that it wouldnt be easy to be sailing somewhere on the other side of the world if i knew my parents were ill... so, the plan is to make it even before they get old and need assistance... they are still young so it is not an issue now but as you tell me DO IT NOW seems the only answer... so, 5 years to go, maybe less. I'll keep you posted on my progress. Oh, planninng to do Biscay twice this summer, going from the isle of Wight to Porto and back to shake the boat a little.
Ciao.

[AutumnBorne1]

Thanks for sharing your story about -- "you'll never afford cruising later, either... so go NOW"... if I may paraphrase...

Loved the "Life is short.. eat dessert first"... bumper sticker... I'll try to get one of those to put on our boat too.

We just purchased a CSY-44-Antigua Walk-through (hull #1).

We went through Carricou two years ago... on way to Grenada, from St. Lucia. If we do that again... or end up living down there... I'd like to look you up (SSB/ VHF/ whatever).

Thanks again... and good luck to both you and your wife.
regards,

Dean

[Lightfin]

Harry, thank you for sharing your moving and inspiring story!

I will keep both you and your wife in my prayers.

Enjoyed the comments and stories of others in this thread too.

I continue to be amazed, educated, and motivated by the breadth and depth of knowledge, experience, encouragment and insight consistently offered on this board. Thanks to all for sharing your wisdom.

[carlos avalos]

Thank you for the advice.
I have always wanted to sail the seas. I'm a full time photographer who has had the opportunity to do a lot of travel photography. Every time I land in a new continent, I end up in the coast. So it hit me one day. Wouldn't it be grand to arrive to a new country through a port. So The dream has begun for me. I too think that I should not wait ti'll I'm retired to live this dream. Your story gives me so much more desire to achieve it now. I have January and February off. I'm hoping to join a vessel during that time, to get my feet wet. No pun intended.
Hope to meet up with you once you beat this little set back...
All the best

Carlos Avalos

[Tspringer]

Originally Posted by Alan Wheeler

But I look to him not at him. You have the very answer within your words. To live you must die. And I intend to LIVE before I die. (hopefully still along way off, but who know's)

And I have learn't that it is "us" that place the importance on our "mortal" life, not God. I trust there is so much more and so much better beyond this here and now life, that loosing someone is not a lose as such.

With you 100%! I figure God's plan has to be pretty strong in the long run, after all if He can create a universe surely I am in good hands.

I used to do some 4WD fun when I was in High School. I had an old International Scout that was a beast. Ugly as sin, but that truck would go anywhere. Now I race old Porsches and find it equally addicting.

You should be careful with your offers, I may have 2 teenagers and a couple of aging sailers heading your way in the not so distant future!


Terry

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Captain Harry,

Thanks for the inspiring thread. Good luck to you and your wife and I hope you are back cruising soon. I too started with a Catalina 22 (fixed keel) back about the same time.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[noelex 77]

Dear Harry
Sorry to read your story, but I am sure you and your wife will do well the cruising life has to help the body healing. I have seen to many friends lately with a similar diagnosis and at 47 I am about to retire and feel very lucky to be able to do so.
I have been eating the vegetables for a long time and now its time for dessert.
See my blog spot if you want some inspiration

http://amzerzo.blogspot.com

Cheers John

[slomotion]

One of the worst things about the wisdom that comes with age is that much of it results from the very painful and personal realization that life really is much shorter than we ever thought possible. If you think you might want to go cruising; Go Simple, Go Slow, and most important, Go Now:

BoatUS.com Cruising Log

[I285Knot]

I am new to this website. Your story has inspired me to make my first post. My thoughts are with you and your family and I hope that good health will shine upon you both. Life is short. I am thirty four and married to one of the most amazing men I have ever come across. We have two boys, Kai, age 5 and Luca, 20 months. We invested in a home 7 years ago inside the city and we have seen major growth in our area in that time. After 10 years of turning the same doorknob at work, my huband is ready for a change and so am I. Everywhere we turn things seem to be happening to all those we know who should be living their dream by now. Financial burdens, health problems and family needs all seem to be interfering with retirement and relaxation. We have almost no sailing experience other than hobie cats and a few sunset cruises off the Florida coast. Some think we are crazy. We have both been around boats most of our lives, just not sailboats. We are always up for learning something new and at our 10 year vow renewal at the beach we fell in love with the way the family sailing outing made us feel. My husband is very mechanical in nature, his dad was in the mechanics hall of fame. We both have this adventurous spirit that seems neverending. We are tired of not being able to spend more family time due to communtes and long work hours. We are surrounded by people who all think that to prosper is to collect more personal belongings and more debt. We are not wealthy. It is our hope to buy an older boat (we have our eyes on one after about 8 months of research) and then use part of our profit from our home to take one year to sail coastally with our kids and then reevaluate. I will be homeschooling and that is the least of my worries. Sailing lessons are a must but in my dreams I would love to find someone to teach us to sail "our" boat. Some people think we are crazy and others find it amazing and wonderful that we would think of doing such a thing. I'm with you " do it now". So we are trying to dive right in head first! Some days I wake up overwhelmed with questions and whatifs. Other days I wake up ready to go right away. Each day seems dull now that I know what kind of lifestyle I may lead ahead. Thanks for your story, I am inspired to go forth with only positive thoughts for the future. So many will make you hesitate but you only live once! Best wishes to you!

[TaoJones]

Welcome to the Forum, I285Knot (I wish I could put your name here instead)! I enjoyed your post, and I salute your adventurous spirit.

Your decision to sell your house and use the gains to pursue your sailing dream is to be commended, it seems to me. IMHO, the real estate market has gone over the cliff's edge - the only question now is how far down the bottom is. If you can sell sooner, rather than later, you may avoid most of the carnage.

With your husband's mechanical abilities, and your skills as a massage therapist, I should think the two of you can probably take on as much work as you care to while cruising. If you go offshore, you're not supposed to do it for money, but by trading your work skills for non-monetary rewards, you can probably stretch your cruising funds much further than you might now think.

Raising your boys in the "life aquatic" will be a gift to them that is beyond measure. It will be at least as beneficial to you and your husband, as well, and your family bonds will be stronger than most enjoy on land. Don't let the naysayers talk you out of pursuing your dream!

Again, welcome aboard.

TaoJones

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by slomotion

One of the worst things about the wisdom that comes with age is that much of it results from the very painful and personal realization that life really is much shorter than we ever thought possible. If you think you might want to go cruising; Go Simple, Go Slow, and most important, Go Now:

BoatUS.com Cruising Log

But of course if you are still young enough, and have got your duck's in a row at a reasonable age, one can actualy feel it is worthwhile to hold out for the boat they alway's wanted.

We have for example taken a few year's from our cruising life to build the thing in the avatar, hopfully the right boat for us, and a few on the forum are doing the same.

My last cat was just to small for full time live aboard cruising.

Dave

[slomotion]

I hear you, Dave. We cruised for two years and then came home to 'finish up' so that we could get ready to basically cruise 'forever'. At that time I was working out with the local high school wrestling team - and yeah, I could beat some of those guys. Four years later it hurts just to get out of bed and my wife has had cancer (x 2). So, dunno - Sh** happens. Go Now (age 57).

[cat man do]

Sorry to hear about your troubles SloMo.

This boat ain't going anywhere at the moment, another 12 mth's and she and we should be ready to "cruise forever"

If we had have buggered off on the last cat we built it would have worked fine for about 5 year's, but I would now be back having to get a job so as we could replace all the running gear and sail's and get ready to go out again, and a bit further down the track I would be doing the same again.

By putting in the hard yard's now, I should'nt have to work again and we will have a boat that'll see out our water born plan's.

We will be 43 and 45 year's of age when she go'es in.

SloMo, I do hear what you are saying, and we toy'ed with selling the last boat and buying an older, roomier Tri and having a bit of cash to play with, but we would still be back working now and again in the future in an attempt to keep the dream alive.

Dave

[slomotion]

Go get 'em, Dave. If you're ever in the Caribbean, look us up. New boat will be named 'Beat It Twice'.

[maxingout]

For too much of my adult life, I have wished that I knew the future so that I knew exactly how much time I have left before my promotion into the next life. I figured that knowing the future would help me plan the rest of my life. Then I rolled my car in New Zealand, broke 5 ribs, punctured one lung, broke two legs, broke my shoulder blade, dislocated a knee cap, but other than that, I was fine. It took four operations, seven units of blood, two months in the hospital, and eight months of healing before I could continue my circumnavigation of the world.

After this experience, I suddenly realized how lucky I was that I didn't know my future. If I had know that I was going to be in a car wreck two weeks after arriving in New Zealand, I wouldn' have enjoyed my nine month sailing voyage across the Pacific Ocean. Instead, I would have been on a nonstop countdown to the inevitable disaster that was going to happen. Knowing what was going to happen would have spoiled nine of the best months of my life.

I am glad that I don't know what is going to happen in the future. When I live my dreams now, my future will take care of itself.

Life is a terminal condition for everyone. It's just that some people already know their final diagnosis, and everyone else is waiting to find out. Your final diagnosis isn't that important. What is important is that you are working on your dreams. You must live as if your dreams are possible and work each day to may them happen.

I don't know my final diagnosis, and I don't know how much time I have left, but I know exactly what my dreams are, and I am doing everything possible to make them happen.

On my positive graphics web site, and on my maxingout web site, I have a photograph of my yacht in the Isle of Pines of New Caledonia. The caption on the picture says:

No security
No survivors,
You can't take it with you,
So, go ahead,
Live your dreams.


Home

GO AHEAD


That's my modus operandi, and it works for me. Plus, I have a back up plan. You see, if I lose it all, and run out of money before I run out of time, you will find me and my gray hair standing at the store entrance saying, "Welcome to WalMart".

That's my fall back, failsafe, master plan. I'll see you at WalMart.

Cheers,