Post cruise life reintegration

[simonthepom]

I'm almost 2 years in, starting in Greece and heading home to Sydney. I was 38 when we left Sydney and am thankful everyday for this amazing lifestyle. I have absolutely no regrets about quitting my job, selling the house and everything else, a hugely liberating experience.
We're currently in Panamá and hoping to start our pacific crossing in the next few weeks. We'll need to be home by the end of the year to look for work. Believe everything they tell you about the costs of boat ownership and the live aboard lifestyle... Hence our need to replenish the kitty. Going back to similar jobs back home is the quickest way for us earn money at the moment. But as others have said, we've thought long and hard about what we want out of life, and going back to full work schedules in the city on a permanent basis is not for us.
In an ideal world we'll work and cruise at the same time, but it's finding the right role or business opportunity.
Good luck, you'll have a blast!

[scottorious]

Thanks for everyone's input. Most people in my life think I'm insane for even considering it. It's really hard for people to grasp why anyone would want to cross an ocean in a small boat.

I would love to cruise for six months and work six months. I already know myself well enough to know that having a home base would benefit me. My mortgage also is only 550 dollars a month, 18 dollars a day so it's reasonably cheap to keep. I also wonder wish I had a better grasp of food costs in other counties and if it makes sense to have a garden and grow and can or dehydrate as much as possible leaving food costs down to just some fresh stuff in different places. Summer in Illinois and winter in the Caribbean. Has anyone met their future employer "out there"?

[Chili Palmer]

Problem solved

Wastewater Plant Operator | City of Marathon Official Website

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by scottorious

Thanks for everyone's input. Most people in my life think I'm insane for even considering it. It's really hard for people to grasp why anyone would want to cross an ocean in a small boat.

I would love to cruise for six months and work six months. I already know myself well enough to know that having a home base would benefit me. My mortgage also is only 550 dollars a month, 18 dollars a day so it's reasonably cheap to keep. I also wonder wish I had a better grasp of food costs in other counties and if it makes sense to have a garden and grow and can or dehydrate as much as possible leaving food costs down to just some fresh stuff in different places. Summer in Illinois and winter in the Caribbean. Has anyone met their future employer "out there"?

"Eat what the locals eat" is good advice. But food costs are really the smallest porton of your expenses. It's a good idea to have some reserve for when fresh supply is unavailable but you don't have to grow your own veggies. It's been my experience that doing so does not save money but does give value added satisfaction. If your want to dry your own food for storage, shop farmers markets and road stands. Farmers have already figured out how to bring the highest quality and lowest costs to their crop. The price you pay nay seem high but it will be much lower than mucking around growing your own. This advice is based on the food needed for 1-3 people. My Aunt had 8 mouths to feed and found it cheaper to grow her own veg, but she had 7 "farm hands" to do the work!

[Sailmonkey]

We took off for a year when I was 34. We came back and I picked up right where I had left off. Granted my industry was nearing a peak at the time, had I done the same thing now I may have struggled to find work doing what I was doing. However there's always a way to make a living until something better comes along!!

[dwedeking2]

With the rapid rate of advancement in technology, I'd be more concerned with a loss of skill set vs what's on your resume. My resume (if I used all my jobs on a resume) is quite eclectic. Only in 2009 did I have a hard time finding a job (in 31 years of working full time). I telecommuted for 8 years and moved frequently. None of this played into finding my latest job. Also changing jobs is more common than it was say, 40 years ago, so it doesn't have as much importance.

I also wonder wish I had a better grasp of food costs

The biggest thing with food costs is to eat what the locals eat. Anything box/canned to get an American labeled product will be expensive.

[thomm225]

Do you really need to quit your job to go sailing?

I sail from April to November most every weekend many times leaving on Friday and getting back Sunday or Monday.

In the offseason, there are deals in local boatyards at $8.00/ft so if you still want to be doing boat stuff, you can have your boat pulled and complete a project or two.

When I was racing beach cats in Florida, the season was from February up to about mid-November. That's a lot of sailing .....hard sailing with non stop tacks, gybes, adjustments, maintenance, etc

During the week, you can still enjoy other hobbies/lifestyles ashore.

[Kalinowski]

When making major life choices, my mantra is: "you're dead a lot longer than you're alive".

[blueazimuth]

32 with no dependents? Boat ready?
Beer cash easy if you're handy and willing to do anything
Absolutely, Go cruising ...

[Terry107]

May take on this is quite simple. Your young and fit go now. I like a lot of people worked all my life 22 armed forces 26years Pharmaceutical industry.
Sailed all my life short trips nothing major. I now want to set off and cruise long term issues some minor health issues but not too bad. If I had my time again I would have done it when I was young. There will always be work available whatever stage in your life. Go Go and enjoy your life.

[laika]

Echoing pretty much 100% what Brownoarsman said.

33. Just moved back to MN to establish a home base after hopping around the last 6 years. Love being back. Loved being out there. Still own the boat. Zero regrets..if it's something you really want then make it happen. Home and stability will be there when you want that too. Depends 100% on your attitude. If your excited about life and have a twinkle in your eye than you'll reintegrate beautifully.

My ambitions have always been too much of a moving target--the only sure way to learn about what I want and dont want in life is by doing it. Not much of a long term planner.

As was said, everyone works cruising into their lives differently to make it fit. It doesn't matter what kind of cruiser you are. But if you go, make every effort to meet the locals. Especially local fishermen. They'll steer you right.

[Madwand]

I get tired of hearing the do it now mantra. Everyone can't do it now and it's not as easy as people tell you to do it now, depending on your circumstances.

So I'll be 54 when I retire, because I wasted 4 years earning a degree I didn't know I wouldn't need. But I won't be 65. Why do people think you need to be 65 to retire? Are you dependent on the government teat? Retirement is your responsibility, not the government's. Put money in the bank.

My job is paying me an extra $300,000 to stay at work from years 25 through 30. That's cruising money. That's in addition to the very nice retirement I've earned by being "wise."

So I'll be 55 by the time I can enjoy life...I also never have to go back to work again, like all the people who "go now" will. I can die on my boat doing what I want, not at some shltty job in my old age. I can travel in relative comfort, even though it's a tiny boat, because I'm not broke and worrying about where the next dollar will come from or when I'll have to go back to work.

[a64pilot]

I see your point, I was just thinking if he loves his job why leave it?
Try to arrange for a sabbatical or whatever it called, try to get six months or so and see, that way the job is still there?
Your right though, I feel that when we go, we can't come back, being darn near 60 is a whole different thing entirely

[brownoarsman]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I see your point, I was just thinking if he loves his job why leave it?
Try to arrange for a sabbatical or whatever it called, try to get six months or so and see, that way the job is still there?
Your right though, I feel that when we go, we can't come back, being darn near 60 is a whole different thing entirely

That's definitely true-hedging your bet before you go with a sabbatical or leave of absence is wayyy better than just quitting. It may not be just the work he loves, but the current team, etc. And that is hard to replicate, even doing the same work in a different location.

The only reason I went back for an MBA was a hedge, really, that I'd be employable after doing some weird stuff. It was supposed to be a start-up I was hedging against, but turned into an 8 month cruise!

[a64pilot]

Ken, many if not most jobs won't support a six month on, six month off schedule.
I'm glad your does, if mine did I'm sure I would be doing the same, you get to have your cake and eat it too