The Cost of Sailing / Cruising

[Vic de Beer]

From reading the threads on this forum, I get a general, kinda felling that: most people that are on this forum must be independently wealth, or have some income other than working for it.
Judging by the responses to questions, if one should take an average, one would require an annual income that would sustain a lifestyle onshore.
Whatever happened to the "sailing on a shoestring" that so many sailors have written about.... working your way around and at the same time ejoy life...?
I was once asked by a couple, while at anchor in the Bight at Norman Island: what does it cost to go cruising? before I could answer, they then started elaborating on stuff like:
how do you account for airfare home once per year, (sometimes more often ie. Christmas, Thanks giving...etc). Haulout and storage of your boat while home, renting a car while at home, etc etc.
I was flabbergasted as I had a very small kitty and relied on finding odd jobs wherever I went, buying produce and fruiit at local markets, fishing over the side for a fish supper...... careened the boat when it needed new bottom paint.....
I lived that life on a 30ft sailboat, with a wife and child, for many years and, should I choose to, could write a pretty good book on the experience, but I said to myself when I left South Africa, many years ago: I want to be the first person to sail around the world and NOT write a book about it.
Now, as I read this forum, I see that there is still the same number of dreamers who would love to take on the trip of a lifetime, but if I had to go by some of the stories and advice from this forum, most likely would never be able to afford it......
To all those dreamers out there..... you can move a mountain, it just depends on how badly you want to move it.....

Just to add my two cents worth

[jdoe71]

Well, no doubt there are some well heeled folks here, but there's a lot of Average Joes (or John Does?) here as well who don't have the big bucks and make sacrifices to support their sailing passion.

We are in the latter group, we pass on a lot of other things people take for granted so we can afford to keep a boat and use it. We sail as long as the wind will move us, get a marina dock only when we absolutely have to, don't eat out much (that's easy when your wife is as good in the kitchen as mine is!). Make most of our own hootch. Do our own repairs and maintenance as much as possible. The list goes on, it's just common sense. If you're not independently wealthy, something has to give. It was always a dream to have what we have now. Yes, you are right, money should not be the deciding factor in whether a dreamer chases their dream or not. There's as many ways to go sailing as there are people doing it, everyone finds their own level of comfort (and expense).

If often seems to me that those who are really wealthy never seem to have enough money, they constantly chase more. That's sad.

[Ex-Calif]

Hi Vic de Beer,

It sounds like you have lived the life. I think most around here would agree that there are all types of lifestyles when cruising as there are when living on land. Some can sever the creature comforts and work as they go. Some prefer the security of a fixed and steady income stream.

What's great is that we are all here. The dreamers and the doers the fancy and the not-so-fancy and even some of us who categorize ourselves as coastal cruisers while waiting for our parole date.

[Canibul]

Got out of hand at Bugis street, did ya?

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by Vic de Beer

Whatever happened to the "sailing on a shoestring" that so many sailors have written about.... working your way around and at the same time enjoy life...?
Now, as I read this forum, I see that there is still the same number of dreamers who would love to take on the trip of a lifetime, but if I had to go by some of the stories and advice from this forum, most likely would never be able to afford it......

The irony is that people want to go to sea to escape the tracks they follow every day on land…you know…the ones which are made by others.

But, being creatures of habit, we bring along our own internal tracks and often fall prey to the marketing of a multi billion dollar leisure marine industry.

My point is that sailors/cruisers will make their own journey of discovery to set priorities about how they can do it and will invariably redefine themselves along the way.

Thank you for reminding us that it does not need to be perfect or that the horizon needs to be so far away!

(...for what's a heaven for?)

[Canibul]

Nor does it need to be regulated by the government.

[Vic de Beer]

As I read through the "meet and greet" section, I realise that there are many people/couples, (some....quite a few actualy.... are close to retirement, or even already retired) wishing to, or planning on "taking the Step" even though there could be, once one reaches that age, issues that makes one think twice about taking such a step.
You only live once and, if sailing is something one dearly wants to do, you should not be convinced otherwise by those who have the financial resourses to take the step but instead sits in an armchair and comes up with figures that would cast doubt on such plans.

[Pelagic]

I think you will find that many who offer advice have been there-done that…still doing that and really only relate their own experiences and priorities so as to let the reader decide.

Not sure anymore what your point is?

[forsailbyowner]

I'm one here on the cheap. The blackberry I'm typing on is my one automatic monthly bill. After pulling hair out from stress of running a commercial construction company for 10 yrs, all I wanted was out of ratrace. Mostly work as boat requires the funds. The thing I hear all the time is "I've always dreamed of doing that". Have no desire to change lifestyle.

[barnakiel]

I have never heard about any mountain actually moved. But strong will does help where the pockets are not deep enough ;-)))

I believe cruising is as expensive or inexpensive as the lifestyle one led before.

In my case it was USD 30k - 2 of crew, 4 years round-the-world, 26 footer. Ex the cost of the boat, which was another 30k.

Talking to other cruisers I found that my 4 year's budget was other people's monthly, still others' - anuual. And in at least half a dozen of cases small boats and small crews did amazing passages and cruising with much less ...

Cheers,
barnie

[SV THIRD DAY]

We post our monthly cruising expenses on line at http://www.svthirdday.com/PDF/expenses.pdf

and are definitely on the "cheap go now" approach. The truth is...it will cost you what you have to go cruising, but it will gain your everything money could never buy!


Rich
S/V THIRD DAY

[stevensc]

Maybe some of the sailors out there really cruising on a shoestring don't have access to a computer, Blackberry, etc. so aren't posting here, or anywhere else?
Steve

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Vic de Beer

I get a general, kinda felling that: most people that are on this forum must be independently wealth, or have some income other than working for it.

Originally Posted by Vic de Beer

Judging by the responses to questions, if one should take an average, one would require an annual income that would sustain a lifestyle onshore.

Vic for the people cruising internationally i.e. doing a circumnavigation, or long term cruising far from home, yes you are pretty well spot on, exactly correct imho.
All the people we run into have a reasonable level of affluence... we might all be poor in a cash sense but still affluent. The value of the boat, the ongoing expenses. Yes those ongoing expenses must be paid for on a monthly or ongoing basis. The money has to come from somewhere. To be able to pay means we must be affluent (I keep looking for it in my bank account! )

Originally Posted by Vic de Beer

"sailing on a shoestring" that so many sailors have written about.... working your way around and at the same time ejoy life...?

Originally Posted by Vic de Beer

Working might be fine while you are in your own country but working restrictions in most countries preclude foreigners to work. For example an Australian can't work in the USA, Europe, Caribbean etc unless has a bit a visa luck.

We are in Malaysia. A boat polisher doing a 39 footer, in the tropical sun for a pay of US$20 ALL day? Well thats the going rate.

Originally Posted by Vic de Beer

, buying produce and fruit at local markets, fishing over the side for a fish supper...... careened the boat when it needed new bottom paint.....

Originally Posted by Vic de Beer

Mate, we all do! We all work on our own boat, we all do the engine, maintenance, painting, we all shop at the local markets, we all fish at sea or when the harbour can't be walked on. We are all on a tight budget! We all haggle $10 off a pot of $250 bottom paint.

The number of people who fly home for Thanksgiving is extremely small! Maybe in the Caribbean some rich bugger can. But not the normal cruisers.

Originally Posted by Vic de Beer

Now, as I read this forum, I see that there is still the same number of dreamers who would love to take on the trip of a lifetime, but if I had to go by some of the stories and advice from this forum, most likely would never be able to afford it......

Originally Posted by Vic de Beer

Is this some sort of only the poorest people are righteous? That’s not right and its not fair. Everyone out there who has been doing it and survived a few years doing it is righteous! (we are only learners, doing it for 18 months). They have a right to not be told they are 'rich' because they go home for a few weeks to see the family after cruising for 5 years. People shouldn't be made feel they are not righteous because they eat at a restaurant once per week or more often when they can afford it. Many do a bit of scrimping somewhere to have an extra meal, it doesn’t mean we are rich! And because a person has stayed at home and worked their bum off for 40 years don't they have a right to spend their hard gotten gains without fear of being thought of as 'rich'?

However, the point that many dreamers fail to appreciate is that all our scrimping, saving, Nic not buying ice creams, having a shopping trolley that looks like an Ethiopian famine, doing all the boat work and we still have a budget far in excess of anything they think they will need.

Many say they could cruise on less than $1000 per month. Mate, $1,000 per month doesn't pay for the tissues to cry into!

$1,000 per month is a can of antifouling per week. And like bottom paint it just doesn't go far.

Originally Posted by Vic de Beer

To all those dreamers out there..... you can move a mountain, it just depends on how badly you want to move it.....

Yes, Vic they can. And we know lots of people doing it real tough (and succeeding). But the dreamers who are reading this forum can be given the tough facts too. Then they will know its not all a bed of roses.


Mark

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Canibul

Got out of hand at Bugis street, did ya?

The list is long

[positron]

I had an uncle who did decades of subsistence sailing around Australia. My girl friend and I were hoping in following in his footsteps as we both have strong sailing background and the desire to leave the office behind, but to tell you the truth I don't think it is possible anymore. We are both in our early 30's and have worked our asses off to amass about $120KAUD for a boat, but I can't see it ever happening. The more I read here, the more disillusioned I get. It apears that only multimillionaires like MarkJ are able to do it. I guess times have changed and was I born about 20years late. There are to many government restraints now.