'I Have a Dream . . .'

[Danish Viking]

Hello Cruisers

I'm new in here, so bear with me if i'm not using the proper vocabulary.

For a while now, I've been spending quite a lot of time wondering what to do with my life (not that i want to fob you guys with my thoughts and stupid ideas). I'm only 21, so it's not like i'm in a big hurry, but now is the time where whatever option I'm choosing to follow, then that's kindda the way things will be heading.

I've been out travelling around the world for a year, visiting numerous conutries in Africa, America, Latin-America, Oceania and Asia. It was a blast and could have continued forever, but as you probarbly know money plays a big factor for when you have to go home again.

When money ran out, I headed home again and started at university. In the beginning it was quite fun, being back at the books and having a plan for the day. But then after 6 months, things started to be a bit trivial (not saying you can expect not to be bored by studying), but this course was just, yeah, heading towards a 9-5 job in front of the computer. And as soon as I realised that, I dropped out and that's where I'm at right now.

To me it seems like "norms" that everybody just needs to go through the education system, get a job, settle down and start a family.. To some that might be "living life", but to me it's more like you're being stuck in a situation where, if you don't open you're eyes, then BAM! you're ending up doing like everybody else. Maybe thats good, maybe it's not, I dont know, I might just be restless from going back "out there", cause to me living life is travelling, exploring the world and new cultures, rather than having a respective job, earn a good income and then what? No no no no, I'd much rather lay back in the chair when I'm 80 and say "I been there, and there and there, doing this and that and this" rather than "I worked for these guys for 10 years doing this, then I changed to this (uhh crazy lifestyle change) and worked for 10 years etc. etc. etc."

Sorry, went a bit too far there I guess. It's just hard for me to work out WHAT I want to be doing for the rest of my life. Now to the actual sailing stuff :P

In my newly acquired freetime, I've spent quite some time surfing the web for stuff I love do to. I watched a video I made when I was working (short term) as a deckhand on a liveaboard boat in Australia, I had a camera to record my dives in the great barrier reef. Sitting back here in Denmark I then realised how f.....g fantastic it was being out there on the water, not any drama or anything (calm waters on the reef) and I had a captain to sail the vessel around so there wasn't really any "sailing" experience. But the feeling of being out there, I want it again, not as a deckhand, I want to be the captain, i want a boat. That was kindda my first thoughts and i started youtubing and found several atlantic crossings, different routes and in between the videos I found a guy selling a lagoon 380 and was just absolutely sold. At first I thought of a boat as monohulls only, but I'm more and more getting into multihulls, I want a catamaran.

I've found dozens of blogs written by sailors circumnavigating the world. I've read a lot of them, all of what they've written and some of the books recommended by the sailors. After reading some books about sailing the world, my gut feeling hasn't changed for the worse, this is absolutely 100% what I want to do. For the first time in a long time I have something to take bearing of.

Boom! My imaginary boat has grounded, cause after reading the blogs and books. The ones behind the rudder is at least in the 30'ies having at least 10 years of sailing experience. I'm 21 have zero sailing experience (not that I'm surprised or anything that I need experience). I've contacted my local sailing club, in prices for different kinds of certificates and beginner sailer options.

NOW my questions starts coming (thank good huh?)

Lets say I start sailing, novice level. How much experience would you guys say I'd need to go out there. (Dont worry, I wont expect you to say 1 year or something). But a serious bid on when things are possible.

My head is trumbling with thoughts of how the hell to finance this. Money is the ONLY factor holding me back right now, winning the lottery would mean that I would be out of harbour in the next couple of years! But, the odds are against me on that one

Therefore I've made some other ideas on how to finance stuff besides winning the lottery (my notebook is filled with stupid ideas, drawings and stuff). The best would probarbly be to get that education and for for a couple of years, I know the feeling, cause I worked for about 2 years to earn enough money to travel the 1 year i talked about earlier. BUT, a boat is much much more expensive than a couple of airplane tickets and a backpack. Therefore, the timehorizon for buying a boat would easily be 10-15 years. That's 10-15 years where I would have to be a lemming, like so many others, doing the working man's hustle. And I want to see the world... soon, you know? And if you want to do something, you should do it, right?

Then there is a second option, my personal favorite, because of the shorter timespan, but this is where I need some of you hardened boat owners feedback

Right now I'm sitting in an apartment, paying 952 dollars a month (and that's just my half of it). These goldcoins is going directly into the pockets of the apartment owner, money I wont ever see again. I'm thinking, hmm, why not invest this amount of money in something. An apartment by itself is impossible because they're easily 400.000. dollars. But buying a used boat might be a bit more realistic.

Lets say I could make it work, studying for 5 years WHILE living on my boat (the harbour is close to uni, but is it even possible, electrics, heat, maintenance, should it be in the water or not, etc?).

Making a rough estimate 952*12= 11424 dollars (annual apartment rent)
11424*5 = 57120 dollars (apartment rent for the 5 years of studying)
57120+57767(personal savings) = 114887 dollars.

That makes 114887 (maybe more, maybe less) dollars worth of buying a boat. (roughly) where the 57120 of them would be money out the window anyway, now put into a boat (I'm not saying the boat after 10 years is worth the same, but i guess its worth more than 0 ?

I know I want a catamaran, I know I want it to be able to cross oceans, I know I want it to be comfortable (especially as I need to live on it for years before even going out), I know I want it, but thats pretty much what I know. For the rest I'm just blisfully unaware of anything else.

Does it sound like the stupidest thing you've ever heard (please don't make my dream crash and burn totally ) or is it possible somewhere out in the future?

What cat would you recommend? I've seen alot by now, but again, I don't know the pros and cons of the different cats. I've kindda fallen in love with a Lagoon 380, but i think it's way outta my price range judging some prices I've seen. But I guess less can make it anyway.

What concerns would there be to be having a cat in the water for 5 years before even sailing of? (not saying it won't be taken out to sea, when i get the hang of it or by someone else).

This post i quite long now I see, better stop now. Please come with whatever thoughts you might have on this !

Have a nice day

/ Danish Viking

[callmecrazy]

Get the cheapest little 25 footer you can find (that actually sails) and live on it for the next five years while going to school. You learn more than you can imagine... You can save even more by living at anchor or on a mooring instead of in the marina. But either way, paying rent for a place to park your boat is usually a lot cheaper than paying rent and utils on an apartment (not always, shop around).

Go back to school. But try to figure out a realistic career that you can do from a boat while travelling the world. Like, for example, web design. Or learn a foreign language. Become a photographer or writer, and get in with the sailing magazines.... something that will allow you the freedom you desire, it's all up to you. A lot of us understand this, but waiting another 5 years to go to school doesn't seem like the best option, you are in a perfect position to actually DESIGN your lifestyle from the ground up.

When you figure out that your schooling has the specific purpose of allowing you to fulfill your dream of sailing the world, school will make a lot more sense. It won't be quite as boring and meaningless.

Save save save...

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by callmecrazy

learn a foreign language.

I think OP has probably managed that already His English is nearly as good as my Danish

FWIW I think back to University is probably a good idea - will increase employment options in later years. and a degree also a big help if ever looking to emigrate. Plus simply gives a bit more time to decide / discover WTF life is for............

To live the life of an international transient (without a large bank account ) you need to either being able to return to (decently) paid employment fairly easily and / or have a bag of skills (and experiance) that makes you capable of picking up work around the world.

In OP's shoes I would look to self-employment, on contract for others and / or for own business(es). To get there may take being permanently employed for a while - and picking the right job field(s) that work for others and self.

At 21 I was learning to drink twice my body weight in Alcohol

[Danish Viking]

Thanks for the replies guys !

@Callmecrazy: What kind of prices should I expect to find a 25 footes in ? The only concern I have buying a smaller one (or just not the one I want to circumnavigate in) is that I'd lose to much money buying a smaller boat, then selling it, then buying a second boat and go away.

I will go back to school, still just wondering what the h... it's gonna be. To me I can't really see any jobs where I'm able to work "offshore" if you know what I mean. If that job revels itself I'm gonna go for it

@Old_David_Jersey: Are you being ironic or just totally dissing my incompetence to spell proooooobably right throughout my entire post haha..

Thanks for the heads-up, will keep that in mind.

Being out of uni gives me alot of sparetime now, so wont say I'm not still getting my fair share of liquor Just build my own beerpong table, sucking at this might not get you to drink your body weight in alcohol, BUT it will easily get you going


Keep the feedback coming guys

[Tellie]

Good luck

YouTube - malvina reynolds - little boxes

[Talbot]

Whilst the idea is good and can work in the right circumstances, your finances need to take a lot of other factors into account / not least the cost of berthing and power - heat/cold will need more power than a well insulated house.

You should also look at ferro boats as they tend to provide much more for the cost / although resale can be difficult. There is a good thread in here about ferro boats that is worth reading. Basically a professnally buillt boat can be a bargain, but most home completed ones I personally would not touch with a bargepole. They can also be difficult to insure.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Danish Viking

@Old_David_Jersey: Are you being ironic or just totally dissing my incompetence to spell proooooobably right throughout my entire post haha..

No, not being ironic. Just taking the piss out of Callmecrazy Of course if you ain't Danish (or forgot to learn Danish ) then the joke is on me..........

The money you will lose on a first (and smaller) boat will be more than recouped in savings when buying the next boat, both from knowing what you are looking at and from simply knowing what you want / need from a boat (at the moment no one knows).

The good thing about a smaller boat as a first vessel is that financial mistakes are smaller. and the systems are simpler and cheaper to fix. In your part of the world I would be tempted by a Folkboat (or a derivative) - downside is not really suitable for a year around liveaboard, upside is that can (and have) gone anywhere. Plus they look pretty (hard to go wrong with a pretty boat ).



This Blog has a squillion Folkboat links.........

Yacht Design « bill's boatblog

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Talbot

Whilst the idea is good and can work in the right circumstances, your finances need to take a lot of other factors into account / not least the cost of berthing and power - heat/cold will need more power than a well insulated house.

You should also look at ferro boats as they tend to provide much more for the cost / although resale can be difficult. There is a good thread in here about ferro boats that is worth reading. Basically a professnally buillt boat can be a bargain, but most home completed ones I personally would not touch with a bargepole. They can also be difficult to insure.

If you get tempted to see some look here...
For sale & wanted 12

[anjou]

Wish I had been 21 when the god of wisdom sent me my vision. At 21, i had learned to consume twice my weight in booze and still got up the next day to do a hard work job.

I bought a house in late 83 and had to lie through my teeth just to make the qualifiing for a mortgage. Then interest rates rocketed and I couldnt keep it. That taught me a valuable lesson and ive been wary of commitments ever since. Dont promise what you have no control over.

There is something about the burden of ownership of bricks and mortar which doesnt sit easy with me these days.
You go through all the financial worries for 25 yrs to buy something which will continue to be a financial hole, and for what? Just so you can say i own my own house?

I dont wish to be tied to one place in a house which may have crappy neighbours, more taxes heaped upon it etc.

Give me freedom any day

[Doodles]

Oh, to be 21 again and have your problems.

Just find a way and GO! If you really want a catamaran look for a Wharram; otherwise, get a small monohull as has already been suggested. Don't get hung up on the boat, its the journey that's important and having done some backpacking you probably already know that.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Danish Viking

What cat would you recommend? I've seen alot by now, but again, I don't know the pros and cons of the different cats. I've kindda fallen in love with a Lagoon 380, but i think it's way outta my price range judging some prices I've seen. But I guess less can make it anyway.

I suspect that the vast majority of people who can afford a boat like a Lagoon 380 have college diplomas.

There may be a correlation there.

[blgklr]

Well Dane consider joining the Danish navy. They may even pay for schooling. Anyway free room and board, learn a skill or trade, try that for five years while putting away as much cash as you can before you get out. See the world and get paid for it now while aquireing skills and cash to be independant. 5 years is not a large investment at your age. You would probablllly enjoy it.

[callmecrazy]

I think you could make it work if you can keep your expenses low enough. A small boat, kept in a reasonable marina (or even better, at anchor) should be a less than an apartment. (call your marina and find out)

The important thing about starting now and toughing it out... is that you will stay focused. It's way too easy to lose focus over the course of a few years, especially for a younger person. Life has a way of getting in the way of dreams... You have to fight pretty hard to make things happen the way you want them to happen.

You're in a good position to do that. Not many people have a vision of their future when they're your age (I didn't even believe in 'the future' until I hit 30yrs) Most people just go with the norm and life works itself out for them, in a very normal way... But you're not asking for the norm, so you can't do it that way

You know what you want, so now it's just about making it happen. Living on a little boat is a good way to start. It'll prepare you for many different things. Not just about boats, sailing, and maintenance, but it'll also teach you how to live frugally and simply, and how to accept problems and deal with them on your own (because all boats have problems and you won't have the money to have someone else fix them for you )

It's not supposed to be easy...

When you're life is packed into a tiny boat you don't have much room for distractions... You'll be free to study, feel good about what you're studying because you'll know it has a point, and then when you have spare time you can go sailing to keep you emotionally fulfilled. It's a win/win situation, even if it is more expensive (which it really shouldn't be).

the trick is to keep your costs down as much as possible. Check with the marina and find out how much it would be on a monthly basis to keep a boat there. Your living expenses will be the same as they would in an apartment of the same monthly price.

Then you'll have to find a boat... The smaller they are the cheaper they are, not just initial cost either, the price of parts, lines, anchors, wire, paint, ANYTHING goes up significantly when you go over 25-26'. Try to find somethign small, that already has most of what you need, like sails, a running motor, shore power, a stove.. you really don't need much more than that The main focus is that this will be a TEMPORARY boat, so even if it's a crappy boat, you really don't need to put any money into it. keep it just barely good enough to sail on and sleep in. You don't need a "home", you're young, go outside You just need a place to cook and a roof over your head while you sleep.

Put it all together in a plan, and then decide if it'll work for you.
I have no idea how much boats are where you live, but I suspect you can get cheap 22-25 footers pretty much anywhere in the world.