Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

[boatman61]

I'm currently living in Portugal where the minimum wage is around $500/mth.. and getting less by the day...
On that folks have to feed themselves, pay the rent, bills etc.. no possibility of moving the apartment to the anchorage to escape bills..
Seems to me if your prepared to give up living of junk food and eating at fancy restaurants..
do your drinking on board(change your social lifestyle)and invite folks over..
do your own repairs and maintenance when within your abilities its no sweat..
It only becomes difficult if you insist on living as you did on land... stay in expensive places, usually tourist hot spot coz your a culture vulture or just a society addict.. it'll always be more expensive.. that's capitalism...
Also you have to suppress the "Land Lubber" keep up with the 'Jones' syndrome and cancel the order for the latest Raytheon or other necessary CP/Radar/Widget/Gidget...
That's what 'Sailing Away' used to mean...

[goprisko]

Originally Posted by Mambo

This thread is a mess Mario. There's nothing wrong with that except that it doesn't wind up being particularly useful to folks like you (or me) who are planning cruising budgets. No offense to any of the folks who offered useful suggestions, but the totality of the discussion is . . . lacking.

On the other hand, I have googed "crusing budgets" and found at least a dozen boat which have published pretty comprehensive budgets on their websites. The nice thing about those budgets (which generally are substantially higher than 500 mo) is that you can also see how the people lived on that budget (ie., crusing grounds, the side trips they took, the condition of their boat, time at anchor vs a mooring or marina, etc.). Some of these budgets also lay out the costs month by month so you can see the comparative costs of different cruising grounds (and also the importance of budgeting for expenses that are not monthly but annual or one-time).

Armed with that info, you can begin to budget for your own needs.

This thread is not a mess... I have posted relevant information necessary to buy and commission your boat for inexpensive cruising..

What has happened is a few class concious guys, who don't have cruising experience are trying to destroy it. by denying each of the important points I have made.

So lets reprise:

The budget minded guy must look for a classic boat of 5-8 tons displacement with an OAL between 28-34 ft.
Given this person has a budget of < $25 k for the boat and ~ $ 10 K for outfitting the boat, the following boats come to mind:

Southern Cross 31
Oday 34
NorthEaster 32
Pearson Vanguard.

All these boats were built during the 70s and 80s, thus they are 30-40 years old.

Since they are so old, the buyer must assume all the fastenings, thruhulls, seacocks, and deck fittings are that old, and need replacement or refurbishment. This is the price for a cheap boat. Because they were built before the resin formulations were changed, they don't have blister problems.. this is an important plus.

To help you deal with outfitting this sort of boat, I posted the following:
Am I ready Checklist

If you can answer YES to every item on this list, your boat is ready to go cruising and so are you…
Hull:

All through hulls removed, inspected, replaced as necessary, and rebidded
Rudder removed, all bearings inspected , replaced as necessary and rebidded and refastened
All sea cocks removed, inspected, replaced or lubricated as necessary, rebidded and refastened.
Cutlass Bearing replaced and rebidded.
Stuffing box removed, inspected, replaced as necessary, repacked with Teflon packing, reinstalled with new hose and hose clamps.
Propellor shaft removed, inspected, replaced, and aligned as necessary.
Propellor removed, inspected and replaced as necessary.
Mast step inspected, and refurbished as necessary.
Bonding straps inspected and replaced as necessary, with all connections refurbished.
Keel bolts if present removed and replaced with new ones properly bedded.
Bulkheads inspected to ensure all are properly bonded to the hull, and rebonded as necessary..
Hull deck joint refastened and rebedded or sealed with multiple layers of GRP tape.
DECK:

Hull deck joint refastened and rebedded or sealed with multiple layers of GRP tape.
All stanchion bases, including those for the pulpits and pushpits, removed, inspected, and rebedded and refastened to foundations rebuilt as necessary so the core in cored decks is hardwood, and the fastenings go entirely through the deck and into backing plates at least as large as the bases themselves.
All cleats removed, refastened and rebedded.
All portlights removed, refastened and rebedded.
All hatches removed, refastened and rebedded.
All track removed, refastened, and rebedded.
All winches removed, serviced, refastened, and rebedded.
All hinges and other deck hardware not mentioned before, removed, replaced as necessary, refastened and rebedded.
MAST:

All cleats removed, refastened and rebedded.
All wiring removed, and replaced.
All Mast steps removed, inspected, replaced as necessary, rebedded and refastened.
All tracks removed, refastened, and rebedded.
All winches removed, serviced, refastened, and rebedded.
All tangs removed, refastened and rebedded.
All spreaders removed, refastened, and rebedded.
All lights removed, serviced, refastened, and rebedded.
Gooseneck, disassembled, inspected for wear and serviced or replaced as necessary.
BOOM:

All cleats removed, refastened and rebedded.
All tracks removed, refastened, and rebedded.
All winches removed, serviced, refastened, and rebedded.
All tangs removed, refastened and rebedded.
STANDING RIGGING:

All wire older than 10 years reterminated or replaced.
Bobstay if present, replaced.
All rigging pins older than 10 years, replaced.
All rigging screws of closed type, or of stainless construction replaced with open barrel bronze screws.
All toggles, shackles, link pins, link plates, diamond plates, and other rigging hardware, removed, inspected, and replaced as necessary, with all pins or bolts replaced outright.
All tangs removed, inspected, replaced as necessary, rebedded and refastened.
All chainplates removed, inspected, replaced as necessary, rebedded and refastened.

Running Rigging:

All halyards and sheets which show hardening from the sun replaced.
All blocks removed, serviced as necessary, and or replaced, including masthead sheaves…
All winches removed, serviced, refastened, and rebedded.
ANCHOR:
Chain regalvanized, and end for ended as necessary, or replaced as necessary.
Pawl installed or serviced.
Anchor chock modified so it is closed, or can be closed.
Anchor roller removed, inspected, refastened and rebedded as necessary.
Spare anchors properly chocked on deck and below.
SAILS:

All sails opened, inspected, replaced if they fail the poke test, restitched, patched, and cleaned as necessary.
All sails set to verify sheet leads and fit.
RUDDER:

Rudder removed, bearings, or gudgeons and pintles, removed, inspected rebedded, and replaced as necessary.
Cable for cable steering replaced.
Tiller removed, inspected, and replaced as necessary.
Hydraulic steering inspected for leaks, which are fixed, generally via replacement of defective components. Cylinder rebuilt. Helm pump rebuilt, control valves removed and inspected.
GALLEY:

Cooker opened, inspected and defective parts replaced as necessary.
Sink, removed, inspected for excessive thinning due to corrosion, replaced as necessary, rebedded and refastened.
All plumbing replaced with new.
All pumps removed, inspected, and refurbished or replaced as necessary.
Insulative capacity of ice box or refrigerator assessed via the ice block test, with insulation replaced if test fails
Refrigeration system inspected, checked for leaks, and refurbished as necessary.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE EQUIPMENT:

Fire extinguishers serviced and mounted in strategic locations.
Flares examined, and sufficient purchased which are in date to meet regs.
PFDs inspected and sufficient maintained aboard to provide each crew member with a serviceable unit.
All PFDs equipped with strobes, and whistle
Bosn’s chair inspected and refurbished as necessary.
Safety harnesses, inspected and refurbished as necessary.
Throwable PFD, (horseshoe ring, lifering, lifesling) inspected, strobe verified as working, line verified to be in good condition, and mounting verified to be solid and to permit rapid access and deployment.
ENGINE:

All zincs removed, inspected, and replaced as necessary.
Impellor replaced.
Oil changed.
Compression checked, and engine problems assessed if check fails, with defective items refurbished as needed.
Injectors refurbished.
Inspect engine mounts, refurbish or replace as necessary.
Injection pump refurbished
GEARBOX:

Oil changed.
Operation checked, with special emphasis on slippage, if found, replace clutches.
If leaks are found, replace seals.
If rear seal leaks, suspect improper shaft alignment.
Align propeller shaft.
Navigation:

Navigation skills appropriate for the voyage have been acquired via coursework or self study, including coastwise piloting, dead reckoning, speed estimation, deck log entries, celestial navigation, weather prediction, and tide and current prediction.
Pilots and pubs covering the area to be cruised are aboard, including:
BA pilots covering the area, cruising guides covering the area.
Admiralty List of Radio Signals(Vol 3(2) for the Americas for met broadcasts
Admiralty Light List for the area
Admiralty tide tables for the area.
Nautical Almanac covering the time of the cruise
Charts or facsimiles thereof covering the area to be cruised.
Duttons or Bowditch
Plotting sheets
Weems Plotter
Dividers
Pencils
Pens
Log book
Hand held VHF or VHF
Grundig or similar HF receiver.
SPARES:

Sufficient spare parts are aboard to maintain the critical systems of the ship at sea, including:
Spare line
Spare blocks
Sail repair kit
Engine oil and filters
Fuel filters
Spare set of Injectors, with copper washers and torque wrench.
Cable cutter capable of cutting the largest rigging wire on the boat, and the anchor chain.
Hack saw
Hammers
Drill and bits
Wrenches
Screw drivers
Come along
Axe
Panga
A spare piece of rigging wire sufficiently long to replace the longest stay on the boat, with one end terminated, and a staylock or other field installable terminal for the other end.
Hose clamps
Hose
Hose fittings
WATER:

Sufficient water storage capacity in tanks, jugs, or bladders available below decks to provide each crew member with 1 gallon per day over the longest passage envisioned.
DINGHY:

A hard dinghy of sufficient size to carry the entire crew and emergency provisions, including water, and emergency navigation equipment, including sextant and compass and charts, with a set of oars for each man, and preferably with a sailing rig, to provide means of escape in the event of sinking, and assess to shore when in port.
Chocks and padeyes, and ratchet tiedowns to secure the dinghy on deck.

To assist you further, I posted information regarding the stitch and glue Chameleon dinghy, and repost it below:
INDY

[goprisko]

Early on I posted a proforma budget as a basis for a discussion on budgets..

It was as follows:

Food: $ 125
Customs $ 50
Boat maintenance $ 200
Fuel $ 25
Excursions $ 100
TOTAL $ 500

I would be happy to discuss this with anyone serious...

BUT.....

A few important points.... going without an engine reduces boat maintenance,, possibly by half... and reduces fuel costs too.. probably by half...

You must be able and willing to do all repairs yourself, with the tools you have aboard. Including sail repairs...hull repairs, winch maintenance, starter and alternator repairs, engine repairs, etc.

INDY

[goprisko]

Earlier, I mentioned that I began cruising while covered by the PADI Platinum Medical Travel Insurance Plan. Curiously, no one expressed interest in this or the plan offered by DAN which provide low cost coverage.

Along the way, I discovered that the cost of medical care is much lower in the rest of the world, and in some places, free. So I dropped the travel insurance, and put the money into a rainy day fund, to cover emergencies. This worked out quite well...

Springbok, decided to use this issue to discredit the blog.. Fixating on Martinique, he chose to pervert my experience at New Caledonia into a generalization covering the French Caribbean Islands, for the record again.. this has been my experience getting medical care during our 15 year cruise...

New Zealand.. medical checkups, and prescription drugs including those for Malaria at a private clinic recommended by friends USD$ 200

New Caledonia, treatment for infected coral cut on both sides of my right achilles tendon... USD$ 0

China, Treatment for acute kidney failure due to kidney stones, including hospital, ultrasonic breakup of the stones, drugs, and transport USD $ 125

Namibia, Treatment for malaria twice, and an infection that put me in hospital for a week on a drip to control my heart rate of 100 and BP of 180/120, USD$ 0

US Virgin Islands, treatment to control the aftereffects of the Namibiia illness, including doctors visit every 2 months, blood work, Xrays, ultrasound USD $ 0

INDY

[goprisko]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I'm currently living in Portugal where the minimum wage is around $500/mth.. and getting less by the day...
On that folks have to feed themselves, pay the rent, bills etc.. no possibility of moving the apartment to the anchorage to escape bills..
Seems to me if your prepared to give up living of junk food and eating at fancy restaurants..
do your drinking on board(change your social lifestyle)and invite folks over..
do your own repairs and maintenance when within your abilities its no sweat..
It only becomes difficult if you insist on living as you did on land... stay in expensive places, usually tourist hot spot coz your a culture vulture or just a society addict.. it'll always be more expensive.. that's capitalism...
Also you have to suppress the "Land Lubber" keep up with the 'Jones' syndrome and cancel the order for the latest Raytheon or other necessary CP/Radar/Widget/Gidget...
That's what 'Sailing Away' used to mean...

I couldn't have said it better myself... SPOT ON !!

INDY

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Springbok

I'm the South African whom you suggest is obsessed with the idea of going to Martinique as a destination. Nowhere did I say this. I was trying to get you to answer the FREE FRENCH MEDICAL and used Martinique as a French island in the Caribbean. We are still waiting for an answer on your French medical ramblings. Obviously once you sit in front of the PC your brain begins its today -journey and we have 3 or 4 extras to the thread as you ramble on.I agree with Elevens that half the equipment you are now discussing re fixing expenses does not even belong on this thread. Enough is enough we have got the gist of your ramblings this thread should be closed.
Clyde

Hey Springbok... dunno if this is of any use or even relevant to your question.. and I can't be bothered trolling back thro' the thread so...
In 2007 I was anchored off Gustavia, St Barts... very busy, boats all over...
Anyway.. while I was there a boat dragged and as I fended it of my bow I managed to slice the sole of my foot to the bone with a 5"gash on its backstay which was attached halfway down its sloping stern... nearly got dragged off the boat as my foot got trapped in the process...
Yes.. I know.. serves me right.. only way to learn.. next time wear shoes.. blah blah balh...
But... the point is.. I went to the Hospital to get it stitched up and there was no charge at all... all I had to pay for was the pain killers/dressings/antibiotics etc that I bought from the Phamacy... not cheap.. but free treatment was the bonus.
To be honest apart from the 'Anti's' I had it all on board anyway... but did'nt want to deplete my stocks so used by oldest date...
Only complaint was the Doc needs to practise his 'seamstress' skills.. left a very puckered scar.. the plus side was a gorgeous nurse who thought I was wierd coz I giggled hysterically as she cleaned the wound...
I've got ticklish feet.... Sorry...

[goprisko]

Originally Posted by Eleven

Stay on thread, please. This is low cost cruising.

Goprisco lists:-
SSB radio. Pegasus has radio e-mail... keeping that rig going makes a BIG dent
Refrigeration. engine driven refrigeration.
Diving gear. we must dive to do our work and the various things we use add to the expense.
Electronic autopilot. virtually every refit.
Hydraulic steering. virtually every refit costs us a $1K for something.

Get real. If it's don't go without all this stuff would you still be on the hard?
And if you need that diving rig to 'work' then either it's paying for itself, or it's another luxury. Seriously there is a minimum size of boat that can store transpacific stores, then there's a smaller boat that will allow six weeks stores. Washing in seawater, cooking in mixed water, gathering rainwater (and showering in rain), this is low budget cruising! The way it used to be done. Those stores can replace ballast, their volume has to be kept small (not boxes breakfast cereals) and fishing supplementing the diet.
And boat choice must be suitable to run aground on gravel or sand banks without damage, for cleaning, repairing, and miss-judgement. I'd be happy to cruise my cat on a low budget. Repairs are low cost. The autopilot is not necessary with two on board, just desirable. Sails are the big issue and it's interesting to hear these can be home made at lower cost. There are E-bay deals too. Diesel costs fall away once you anchor, not pontoon. It's finding the place, being sociable with the locals (and living at their level), staying for a few weeks and moving on, not over staying. This isn't being a tourist on a luxury sail boat (usually motored).

First of all, I make no representation that I currently cruise on such a small budget. Pegasus is an Oceanographic Research Vessel. she has and needs equipment which increases expenses. She is also 45 Ft on deck, and 25 tons.. However, I have cruised, inexpensively on earlier and smaller boats, and am a keen observer of the boating scene...

My impetus for starting this thread was Kevin who sailed into Long Bay one day on his gaff rigged Southern Cross 31, towing his stitch and glue dink behind...

At 28 Kevin has been around the world, 2002-2006, and routinely cruises from Maine to the Caribbean..

He has no engine, no batteries, he uses oil lamps, cooks on a gas cooker, cools his meat, and drinks with ice, and manages his sails without winches..

He rows his dink and his ship when the wind is calm..

Most important of all, Kevin is cruising in his twenties...

Kevin is cruising in his twenties.....

Are you??

INDY

[Springbok]

Mr Moderator the rambler is picking on me again
Distorting my simple question asking for a simple answer re Free French Medical Aid. A bit of a giggle is'nt it . All newbee boaters remember to tear your boats apart re the check-list given
Clyde

[goprisko]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Hey Springbok... dunno if this is of any use or even relevant to your question.. and I can't be bothered trolling back thro' the thread so...
In 2007 I was anchored off Gustavia, St Barts... very busy, boats all over...
Anyway.. while I was there a boat dragged and as I fended it of my bow I managed to slice the sole of my foot to the bone with a 5"gash on its backstay which was attached halfway down its sloping stern... nearly got dragged off the boat as my foot got trapped in the process...
Yes.. I know.. serves me right.. only way to learn.. next time wear shoes.. blah blah balh...
But... the point is.. I went to the Hospital to get it stitched up and there was no charge at all... all I had to pay for was the pain killers/dressings/antibiotics etc that I bought from the Phamacy... not cheap.. but free treatment was the bonus.
To be honest apart from the 'Anti's' I had it all on board anyway... but did'nt want to deplete my stocks so used by oldest date...
Only complaint was the Doc needs to practise his 'seamstress' skills.. left a very puckered scar.. the plus side was a gorgeous nurse who thought I was wierd coz I giggled hysterically as she cleaned the wound...
I've got ticklish feet.... Sorry...

I agree French nurses are gorgeous... they were in New Caledonia, and Wallis too.

I had better luck with my stitches though...

INDY

[goprisko]

Originally Posted by Springbok

Mr Moderator the rambler is picking on me again
Distorting my simple question asking for a simple answer re Free French Medical Aid. A bit of a giggle is'nt it . All newbee boaters remember to tear your boats apart re the check-list given
Clyde

Would seem to me your question has been answered..

Let's move on...

INDY

[fishwife]

I think Beth and Evans covered this quite well in 2006. Their calculations need a bit of inflation built in to bring them up to date.

http://www.bethandevans.com/pdf/costofcruising.pdf

P.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by goprisko

Early on I posted a proforma budget as a basis for a discussion on budgets... It was as follows:
Food: $ 125
Customs $ 50
Boat maintenance $ 200
Fuel $ 25
Excursions $ 100
TOTAL $ 500
. . . . INDY

- - Back to the premise of the OP - discussion of cruising costs associated with "bare bones" cruising of 2 people I offer the following comments - based on cruising internationally in the Caribbean basin. All $ in US$ And totally ignore medical and personal hygiene (that's why God invented garlic), home country costs, communications (except snail mail) and sun-downers involving booze.
- - Food $125 ($75/person/month) - no way Jose. Even in the D.R. where everything is grown/raised locally it cost me $300/mo for one person. (* that includes 2 Presidente's per person per meal). Be prepared to steal water during the night - Potable water costs money and is always in short supply on islands. You could get free water from mountain streams but be aware that all the locals living "up stream" are dumping their wastes into that stream.
- - Customs - $50/month - possible by probably too low by a little. $75 more realistic. D.R. is $95/boat; - BVI is $22; - St Maarten about $140/boat; - French Islands are free; Others about $50/month. -And- if you transit more countries than one per month that ups the cost. So just a little increase in that category.
- - Boat Maintenance $200/month is a wild card. If the boat is new or has finished a major re-fit within 2 or 3 years then yes - otherwise, that figures goes up dramatically as pumps, electronics, sails, canvas, oil, fuel, batteries, dinghy & motors, bottom cleaning, and such stuff breaks, gets injured in accidents, or just quits from old age. The costs of replacement parts and hired repairs is extremely high compared to a decade ago. Any one or two items per month could consume the whole $500. But there is a way and that is to not have any equipment beyond sails, rigging, bilge pump and a battery for lights. Also no MSD beyond a bucket, you poop off the aft deck. Most country's laws require holding tanks and pump out systems if you have a MSD. ** If you don't have it - you don't have to fix it. **
- - Fuel $25/month works out to about 6 gallons (diesel or gasoline) per month. Possible, yes. But that also means infrequently entering or existing harbors/anchorages and staying away from lee shores. Small sailboats with an outboard hung on the stern can most probably stay within this amount. Inboard engines with transmissions, etc. will bust both this item and the preceding maintenance item.
- - Excurions $100 (or $50per person) - probably high or right on as bus rides are typically $2 to $5 per ride for a couple. That means about 20 bus rides per month and a given of walking everywhere possible. Sightseeing nature costs little more than getting there and back on a bus.
- - So the formula for staying under $500/month/2 people seems to be:
- 30 ft or less full keel cutter with no inboard engine (outboard okay) and no electrical systems beyond lighting.
- Young people in body and mind who love exercise and camping out lifestyle. This and the boat size are the biggest determinants to success.
- Avoiding high cost - major tourist islands/harbors unless you can find free anchorages where you will not get attacked. The main problem with major tourist type islands is the food is all imported and is expensive.

[Mambo]

Osirissail -
I think you have the right approach to figuring out a minimalist budget and what the associated lifestyle will be (your numbers add up to $700 mo plus personal hygene expenses but the actual dollar amount isn't really the point).

I think there was a crusing world article about 10-12 years ago where a guy bought a shell of a boat in New England and made sails out of blue tarp and duct tape, running rigging from clothesline, etc. Managed to sail the thing to Florida and then made some money writing about it. It's all possible . . . it's all possible.
-M

[boatman61]

I'm not being funny nasty here... maybe a bit hahahhaa... but not nasty..
IMO I think Americans on the whole will find it harder to 'Low Budget Cruise' than many Europeans or other nationalities...
In the main this is down to diet and their need to eat enormous platefulls of food and huge amounts of meat..
During my time in the States not once did I ever manage to finish a meal served in any establishment, whilst my US friends would polish theirs off and then pick over my leftovers saying they were still hungry... even something like a Cajun Chicken Salad was beyond me..
and set breakfasts... man they were something else.. Cereal/Fruit, then Bacon, sausage, fries, 2-3eggs, grits, biscuits, wheat/rye toast... some would even throw in a steak... Jeez.
I'd sit in the "Barefoot Breakfast Bar" Phillipsburg... the cruising ship crowd would pile in around 10am clamouring for food... starving hungry... after the on board breakfast...
My Trans Atlantic store's were mocked and sneered at in Oriental and folks dashed round with a big box of 20(BIG) tins of corned beef and other odds and sods..
I gave away 18 tins when I got to the UK... the other 2 I'd traded with a Spanish fishing boat for a pack of fags coz I'd run out.. 5 days out of the Azores...
I eat twice a day... morning and then again at sundown... some of my friends look on my main meals as a starter... my biggest expense is sugar, coffee and tobacco n papers... 3 essential items... I can go for days on just those..
Never had to steal water in the Islands... and where I've paid for it.. its not that expensive... bottled yes, but from a fuel dock... naahhh.
St Martin I always go French side.. its free... why pay Dutch side for sitting in the lagoon under the flight path... beyond me.
Nicer anchorages.. great local produce market in Marigot.. oh.. and never been robbed either..
in spite of walking through the "Danger Zones" after 'Safe Hours'.

[goprisko]

Originally Posted by fishwife

I think Beth and Evans covered this quite well in 2006. Their calculations need a bit of inflation built in to bring them up to date.

http://www.bethandevans.com/pdf/costofcruising.pdf

P.

Quoting from that paper........extracting the relevant "SIMPLICITY" budget only...

"Simplicity. This 33-foot, 30-year old cutter carries good ground tackle, one suit of sails, a hard dinghy, a self-steering vane, a GPS, and little else. Susan and Simon Simplicity recently finished PhD programs in Australia and plan a few years of adventure before settling into their careers. Their resources, to put it kindly, are limited. They make every dollar count and think twice and even three times about every expenditure."

Table 1. Average annual living expenses by category
Simplicity

Provisions 3,055
Entertainment 697
Marina/mooring 316
Communication 419
Fuel 344
Officials/fees 180
Other 570
Total living expenses 5,581 or $450 / month

To keep food costs low, the Simplicities eat what the locals eat and avoid imported luxuries

Entertainment includes any off-boat activity including cook’s night out, an island tour, or a safari in South Africa. Entertainment is the most discretionary of the living expenses, so the money allocated to it tends to increase with the size of the budget. Even the crew aboard Simplicity spends some money seeing the places they have worked so hard to reach, though they do it in the least expensive way possible. They only eat ashore when it’s cheaper than eating on the boat, and sightsee from a rental bicycle, a local bus, or their own two feet when they hike and camp inland.

Marinas/moorings cost the most in Europe and the U.S. and can easily exceed $2 per foot per day. We paid roughly $1 per meter per day for long-term stays during the winter months in Chile, Western Australia, and New Zealand. Simplicity has managed to anchor out almost all of the time, with the exception of South Africa where good anchorages don’t exist. I take exception to this... we were given a month's free dockage on arrival at Richards Bay, we anchored just off the Royal Natal YC in Durban, We lay to a quay for free in East London, and Port Elizabeth, We anchored off the entrance to Mossel Bay, we anchored just off the fleet in Simonstown for free, and got use of the club's dinghy dock and facilities for a modest sum daily, and we anchored out just off the YC in Saldanha Bay, Luderitz, and Walvis Bay.-- INDY

Communication has gone through radical changes in the decade we’ve been out cruising. Staying in touch on a weekly basis now costs almost nothing at all, but if your goal is to remain connected from the boat by phone and e-mail at all times, you will spend a great deal of money. The Simplicitys do e-mail on average once a week through Internet cafes ashore, but may go a month or more without contacting their families. International phone cards that charge less than 10 cents per minute allow them to call home once every six weeks or so.Fuel includes anything purchased at a fuel dock—diesel, gasoline, oil, transmission fluid, and water. On most boats, diesel fuel accounts for ninety percent of the expenditures in this category. Over the last decade, diesel has averaged about $2 per gallon worldwide (~50 cents per liter), but prices can be expected to average double that for the foreseeable future. Simplicity’s crew only uses the engine for getting into and out of anchorages where they can’t sailOfficials/fees consist of all expenses for harbor dues, clearance fees, visa fees, and transit fees for the Panama/Suez Canals. The transit fee for boats less than 50 feet in length is now $600, and other fees can bring the total cost to $1,000. While Simplicity’s crew does everything possible to avoid these fees, they still end up spending a couple hundred dollars a year on various costs related to clearing in and out and obtaining visasOther includes miscellaneous items such as clothing, laundry, haircuts, batteries, non-prescription medications, books, magazines, charts (paper not electronic), cruising guides, non-boat hardware and household items, and anything else that doesn’t fit in one of the other categories. The exact composition varies a great deal from crew to crew, as do total expenditures. Most of what the Simplicitys spend goes toward obtaining adequate charts and guides for their next cruising area."

These are the relevant paragraphs for simplistic low cost cruising. Thanks very much to fishwife for posting the link to this paper.

Please examine the above carefully, note that cruising on a sum this small requires a lifestyle choice, perhaps something you may not wish to do.. However, given you are young or old with small resources, if you have the desperate urge to see the world from the deck of your very own ship, and if you are willing to make the choices necessary to achieve this, YOU CAN DO IT !!

I am here to share my decades of cruising experience world wide to help you avoid the pitfalls which lie between the dream and setting off. I hope like minded folks like fishwife will continue to add their wisdom, so more people can fulfil their dreams.

INDY