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Old 14-10-2011, 16:15   #1966
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Re: Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

celestial---i am paying 350/month for the 5 month named storm marina special. nov 1 i go to old harbor and use a friend's mooring--med style, so i am essentially anchored with butt tied to wall. i will take my walker bay or my kayak to dock for going to shore. i will be paying something monthly for this option. there is one of these only. when i anchor in old harbor i pay no fees, as i said earlier but i do pay the 50 daily peso charge for wifi and dock and shower--is all good.
my mooring in sd was 130 plus my other boat 260 plus find a shower plus find a ,,,,, added up...... food in san diego was horrifically high as opposed to here. here i am paying 50 pesos for food cooked for me. daily. once i settle down and stop paying so much out i will be able to fix boat and ready again for other adventures.

if you wish to make beef here more interesting, try adding kahlua or some other coffee liqueur to the marinade. doesnt take much and wow...the difference!!!!! pork isplentiful, as is chicken, fish is findable in ocean, on jetties and surf and in pangas. shrimps and tuna can be found..... need to look. smoked marlin is quite yummy, and is made into interesting and tasty meals.
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Old 14-10-2011, 18:26   #1967
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Re: Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

Pretty decent. It's really something these days when one cannot afford to live in their own country.
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Old 14-10-2011, 18:30   #1968
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Two examples of how to fail at micro-budget cruising.. . .

In my last post I mentioned lying in Lake Boca Raton for nearly 2 weeks.

From time to time, boats came and went. Two in particular were noteworthy. It is interesting that both were from New York.

The first was a Tartan34, built in the 80s. Her owner set himself the
modest goal of cruising to and through the Bahamas.

His mission was thwarted by a rudder that failed. He didn't have access to the "Am I Ready Checklist" that I promulgated here earlier. If you missed it, never fear, I've attached a copy to this post. Being from the Great Lakes, the owner never experienced severe corrosion problems on his previous boats. He was completely unprepared for what he found in his old Tartan 34.

To summarize, a boat that has been in salt water for many years has lots of hidden places for corrosion to do it's work unnoticed, that is, until something fails.

If you buy an old boat, you must go through it's systems with a fine tooth comb, looking for and fixing defects. The Checklist is to focus your efforts on the critical ones.

The second boat was a Cape Dory 33. Her owner also set himself the modest goal of sailing to and through the Bahamas. This owner was more successful than the previous one. He actually made it to Georgetown in the Exumas, where his transmission packed it in.

Again, had he had access to the Checklist, and thoroughly gone through the boat's systems, he could have fixed the problem when it was cheap.

Regardless, had he learned to SAIL HIS BOAT EVERYWHERE, he could have continued his cruise engine-less and fixed the problem after his return.

Don't let your dream cruise turn into a nightmare. Go through your boat BEFORE YOU LEAVE. so you know what is likely to work, and what isn't.

Fair Winds,

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Attached Files
File Type: doc Am I ready Checklist.doc (38.0 KB, 121 views)
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Old 14-10-2011, 18:38   #1969
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Re: Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

Quote:
Originally Posted by w1651 View Post
Wow that's really reasonable. I need to move north for the summer.
No, you just have to go south to Florida Bay. You can explore there for
months to your heart's content.

Explore the Shark River. Camp at Cape Sable. Visit the Dry Tortugas.

Stop in Pine Island Sound on the way... Fish for Tarpon.

INDY
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Old 14-10-2011, 21:32   #1970
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Re: Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

celestial--yes is a shame when you feel you have to relocate to different nation in order to survive. is all good----there are many of us these days.
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Old 14-10-2011, 22:25   #1971
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Re: Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

Quote:
Originally Posted by zeehag View Post
celestial--yes is a shame when you feel you have to relocate to different nation in order to survive. is all good----there are many of us these days.
Soon to be one more...
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Old 14-10-2011, 22:42   #1972
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Re: Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

got beer and cheeeeepo tacos. bus service is affordable and if ye want--i will show ye some places to go. is a friendly place here.
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Old 15-10-2011, 02:50   #1973
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Re: Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

Quote:
Originally Posted by goprisko View Post
No, you just have to go south to Florida Bay. You can explore there for
months to your heart's content.

Explore the Shark River. Camp at Cape Sable. Visit the Dry Tortugas.

Stop in Pine Island Sound on the way... Fish for Tarpon.

INDY
But not during hurricane season.
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Old 15-10-2011, 09:25   #1974
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Re: Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

I know the topic is *cruising* but to figure how much I have to spend I have to subtract my "land ties" (like marina cost) from my expenditures and add that amount to the amount I have to work with, so rather than just squeaking by I take my marina and other land costs and my tools and outfitting budget add it all together and I have that much more money to work with than just squeaking by.
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Old 15-10-2011, 09:49   #1975
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Escaping the Drudge.....

It is extremely difficult to escape the drudgeries of Life in the USA.

There is virtually no social safety net to rely upon, unlike virtually anywhere else.

It is impossible for most to imagine how they will cope outside a life that comes with a job, housing, car etc.

This is why this thread has been hijacked by those wishing to share marina cost data.

I sympathize with you. I went down the path you are attempting, and escaped.

I'd like to share a few things with you.

1. Yes, while you are working, you will very likely keep your boat at a marina, in a slip.

2. Yes, slips cost money, and generally are charged by the foot of overall length for monohulls of normal proportions. Multi-hull owners are often surprised to find they pay twice as much as a mono-hull of identical LOA.

3. It is essential that you gain as much experience as possible of life on anchor. In the beginning, weekends must suffice, later vacations will provide longer term experience.

4. Living at anchor requires a durable dink and a hard dink with good oars is the cheapest solution.

5. It will become immediately apparent that places with few boats have few anchoring regulations, or regs favorable to those anchoring out. You will spend most of your time in such places.

6. It will become eventually apparent that those in the know regarding desirable places to anchor, keep this info to themselves. You must make friends with them, to learn their secrets.

7. If the reality of longer LOA = bigger marina slip monthly bill, that soon will sink in.

8. If the reality of more complicated boat = bigger outfitting and commissioning expense, that too will soon sink in.

So, follow my advice, reread pp 28-36 keep the boat less than 34 ft LOA, and simple, then go off on small adventures at first, followed by those of longer duration and complexity.

Oh, most important, learn to sail everywhere. Keep the engine, should you have one, silent.

INDY
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Old 15-10-2011, 11:00   #1976
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Re: Escaping the Drudge.....

Quote:
Originally Posted by goprisko View Post
It is extremely difficult to escape the drudgeries of Life in the USA.

There is virtually no social safety net to rely upon, unlike virtually anywhere else.

It is impossible for most to imagine how they will cope outside a life that comes with a job, housing, car etc.

This is why this thread has been hijacked by those wishing to share marina cost data.

I sympathize with you. I went down the path you are attempting, and escaped.

I'd like to share a few things with you.

1. Yes, while you are working, you will very likely keep your boat at a marina, in a slip.

2. Yes, slips cost money, and generally are charged by the foot of overall length for monohulls of normal proportions. Multi-hull owners are often surprised to find they pay twice as much as a mono-hull of identical LOA.

3. It is essential that you gain as much experience as possible of life on anchor. In the beginning, weekends must suffice, later vacations will provide longer term experience.

4. Living at anchor requires a durable dink and a hard dink with good oars is the cheapest solution.

5. It will become immediately apparent that places with few boats have few anchoring regulations, or regs favorable to those anchoring out. You will spend most of your time in such places.

6. It will become eventually apparent that those in the know regarding desirable places to anchor, keep this info to themselves. You must make friends with them, to learn their secrets.

7. If the reality of longer LOA = bigger marina slip monthly bill, that soon will sink in.

8. If the reality of more complicated boat = bigger outfitting and commissioning expense, that too will soon sink in.

So, follow my advice, reread pp 28-36 keep the boat less than 34 ft LOA, and simple, then go off on small adventures at first, followed by those of longer duration and complexity.

Oh, most important, learn to sail everywhere. Keep the engine, should you have one, silent.

INDY
1:As far as my income...I am "gainfully unemployed
2: I have a narrow 30footer
3:I plan on spending the last couple of months and then a shake down cruise around Vancouver Island before I really leave
4: I have a hard dink I am not really that happy with and will be building one designed by the man who designed my boat
5:All of the previous owners made sure the boat was well equipped with ground tackle and cruised in the boat from Mexico up to AK
7: If you take a tape to my boat, boomkin to bow pulpit it measure out at 30'2" (on paper it is 29'10")
8: when William Atkin designed the boat in 1936 he commented on how simple it was, the builder and all previous owners (including myself) are strong believers in the KISS principle)

I consider the auxiliary engine as a peace of safety equipment and have an engine that will easily get me out of a very tight jam (and like to keep it available for that)...I also hold alot of respect for people that are able to do everything under sail.

I agree whole heartily with everything you said here
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Old 15-10-2011, 13:02   #1977
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G'day Indy!

We bumped into each other a few months ago in Martinique when we were heading south and you were going north. At the time, you were stocking up on cheap French goods. It is an interesting thread you have started, but I reckon there are very few cruisers left who are willing and capable of doing what you suggest. And those that are willing and those that actually do it, well, you will not find many of THEM on an internet forum.

The problem with the attitude these days boils down, in its truly basic form, to the GPS. Cruising in the 70s and 80s when I was a kid meant using a sextant. These days just about any idiot with a few $ and a GPS sails over the horizon. When we sailed into Chagos in 1981, we were the second yacht in the anchorage. Nowadays there are 50 odd boats there and they pay for the privilege. Wow!

Even though it is very easy to use a sextant (my old man taught me when I was 11, it is just addition and subtraction with nothing over 360), the psychological barrier kept many shore bound. This was actually a good thing for those that did sail away because it kept the islands less crowded.

You may remember, but we row a rigid dinghy, sail a cat with 2 small 8 HP outboards (no inboards), no generator, no electric pumps, no electric winches for anything, and with 960 W of solar panels. This means we SAIL and the sun and our muscles do the rest. The cat/mono issue, in terms of marina costs, is irrelevant when you always anchor out (or run up on the beach), the point is NO MARINA.

Anyway, bla bla, it comes down mostly to attitude. Although I still think $500 is quite optimistic, it can be done if needed and you are young and desperate. In the Caribbean, we averaged $1000 a month with everything about a decade ago - including car rental, boat maintenance etc. SE Asia and SW Caribbean is cheaper. The maintenance item is v Important, you can reduce costs by letting your boat run down, but you are actually paying a "hidden" cost in terms of lack of maintenance. When you sell the boat, that hidden cost will reveal itself.

Our logic is a decent boat that sails well, has simple systems and we minimise hired external expertise so much it is almost zero. The rest is mental. But you also want to enjoy yourself and see a bit of the wonderful countries you visit? Well, it will probably be over $500!
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Old 15-10-2011, 13:52   #1978
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Re: Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

maintenance is allways cheaper than repair
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Old 15-10-2011, 15:09   #1979
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Economizing.....

Back when I owned the Tartan 27, I started out with a slip in the marina at New Buffalo, MI.

Desiring to save, and being from NW Indiana, I looked around and found
the Indiana Harbor Boat Club. I joined. Cost ~ $60/ yr. They had title
to bottomland nearby. I got permission to put down a mooring. Cost me
$100 for anchor, swivels, chain, shackles, mooring ball, and dan bouy.

That was back in 83.

I kept the boat there, for $60/yr club dues until I sold it in 86, to a fellow member.

I just finished a book "Wooden Boats" which tells the story of the magazine "WoodenBoat" and the boat builders of Martha's Vineyard.

Turns out that they keep their boats on private moorings too...

Private moorings are not for everyone, and certainly not for everywhere.

But, if you want to save money, first thing you must do is think like a miser. Think cheap. Look around, see what you can scrounge.

It is good practice for micro-budget cruising.

INDY
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Old 15-10-2011, 15:16   #1980
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Paying your way vs saving up...

The micro-budget cruiser has chosen to live a simple life in a small boat
so he can go cruising early in life.

He may cruise for the rest of his life. It is too soon to tell.

How to finance this lifestyle?

Americans think in terms of savings, first if at all. They dream of winning the lottery, dream of making a killing in the stock market.

Not too many think of a tool box and the skills to go with it.

Few think of a drinks manual, an apron, bow tie, and bartending skills.

Fewer think of a welding machine, or sewing machine and attendant skills.

Fewer and fewer think of staying in the reserves, doing AcDuTra 90 days a year in one block and getting their 20 year satisfactory letter.

Those like the Pardeys who went off young, all earned their way as they went along. You can too.

If you can control your expenses.


I am 64 now, and parts of my body no longer work the way they did when I left in 95. But I have my memories, and boy oh boy, what memories do I have !

Do you have memories? or unfulfilled dreams?


INDY
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