Hotel California ?

[Bergovoy]

there is a difference between SSI and SSDI, and retirement...

Yes we pay into it and when we either become low income and need some help and support, or if we get injred and disabled we should be entitled to it. PERIOD.

It doesnt matter if it is govt 'insurance' or privante insurance...I think the intent of the above negative comment was thta it must be nice to be 'injured/disabled' enough to not work but yet still be able to 'sail'..

and ultimately, I dont think it matters if you 'cruise' or live in a house.. clearly this is a cruisers' and liveaboard forum, so the concpet of living on a house that is funded from insurance is not really a choice it is a lifestyle and necessity...

I tend to resent when folks spend bazillions of dollars on wheel chair ramps, and lowered toilets and countertops, and all kinda of things for 'wheelchair bound ' while we spend squat on other 'disabilitys'.

there are countelss number of disabilityes that arent socially recognized unless you are missing limbs or cant walk ... most everything else is still expected to behave like other 'productive' citizens...My own daughter doesnt seem to think i need some help and am 100%.. and as much as i want to be 100% I am not...

anyways, this shouldnt be a political discussion..as it wont turn out well... unfortunately... as i think the more people that get upset and involved then maybe there will be change... as it is needed...

Zee is clearly not the problem nor do i think she is taking advantage of anyting or anyone...

I am sure she has paid her dues and deserves any benefits she gets..

[Chef-of-the-Sea]

Originally Posted by At sea

Selling up and moving aboard seems a dream of many on this forum. But isn't that dream just a hotel california trap? I mean, for just how long can anyone pursue the quest for pleasure before it becomes simply a pointless and wasteful lifestyle? You know, Goa and Casablanca et al. Most people who go on RV trips never sell up and pretend it's gonna be forever; and on return they're usually desperate for something meaningful to do with their days rather than just drifting and looking on from the outside. I've been involved with boats for yonks from racing dinghies on and they've always occupied most of my free thinking time. Yet the thought of selling up and moving aboard to sail away over the horizon to an island in paradise is 'the horror, the horror'. Yikes, am I really alone?

I am perhaps too young to know what life is about but I think that it is all about the "quest for pleasure" as you put it. However what one man thinks is "it" can be hell for the next guy. I myself can't think of a suit-n-tie job, a house in the suburbs, and a BMW as a life I could have any fun with. That being said I don't see anything wrong with that life it's just not for me. I don't see how crusers have much in common with the RV folks. Yah we both have to pump crap and travel, but the culture is quite diffrent. RV's are high impact; they drink gas like a frat boy at happy hour, toss tons of CO2 into the air, they are alot like power boats. Sailboats tend to be rather green, they get power from the wind and sun, use little gas, and most of the time go from place to place with only the wind. In the end it's best to think about what you want in life and then go for it. For me I am going for cold beer, strong rum, rare meat, a Beam Reach, and tan women

[Rick]

In '80 I quit my engineering job, sold the house, bought a cruising sailboat and left the country for several years. When I came back, because I had to earn a retirement, it made me depressed because the "real world" is out "there" not here.

It doesn't take long to discover by being in other countries just how "USA-centric" are most Americans who have blinders on and are not even aware of it. It made me wonder just what constitutes "pointless"?

I still live aboard a crising sailboat and love the minimalistic lifestyle. It was a great relief when finally I was able to rid myself of all of the "things" that I had kept in storage for the eventuality of returning to the same lifestyle as before. Was I ever wrong.

It is not for everyone, yet it is better for everyone to understand what other people, places, and things are like for more than a mere vacation. After all, it is like fun, only different. What is the difference? You must find out for yourself, grasshopper!

[boatbumms]

The good thing is this life is not for every one. Those who try you have to give them credit for trying and if it doesn't work for them there are many other choices. Those that try and like it have an adventurous life ahead and spend as much time as possible living it.
I've lived on my boat for 33yrs and have been cruising for the last 14yrs with my third wife. Someone said "Life is short so use all of it."