Living on anchor in the US

[onestepcsy37]

Originally Posted by Volkeno

I have the advantage of living near Canada where you can discharge as long as you aren't in a harbor.

I wish the morons that run our country (USA) had as much sense.

[strique9]

I live in Nashville and was surprised to find out how easy it was to get into sailing pretty much anywhere. Just in Nashville, there's 5-6 sailing clubs. I have a boat on Percy Priest and will gladly get you out sailing if you have the time of make the trip. Another option is to join a yacht club (cheap...mine's $150/yr) locally. Most have LATH courses (learning at the helm) and club boat you can use once you satisfied their requirements. I'd say you need to know how to sail before you live on a boat. NC waters get rough and you need to know how to stay safe.


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[SeaBeetle]

Greetings.
I'm a retired carrier sailor too. I rode the Lexington, Ranger and Constellation. I retired after 22 years. Strange thing is that I live in the NC Mountains too.
I have owner several sailboats from 23 to 41 foot length. The only advise is to not procrastinate, just do it. If you can find someone to crew for then that is best. But if you can't than it should not be a show stopper. And don't let age deter you from living your dream. In the coastal NC area, you can find many nice affordable sailboats in the 30-32 foot length. I recommend that you stay as small as you can comfortably live and cruise on. And the best news is that the cruising community are mostly helpful. But the key is you. You can find a liveaboard marina there and learn while you go. Lots of people need crew for day sails or racing.
I don't see a problem in you doing what you want to do.
Jim

[tonewrone]

Hi JW, I too will soon buy a 30-35ft in the 25-35k range for live aboard.I am 57yrs and live in the mtns of sw Colo. working as a Ski patroller and Snowmaker for 20yrs or so, currently a ranch mgr. I attended Chapman school of seamanship professional mariner training in 2003. I say get aboard and get on with it, that's my plan. Plenty of others doing it. The answers you seek for Hurricanes exist if you search "Hurricane plans for boats"

[tonewrone]

Hi JW, I too will soon buy a 30-35ft in the 25-35k range for live aboard.I am 57yrs and live in the mtns of sw Colo. working as a Ski patroller and Snowmaker for 20yrs or so, currently a ranch mgr. I attended Chapman school of seamanship professional mariner training in 2003. I say get aboard and get on with it, that's my plan. Plenty of others doing it. The answers you seek for Hurricanes exist if you search "Hurricane plans for boats"

[Scout 30]

I recommend Tow Boat US or Sea Tow when you get your boat. They will jump your boat for free, bring you fuel or tow you to a marina. I've used it once when I ran into engine problems. The tow was free to me but Boat US sent me a copy of the bill they paid & it was around a $900 for a distance of less than 5 miles about 15 years ago.

[Azul]

Practical NC advice:

-there are definitely places you can anchor out forever without government intervention
-hurricanes are a problem. You will need to develop a hurricane plan. For example, in the area I live most of the marinas have a "list" to haul you out for a hurricane. To get on the list is about $1200 per year, and then you get charged for the haulout as well. Most marinas will not let you keep your boat in the slip during a hurricane and you will be fined and responsible for any damage. Or you can put down a really good mooring that you don't own but is sort of yours. The old-timers stay on their moorings for a Cat 1 or 2 but for a 3 or above they get the heck out of Dodge.
-your ground tackle is very important. With a reversing current and especially for storms people typically put out a Danforth in each direction due to the sandy bottoms.
-parking is an issue. Maybe a motorcycle? Or a bike? Either will dissolve to rust in one to two years.
-marinas are cheap in NC. You can find a decent one for $300/month.
-some towns are set up to accommodate sailors with accessible laundromats, groceries, dinghy docks etc. Some aren't.
-a good dinghy and solar are important. At the very least you want your bilge pumps to run if you have to leave your boat for a while. The dinghy and especially the outboard are at risk for theft even in NC- kids joyriding mainly.
-simple is good. There are lots of suitable boats in the 29 to 37 foot range.
-working on your boat is a lot easier at a marina.
-Can you afford to buy a slip? You can rent it out during the summer when it is easier and more fun to anchor out. It's a bitch to anchor out when it is 25 degrees during the winter.
-doing dishes and laundry is less of a pain at a marina.
-the wind is always blowing down your hatch if you are anchored out. In a marina it can get really hot in the summer with no wind or AC
-you can catch a lot of fish, oysters, shrimp, crabs etc to eat
-it is a really healthy lifestyle with a small environmental footprint. Especially if you get a composting head which I would highly recommend. Holding tanks and dumping sewage are gross.
-you won't worry as much about losing a cheaper boat
-forget formal sailing lessons. Get a manageable sized boat and buy someone beer and pizza to show you the ropes. You are an engineer, you can learn how to do most things solo if you can read or have YouTube access.
-the boat should have a newish reliable diesel so you can motor around until you learn to sail. Practice sailing at first only when conditions are ideal.

Good luck! Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock....

[jwcolby54]

Originally Posted by Azul

Practical NC advice:

snip...

Good luck! Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock....

[onestepcsy37]

Second that on Azul. Good post!

[Scout 30]

I'd say that about covers it.

[edselby]

Had a conversation with my brother-in-law over the weekend about living on a boat. He and his wife own two rental homes on a lake in Alabama. A few weeks back, one of his neighbors discovered someone on a houseboat tied up to my brother-in-law's dock during the week.

Lots of filler and in-between - the guy was living on his houseboat and "squatting" at empty docks and slips around the lake for as long as he could get away with it.

I guess that could be an option for you.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Azul

..........Holding tanks and dumping sewage are gross.....

Not really. You poop and flush. Poop is out of sight. Later, you connect to a pumpout boat or at a marina. Poop is sucked out and disposed of properly. Usually, someone else does it but even if it's self service. you don't have to touch the poop. It stays in the hoses. Ever changed a diaper? That's a lot more gross than pumping out a holding tank.

Of course if you are where it's permitted, dumping sewage is just a matter of pushing a button or turning a switch.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

I recommend Tow Boat US or Sea Tow when you get your boat. ................

One of the cheapest things you can buy for a boat. About $150 per year.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by rwidman

One of the cheapest things you can buy for a boat. About $150 per year.

And most useful

[Azul]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Not really. You poop and flush. Poop is out of sight. Later, you connect to a pumpout boat or at a marina. Poop is sucked out and disposed of properly. Usually, someone else does it but even if it's self service. you don't have to touch the poop. It stays in the hoses. Ever changed a diaper? That's a lot more gross than pumping out a holding tank.

Of course if you are where it's permitted, dumping sewage is just a matter of pushing a button or turning a switch.

No one ever discharges raw sewage where they shouldn't. A marine toilet will never get stopped up or have to be rebuilt. The system will never sink your boat. You will never have to smell any funky smells.

I think your last sentence confirms what I was trying to say. Someone should do a study on how many liveaboard sailboats actually make routine visits to a pumping station, using a lie detector on the captains.

Heck with a composting toilet you could probably get local herb gardeners to pay for your funky stuff to add to their compost pile.