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deckofficer · 08-01-2013, 17:28

Welcome to CF, you will find the total cross section of sailors here. Your plan to live aboard might be music to your parent's ears. The boat, if chosen right, and marina, could be cheaper in the long run than apartment rent, plus you still have the investment for a bit of cruising when done with college and before you settle down to work. Then it can be used as you planned as a homebase during your working years before you go off cruising again. I say this because once you cruise, you have been infected, and will want to cruise again.

Red Charlotte · 08-01-2013, 18:04

You can totally make your dream come true!! I'd start out be reading everything you can get your hands on about living aboard. Highly recommend all the books by Lin & Larry Pardey. Also, when you start thinking about college, look at colleges near places with nice liveaboard marinas.

Start to follow blogs of cruisers who you connect with. There are a ton of blogs on my page (on right hand side) that are mainly written by women or families who are living aboard: Rebel Heart - Charlotte's Blog

If you want to join a women only group on Facebook of women who liveaboard, check out our group here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/292744864104327/

Randy · 08-01-2013, 18:16

How about going to a merchant marine academy? Get a scholarship to the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point NY. In 4 years you'd be getting paid to be on the water and rather well @ $140,000 or so with no debt. You could easily buy whatever boat you want and live where you'd like. My son is in grad school in DC and I offered to buy a boat for him to live on in lieu of an apt, but then there's the responsibility of taking care of the boat and all the rest that it entails. He is in an apt.

deckofficer · 08-01-2013, 18:24

Hi Charlotte, how is Eric and Cora doing? I bet Cora is liking being a "Celebrity" among the locals. Blond children are just adored by the locals, they think they are angels.

MarkJ · 08-01-2013, 18:27

I think you would be bored stupid living in a marina with a group of people old as your grandparents.

There's no cool guys your age, nor cool girls... Or any sort of guys or girls your age.

Before you take a jump into a bizarre lifestyle check it out to see it its bizarre good or bizarre bad. Visit a marina every day for a week and say hi to everyone one you meet.

It might work out better to share some artsy pad with artsy people next to the college/uni you are going to study. For a year I lived in a huge house with 8 other people. That was fun.

Mark

deckofficer · 08-01-2013, 18:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randy

How about going to a merchant marine academy? Get a scholarship to the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point NY. In 4 years you'd be getting paid to be on the water and rather well @ $140,000 or so with no debt. You could easily buy whatever boat you want and live where you'd like. My son is in grad school in DC and I offered to buy a boat for him to live on in lieu of an apt, but then there's the responsibility of taking care of the boat and all the rest that it entails. He is in an apt.

And if you don't get the scholarship, come out west to California Maritime Academy (CMA), same program, great school, and many donated sailboats with diesels for the midshipman's personal use. Also in 1997 our Commander of the Corp was the first female in the academy's 80 year history to have been assigned that post. You will like the guy/girl ratio, when I was there it was about 5 to 1.

iSaint · 08-01-2013, 18:51

I hope you can get into some competitive high school sailing somewhere. That could lead to some collegiate level sailing, which may or may not lead to scholarships, but will definitely keep you around other sailing types. Follow your dream! I've been hooked for years and still plan on living aboard someday!

jongleur · 08-01-2013, 19:06

Sailor Girl:

Two different philosophies:

Live where you want and figure out how to make it work.

or

Work at what you want and figure out how to do it in a place you might want to live.

I've always tried to do the first. Seems to have worked out okay with me. Lived aboard for 5 years and worked right across the parking lot. Got up at 8:55 and made it to work on time at 9:00.

Sailor_Girl · 08-01-2013, 19:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I think you would be bored stupid living in a marina with a group of people old as your grandparents.

There's no cool guys your age, nor cool girls... Or any sort of guys or girls your age.

Before you take a jump into a bizarre lifestyle check it out to see it its bizarre good or bizarre bad. Visit a marina every day for a week and say hi to everyone one you meet.

It might work out better to share some artsy pad with artsy people next to the college/uni you are going to study. For a year I lived in a huge house with 8 other people. That was fun.

Mark

I must admit I do see your point. And while I do enjoy friends of similar age I grew up around adults. In mu single digit days I had very little interaction with anyone under 20 so I don't think the age would bother me too much. Still I will take your advice and try to meet and say hi to as many people as I can. Thank you for the advice!

Sailor_Girl · 08-01-2013, 19:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by jongleur

Sailor Girl:

Two different philosophies:

Live where you want and figure out how to make it work.

or

Work at what you want and figure out how to do it in a place you might want to live.

I've always tried to do the first. Seems to have worked out okay with me. Lived aboard for 5 years and worked right across the parking lot. Got up at 8:55 and made it to work on time at 9:00.

I like the first myself. I always try to look at my goal and do whatever I can to make it.

Sailor_Girl · 08-01-2013, 19:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by iSaint

I hope you can get into some competitive high school sailing somewhere. That could lead to some collegiate level sailing, which may or may not lead to scholarships, but will definitely keep you around other sailing types. Follow your dream! I've been hooked for years and still plan on living aboard someday!

Oh how I wish I could do high school sailing! But location is a bit of an issue. I live in Kentucky and not very close to the river...most of my classmates have no clue that people "still sail from the pirate days"! Makes me want to bash my head into a wall.

maxingout · 08-01-2013, 20:44

Living aboard is the easy part. Making money while living aboard is a bigger challenge. It can be done. A good internet connection and a computer might be able to make something happen if you have a specialized area of expertise that is needed and that can be done remotely over the computer.

Designing websites, writing, and graphic design are all possible. I knew a Russian who was doing graphic design for Reader's Digest when he was living in Egypt.

If you are smart, motivated, and hard working, you can make it happen.

David_Old_Jersey · 09-01-2013, 03:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I think you would be bored stupid living in a marina with a group of people old as your grandparents.

There's no cool guys your age, nor cool girls... Or any sort of guys or girls your age.

Before you take a jump into a bizarre lifestyle check it out to see it its bizarre good or bizarre bad. Visit a marina every day for a week and say hi to everyone one you meet.

It might work out better to share some artsy pad with artsy people next to the college/uni you are going to study. For a year I lived in a huge house with 8 other people. That was fun.

Mark

Whilst I agree that the average Marina not exactly designed around the social life of the average teenager

, nonetheless plusses and minuses to everything. If "you" can get your social life elsewhere (and at College / Uni, including outside lessons as good as anywhere to use for that) then where you sleep and eat not so important. Same onshore as afloat; most things in life a trade off. Not to say that communal sharing as a youngster would not have advantages (especially socially) - but that too has downsides (I won't ruin that voyage of discovery!).

All things being equal money wise I would plump for the boat in a marina if I was also using her for sailing at least now and again - my bet is that when somewhere near the water that you having own boat would be an attraction for quite a few, even if for some only the once!. If just used as a floating home then I would go for the onshore sharing with other students approach.

It's nice having choices

- treasure them, you won't always get any

.