Brand New....

[enoughstuff]

Hi! I'm new... as in new to this whole thing! Like a ton of folks... I want to live on a boat in the carribean with my hubbie and 2 kids. Problem is... we know nothing about boating at all... but are excited to learn. We are taking some boating classes this summer and are working hard to pay off our house so we can go... I think financially in 5 years... don't know if we'll know enough about boats by then.

I know a lot of you think we are silly... I know it's a lot to learn...

One thing I don't understand about living aboard (and forgive me... I haven't read all the old posts yet) is that everything I read about mooring in the USVI is that all the moorings are for daytime use.... does everyone just anchor at night? I know you can't anchor in the park areas, but can you anchor everywhere else? I can't find any info on if it's legal or not... and from what I gather... the other option is to live at a marina.... but they seem to be pretty pricey...

Thanks for reading... we just crave the simplier life... less stuff, less cleaning... less to do... luckily... we are already pretty minimalistic... I know it won't be all perfect... but you only have one life... and I want to try to do what I've always wanted to do...

Thanks for reading and I look foward to following the boards...

[Islandmike]

Welcome aboard, you will really enjoy this forum. It will help you get ready for moving aboard and sailing away. You can easily be ready in 5 years if you want to be. With some research in this forum you will be able to find many places to anchor at night or day along the coast and in the islands. Good luck

[scubasteve]

Welcome, I’m new to this forum as well and it’s amazing how much information is available.

It’s probably a good idea to purchase a small boat to learn on before making a commitment on a larger more expensive boat. Five years is plenty if you can go out on a consistent basis. This will also provide you with the understanding of the maintenance requirements. Living on a boat will simplify many aspects of life but will add a whole new set of problems. Knowing what these are will help you make better decisions.

Also, you looking at power or sail?

Steve

[skipmac]

Hi Enoughstuff,

Welcome to the forum and don't worry about asking questions. I think I can say with a high degree of certainty that few, if any of us, were born expert sailors. Pretty much everyone here had to start out as a newbie at some point in time.

In general you will find that no questions are considered dumb questions. The only place I see some lack of patience in replies on the forum are when the asker has obviously done no basic research prior to asking some very basic question.

So, you have the right idea already. Research this forum and the internet in general as very many of the new sailor questions have been addressed in great detail. Also, helps to do some basic self education so get books and read, read, read.

Regarding the USVI, have not been there for many years, but have not heard of any blanket restrictions against liveaboards. Some of the moorings may be owned by charter companies so may be restricted in that regard. Also, I would usually prefer to use and trust my own anchor than a mooring anyway. Just because you see an available mooring ball floating in a harbor does not mean that it is safe and ready to use.

Also, there are plenty of places besides the USVI that I would recommend. The VI is a convenient place for air connections, supplies, etc but after a while starts looking crowded and touristy.

Regards
Skip

[enoughstuff]

Thank you for your responses...

I'm not sure about power or sail yet, I think there are advantages and disadvantages to both... the classes we are taking are for sail... so we'll see how that goes...

As for the VI... I'm sure it does get touristy... I'm a nurse and I've had a couple friends work down there for a while... so I've got some inside scoop about living there... I went to St John for the first time when I was 15 and it's been calling me ever since...

I've also been to Jamaica, Bahamas, St Thomas, and I spent a month in Barbados working in a hospital for an intership... none did no where near what St John does to me.... although I realize that those are pretty touristy too (not Barbados so much)

What places would you recommend that you like better?. I would prefer somewhere less touristy than St Thomas too.... but I was thinking it would be the easiest for my husband or I to get a job there.... Although being a nurse, things are flexible... I've thought about working 1 week in Savannah (where I work now.... we live south of there- near St Simons/Jekyll Island) then having off for 11 weeks... more details to work through...

Thanks again... let me know your favorite spots....

[kiapa]

worthy goal!
dinghies are best for learning to sail.
any small boat with some accomodation makes for a good learning platform for cruising -- anchoring, planning, weather, provisioning, life afloat, etc.
chartering, especially in or near your dream destination, is great way to test and shape your plans.

as you talk, read, & sail, you'll gradually expand your knowledge and your horizons. we'd second skipmac's input that the VI might not be the ultimate place to cruise. for that matter, the caribbean might not be your ultimate cruise destination. while there are many many factors at play... we've found that the best "crusing" destinations are NOT the popular vacationing (chartering) destinations. good sailing!

[Hudson Force]

My wife and I are long term liveaboard cruisers, and like many, we have lengths of time up to six months when we are mobile and most frequently anchoring and sometimes a few months at a marina. We also know many liveaboards who maintain a continual marina slip and take short cruises for a week or two away. Other seasonal cruisers will rent a slip in southern climates for the winter and back to the north for the summer. All these plans are available, but for us, before retirement, we found it best to maintain a slip for our daily commute to work. 'take care and joy, Aythya crew

[skipmac]

Hi Enoughstuff,

If you are planning to work while living on board then a US island will be almost required. In general, getting work permits for non citizens in most tropical areas is a really difficult, long, drawn-out process. Certain job skills (like nursing for example) may get you in the door more quickly if local needs are not met by residents.

Assuming a US island that leaves the USVI and PR. Even there jobs can be difficult as a few other sailors have had the same idea as you. . But persistence and stability pays off. In my two years in St Thomas 90% of the people that showed up wanting to work locally or in the charter business went back to the mainland within weeks. The ones that stuck it out for a while usually got a chance to at least get a foot in the door.

If you're in SE GA area I second the idea to get a smaller boat to sail locally and pick up some experience and find out how you like it. I'm currently docked in Brunswick until I have time to move my boat to FL. If you like we can meet for coffee next time I'm in the area and I will bore you to death talking about boats.

Skip

[kiapa]

important question: cruising or "work aboard"? there's a big difference...

for working aboard, don't rule out Hawaii... or for high adventure, the Marshalls!