Liveaboard's

[captain58sailin]

We don't own our stuff, our stuff owns us.

[ShawnArbercat]

Yes you are right, that's why we limit our stuff, cheers

[Goosebumps]

did I overlook some posts or is liveaboard considered to be living in USA marina? I am luving on the hook in East Africa since 2007! I suppose that's not a way of liveaboard that seems interesting. If I would have to stay in a marina, overcharged poor services, well the ones I am familiar with, social conformism to yachtclub culture and morals, I wouldnt last long. I cant understand why not more yachties, with yachts/boats far superoor to my 34 foot cat, dont stay put on the hook. If anyone is interedted in the benefits of living on the hook in oristine natural environment of the drysyal clear waters of South Indian Ocean.......

[FamilyVan]

Originally Posted by Goosebumps

did I overlook some posts or is liveaboard considered to be living in USA marina? I am luving on the hook in East Africa since 2007! I suppose that's not a way of liveaboard that seems interesting. If I would have to stay in a marina, overcharged poor services, well the ones I am familiar with, social conformism to yachtclub culture and morals, I wouldnt last long. I cant understand why not more yachties, with yachts/boats far superoor to my 34 foot cat, dont stay put on the hook. If anyone is interedted in the benefits of living on the hook in oristine natural environment of the drysyal clear waters of South Indian Ocean.......

Actually your life style sounds very interesting to me. Africa has the perception (for me) of being very exotic. I have considered living aboard in Costa Rica or Panama- but Africa- that's just plain cool.

Sent from my SGH-I547C using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Goosebumps]

Originally Posted by FamilyVan

Actually your life style sounds very interesting to me. Africa has the perception (for me) of being very exotic. I have considered living aboard in Costa Rica or Panama- but Africa- that's just plain cool.

Sent from my SGH-I547C using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

It is more than just interesting, at first it is overwhelming. The gunkholing piloting challenge, the pristine environment, crystal clear seawater, the coastal communities, .... amazing how once people overlook the waw yacht factor they can accept you for who you are. It us also particularly interesting that the Muslim communities on the East African coast are very hospitable and open to visitors. The best part of this coast in that few cruising yachts pass here and you really can feel as if you are alone in this exquisite part of the world.

[IdoraKeeper]

It seems that you must have the muse to live aboard. I lived aboard for a while. It was challenging in the climate of the PNW but for a young guy it was an excellent experience. Didn't miss having stuff at all. Now I have lots of stuff. Not as fun.

[FamilyVan]

Originally Posted by IdoraKeeper

It seems that you must have the muse to live aboard. I lived aboard for a while. It was challenging in the climate of the PNW but for a young guy it was an excellent experience. Didn't miss having stuff at all. Now I have lots of stuff. Not as fun.

Ya, I really enjoyed living aboard and not having stuff. My wife just won't have it with our little guy though, so I've been turf bound for the last 7 months. We figure when he's about 3 we'll head out again.

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[Bobby Wandering]

Living in the hook, how chill. In 12 years I can retire and sail away. There are some system upgrades and additions, like solar and turbine, to make but I think I am close to being able to make that happen.

However, there is no yacht club pressure or morals in the marina I call home. It very casual, friendly and welcoming.

Bobby
S/V Wandering Star
Tacoma, WA

[Mach Buffett]

Ahoy All

Ernest Gann said the following, much more eloquently I could. It comes from his book "The Song Of Sirens", which is to boats, what "Fate Is The Hunter" is to flying.

I'm sure if Ernie was alive today, he would be a master contributor to this forum.


Song of The Sirens E K Gann

Page 51

Voyaging beyond the horizon in a small vessel is knowing removal from all the superfluous vexations and tribulations which have brought man to a platform upon which he stands naked and alone in his secret terror, not quite sure whether he is rich or poor, young or old, inspired or despairing, or what his sale price should be. Then the sea becomes a nirvana for the dedicated escapist, but it may also serve as a powerful restorative to the most inhibited realists. The removal begins soon after the land drops out of sight and all of the horizon marking the frontiers of the voyager’s world becomes ocean. Soon afterwards he discovers that one of the most painful ills that has abscessed his system and obsessed his brain has almost entirely disappeared. As soon as he realizes that whatever he wants is not to be had, and moreover that even if it was available he could not use it, he loses the pox of desire and its inevitable scabs of greed. To observe human beings without pressing desire is to rediscover mankind, and it is at times so encouraging that one is not ashamed to walk on two legs.

The death of desire is linked directly to deepwater needs which are very simple. Soap is needed for cleanliness, and desire is born again if it is long unavailable. Some passing thought must be given to the matter of clothing, an odd piece of cloth here and there for modesty and, according to the vessel’s latitude, some costume to retain body warmth. Since high fashion of any description is hopelessly impractical at sea, a vicious pair of human frailties is dropped overboard. Vanity and envy will not be retrieved until the sailor steps ashore again

Soon the more subtle influences commence to make themselves known and further soothe the unavoidably troubled personality who only a few days previously had striven to survive in the complex of shoreside existence. According to his political persuasion, status, or social conscience, the voyager may have been distressed by racial problems, international threats, or merely by the gyrations of the stock market; now suddenly he realizes they are continuing without his vicarious supervision, and while at first he may experience a sense of futility and uselessness, these frustrations will soon be cancelled by the citizen duties of his new world, which is now measured in feet and inches. The abandonment of worry about the course of history is particularly noticeable among habitual newspaper readers. To ease the pangs of withdrawal aboard the Albatross we followed a policy of turning on the radio news for the first three days out of port – after which we found no one bothered to listen. And then there was peace.

Once rid of such debilitating influences, man stands in the new danger of discovering himself, and for a while the cure can be as ravaging as the disease. The average underprivileged human being, bearing a minimum of shore-nourished afflictions, may expect to pass through the metamorphosis in a few days and emerge to discover he is basically a friendly creature rarely inclined to hatred in spite of his thirst for argument and, when the occasion arises, surprisingly considerate of his shipmates. A part of this is due to a new mutual sense of security – “ Here we are alone in the middle of the ocean and we must stick together if we are ever to reach the safety of shore again.”

There are other fundamentals involved in this undercurrent of well-being. Money has ceased to be a necessity and is not even a useful commodity, so that the handling, counting, thinking and discussion of it is reduced to a minimum. And if the voyage has been properly planned the voyager knows he will not starve; if doubts still haunt him he can always find some excuse to inspect the reserve. This total security, coupled with the draining of his poison juices, promotes long life; which may be why people persist in going to sea in small vessels. In good weather the contentment simulates a return to the womb.
................

If you don't own a copy of this book, then may I humbly suggest you drop what you are doing, and go in search of it. If you have any soul at all, you will love it.

Regards Mach Buffett

[tnollr]

Homeless? I sold most of my worldly possessions and bought a 42 foot sailboat to live on. My plans are to sail anywhere I please. I live aboard fulltime and my boat looks nicer than most of those that sit in there slips unused most of the time. I take pride in what I am doing and am enjoying life like never before. I've never sailed a day in my life prior to buying my boat so the whole learning experience from sailing to the tricks of living comfortably aboard have been a blast. I think of myself as being free like never before. I'm 59 and loving life today. If I don't like my neighbors I can move very easily without packing a single dish. See you in the Caribbean.

[Rhapsody-NS27]

Originally Posted by tnollr

Homeless? I sold most of my worldly possessions and bought a 42 foot sailboat to live on. My plans are to sail anywhere I please. I live aboard fulltime and my boat looks nicer than most of those that sit in there slips unused most of the time. I take pride in what I am doing and am enjoying life like never before. I've never sailed a day in my life prior to buying my boat so the whole learning experience from sailing to the tricks of living comfortably aboard have been a blast. I think of myself as being free like never before. I'm 59 and loving life today. If I don't like my neighbors I can move very easily without packing a single dish. See you in the Caribbean.

Welcome to Cruisers Form and have fun out there.

[Hudson Force]

As I look through the posts on this thread I notice that some seem to rate the value or esteem of living aboard according to how much time is spent at anchor or at a dock or underway. Also, I see those speaking poorly of belonging to boating clubs, "yacht" clubs or organizations.

Sometimes I wonder if the elitism of those living on the hook isn't greater than that of the yacht club members.

We've anchored out in wilderness areas and in big city harbors; docked in fish camps, working repair yards and yacht clubs and we've met wonderful people as well as a few with limited capacity in all these environments.

One of the best qualities of living aboard is the ability to choose between all these posilbilites and most of those on board can do well with the choices they make and the money they spend.

[Goosebumps]

Originally Posted by tnollr

Homeless? I sold most of my worldly possessions and bought a 42 foot sailboat to live on. My plans are to sail anywhere I please. I live aboard fulltime and my boat looks nicer than most of those that sit in there slips unused most of the time. I take pride in what I am doing and am enjoying life like never before. I've never sailed a day in my life prior to buying my boat so the whole learning experience from sailing to the tricks of living comfortably aboard have been a blast. I think of myself as being free like never before. I'm 59 and loving life today. If I don't like my neighbors I can move very easily without packing a single dish. See you in the Caribbean.

You are on the right track, go for it!


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