Change of Life

[jda55]

Hello! My name is John and I am at the proverbial "fork in the road". A 27 year career is coming to an end, I'm 52, married, soon to have an empty nest (youngest daughter graduating in a week or two, then off to college), have to move out of our house, my career doesn't lend itself to other jobs, SO ... before I go to the next "chapter" in my life, I want to consider various options. Liveaboard/Cruising is one of them. Oh, I'm a neophyte at best.

I live in NE Minnesota but have no ties here other than my wife has a good job for the State of MN. In a nutshell, that's why I'm on this forum, dreaming/wishing that this lifestyle is do-able.

I'm looking forward to learning from all of you. Thanks!

[maxingout]

The cruising lifestyle definitely is doable. It's just a different set of compromises in a lot of new and awesome destinations.

I would try some charters in interesting places to see how the lifestyle suits you. The Caribbean, Australia, and Turkey all are places that you can go to see whether it's worth the all the work and compromises associated with the cruising lifestyle.

Lots of people can get cruising out of their system with one or two charters a year. Other people have to get their own boat and make it happen on their own.

You are still young and healthy. You aren't even in the youth of old age yet. So go for it.

[Pblais]

I want to consider various options. Liveaboard/Cruising is one of them. Oh, I'm a neophyte at best.

I lived in then Twin Cities for 28 years. The fact that you did something for a long time is no reason to be tied to thinking you could not do something else. The better question is if a change in lifestyle will be better for you or not. A change in lifestyle is not assured to be "better" but it clearly would be different. You can change the place you are and the way you do things easily. It's not easy to change the fundemental parts of who you are and not a requirement either.

I would not look at crusing as only a lifestyle. It can be something you do from time time or in many ways different from others. It would proably help to not look at your life as chapters because it makes the assumption that everything prior was not at all related to what you do next or even important. You could change the geographay without changing yourself. Being on a boat wouldn't make you more or less who you are just where you do it.

You would need to learn some new tricks and that can't be a bad idea as far as learning something new is a part [art of growing. New things bring new excitement, but bringing some of the old things forward makes for continuity. You need some of both to make it to the next chapter. It's about finding the way that works for you. It may make not sense to anyone except yourself but if you use a boat we all sure would love to hear about it. You can find about 100 different ways to go about a it. Many of them are written about it here but we get new ideas all the time.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Jda55,
Welcome aboard! Hope you can find your nitch after retirement. Living aboard and cruising are great lifestyles and definitely will be better done in a more southern climate. My folks started out in NW Minnesota and I spent the first 4 years there. It can get cold.
Kind regards,
JohnL

[JiffyLube]

If your partner doesn't share the dream, you'll be doing it alone...or with someone else.