Hello from Brisbane - Newb Needs Help

[sole sailer]

Hello everyone, i have spent the last few hours reading your forums and loved it.

i would like to shear with you my plans and would very much appreciate your advice.

Im 25 and live in Brisbane. When i was 15 started work as a apprentice carpenter and have worked hard for 10 years watching all my friends finish uni and head off overseas to travel. Many times i was tempted to throw in my job and head off with them but decided to stay and focus on my career, promising to make up for it when i was more secure.

At the end of year i expect i will have approx. $200 000 and have decided that i can wait no longer. I know this is not a large sum of money relatively speaking but i am a man of simple means and don’t need all the frills to be happy.

My plan is to buy a boat and sail out of this rat race and into the rest of my life wherever that might take me.

Here are a list of things i need to get sorted between now and then, i have no doubt there are more that im to green to even realize. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

1. I have limited sailing experience. ( im working on that every weekend)

2. Do i have enough money. ( I plan to work as i travel)

3. What would be the best kind of boat. ( ??????)

4. What is the best way to learn all the things i need to know. (Reading Charts and weather information, boat repair and up keep)

I thought i will probably try and get my boat at the in the next 6 months or so to give me time to live aboard and get as much experience as i can before setting off. I have put no time limit on my dreams but am committed to making them a reality.

[Jolly Roger]

Hi Sole Sailor, welcome to the forum.
Now is a good time to buy a boat pretty much world wide, and there are a lot on the Gold Coast and no doubt a lot who will try to sell you one. Still, keep your money in your pocket until you get a bit more experience of boats and sailing in general.
How do you get this? Join a local yacht club and crew on all types of boats as often as you can. Hear all, see all, but say little.
It won’t take long to decide what type of boat best suits you, or even whether the lifestyle suits—and it doesn’t suit everyone.

[James S]

Hey Sole sailor...welcome to the forum.
I'd feel strange giving any advice to a young man who managed to save $200,000 buy the time he was 25....Good on you man..I'm so impressed.

[Boracay]

In my planning the big miss at the moment looks to be the Red Sea/Suez Canal between Africa and Asia.

So given that cruising looks to be best done east to west the best place to start a circumnavigation would be Greece or Turkey, then proceed through the Mediterranean, across to Canada/USA down to the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific, Oz then up to Asia. Some report doing this in three odd years, other get distracted along the way.

Have you considered buying something like an ex charter 35' production fibreglass(say end of summer in Turkey)? They are ridiculously expensive in Oz but prices elsewhere look almost reasonable. Even with fitting one out for single handing you'd have enough left over to go for a long time.

[beau]

welcome sole sailor
I agree with Jolly Roger do not be in a hurry to buy a boat, look and learn. It is very easy at the beginning to make a big mistake.
Be very careful of wooden boats, they can cost a fortune to fix.
Steel is probably the best for cruising.
I am a liveaboard at Raby bay Cleveland with plans to cruise.
There are a number of us down here if you want to have a chat sometime.
A good book "Around the world cruising guide" by Allan Phillips is a good start. He has a web site at www.wallabycreek.com

[imagine2frolic]

Originally Posted by James S

Hey Sole sailor...welcome to the forum.
I'd feel strange giving any advice to a young man who managed to save $200,000 buy the time he was 25....Good on you man..I'm so impressed.

I just have to double this comment. There's learning, and there's learning. Not all of it comes from books. There is a phrase called the college of life. You must be the Validictorian........live life, and enjoy........i2f

[Ocean Girl]

Welcome to the forum,
I think the advice above is great, especially keeping your money firmly in your pocket until you know what you want. You sound very smart and focused, so I have no doubt you will do what you have planned. Be patient, have fun, you are already on your adventure!
Cheers,
Erika

[Talbot]

First - Congratulations on your saving effort.

University for a lot of people is a place to go because they dont know what else to do in life, and finishing it with a trip to Europe emphasises this lack of direction.

Now onto your plans - have you worked out how much money you can live on onboard, and thus how much you will retain out of that $200k in order to make ends meet. Working from the boat is perfectly feasible while still in Aus, but becomes more difficult as you leave and start your trip. Obviously there is no earning during passages. But the real problem arises when you get to the cruising meccas - working ashore will not get you many friends in the authorities. working on other peoples boats will achieve a small amount of money sometimes, but most other cruisers are being careful of their funds for the same reason, and barter is a more populare exchange system. Of course there are some people who have enough money to spare for a major project, but most of those will already be living in well prepared boats.

I am not trying to make you change your plans, but trying to add some realism to the rosey dream. You will also have to allocate money to prepare your own boat after your purchase.

Use the same determination that you have demonstrated in achieving these savings, and I am sure you will soon be afloat. keep us posted.

[Wotname]

G'day SS,

I have to second all the above comments and advice and add the following:

Even with the best will in the world, very few of us keep our first boat (even if it was the "perfect" boat at the time) for more than a few years.

Given your acknowledged lack of cruising experience, my advice (in addition to the above) would be:

1. to get a more basic cruising boat of a reasonably well respected design as this will hold resale value.
2. buy prudently - money wise; this is very much a buyers market.
3. Initially limit your cruising to home waters and then Aussie waters so you can feel your way regarding working and living aboard; refer Talbot's advice above.

It might take you 12 months or 5 years to achieve the above but at some stage, you will KNOW what you want and where you want to go and by then; you will have all the tools (i.e. experience) necessary to make that happen.

BTW, Moreton Bay is a very good place to learn the skills re your question 4, and the Qld coast is as good as any to further develope this skills.

Good luck from a ex-banana bender.

[MarkJ]

Hi

This thread is like so much dejevu. And after 2 days you haven’t replied.

Welcome to the forum. Many people come here with these dreams, few get to fulfil them. Because? Perhaps when push comes to shove they can actually achieve them, but don't really want to.

If you are really interested in it then over the next few months we will see you here a lot. And we will enjoy that

All the best


Mark

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and Welcome aboard!
Good to have you posting here and your questions and comments are welcome.
regards,