My Plan (and Thank You)

[happy barnacle]

Hello to everyone and Thank You for all of the informative posts (been an occasional lurker for a while)!

My plan:

1. sell it all
2. buy a boat
3. get a tan
4. fall in love**

More specifically:

I guess I'm at the beginning (dreamer) phase, but within reach of taking action. Within the next year, I intend to pack up my few material possessions, get to know my surfboard again, and travel a bit. A big part of that will include refresher off-shore sailing courses (somewhere warm, hopefully), time volunteering as crew (to get some recent experience & build a more detailed picture of what will work for me), then I will be on the look out for a vessel to purchase.

The end goal is to have a sailboat that I can single-hand (though, I will likely have crew for any sort of substantial passage). I want to be as sustainable and self-reliant as possible (solar panels, wind generator, water-maker). On the other hand, I am focused on simple living/minimalism: no microwave, no AC, no bells, probably no whistles. This is my dream. Keeping in mind that I will *temporarily* return to land for grad-school (Boston or SF are likely locations). I have every intention of spending those three years as a live-aboard.

I'm pretty frugal, financially, but I don't mind paying for the things that will contribute to my self-sufficiency/sustainability. I'm currently figuring out my budget. I have a decent grasp of what I will need for basic living (monthly), and I am narrowing down my initial budget (boat, survey, registration, insurance, upgrades, equipment, taxes, first year of maintenance, emergency fund and such).

I look forward to learning from you all. Can't wait to refine my plan as I discover what is and what is not realistic. Feel free to ask questions or leave comments about my plan.

** #4 is not high on this list. In fact, I would delete it, but it flows better that way.

[cabo_sailor]

Welcome Happy,

Don't forget to include the cost of either dock space or mooring in your plans. Also, depending upon the condition of your first boat I'd suggest figuring about 30% of the cost of the boat to get her into reasonably good shape. You'd be surprised at how quickly the expenses mount up. Perhaps some of the running rigging will need replacement, new anchor rode, dock lines, life jackets, flares, etc.

Think long and hard about what type of cruising you will want to do because it will vastly impact your choice of boat. A light racing boat may look cool but you will need storage space, tankage, and so on and while you may be able to fit it all, the extra weight will not help performance. Personally, I'd look for a classic plastic in around the 30-35 ft range. My old Morgan 32 might fit the bill or perhaps a Pearson 302 or .... there are a lot of good ones. It can be a lot of fun just doing the research. Anyway, good luck. I'm sure that there are a lot of folks here that will give you all the help you wish for and then some.

Rich

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcme aboard!
That's a great plan. Well thought out and my caution is that you keep the 4 segments of your plan in that order because if you start with number 4 all the others will change significantly if that person has other plans.
kind regards,

[SaucySailoress]

So if you plan on getting a tan (3) before falling in love (4) with your boat, I sure hope you're somewhere sunny...

[happy barnacle]

Hahaha, Thanks SkiprJohn. That's precisely why the list is in that order.

Cabo: I have the occasional mooring/dockage fee included in my budget, though it's going to be one of the items I hope to limit. I have 40% of the cost of the boat dedicated for getting her in reasonably good shape (maybe I'm overly cautious?). I don't care how cool we look or how big the cockpit is; I'm focusing on structural integrity, seaworthiness, etc. There are a few things I "want", of course, but I am keeping the priorities in line. As far as the type of cruising, initially I will spend some time on the U.S East Coast, then Caribbean and on to Costa Rica (and stops on the way). No specifics, but I want blue water capability. I like to over plan for systems and safety and enjoy the rest.

I will keep the 30-35' range in mind, thanks. I had 32-36' as my range. I'm not discounting anything in the 30-38' range, though I'm not quite at that phase of this and I do understand that once I get back out there I'll see more of what will and will not work for me. Thankfully, it's unlikely I'll find a boat in which I'll have to duck because of headroom issues. Hahaha.

You guys are already making me glad I joined.

Warm Regards.

[happy barnacle]

I sure hope so too! I've become translucent in New England.

[David_Old_Jersey]

As plans go, seems very reasonable and acheivable in comparision to some who arrive on CF. Plus and minuses to that.........

Have you considered keeping a pet Camel Onboard whilst sailing accross Africa?

[Lancerbye]

Welcome aboard. All parts of this plan will be fun but expensive. lol

[kismet]

It won't always be fun and it does not always have to be expensive.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by happy barnacle

Hello to everyone and Thank You for all of the informative posts (been an occasional lurker for a while)!

My plan:

1. sell it all
2. buy a boat
3. get a tan
4. fall in love**

More specifically:

The end goal is to have a sailboat that I can single-hand (though, I will likely have crew for any sort of substantial passage). I want to be as sustainable and self-reliant as possible (solar panels, wind generator, water-maker). On the other hand, I am focused on simple living/minimalism: no microwave, no AC, no bells, probably no whistles.

Sorry, 'whistle' required for sound signals underway and at anchor in restricted visibility. Bell too depending on the size of boat (over 12m or 20m, I forget).

This is my dream. Keeping in mind that I will *temporarily* return to land for grad-school (Boston or SF are likely locations). I have every intention of spending those three years as a live-aboard.

I'm pretty frugal, financially, but I don't mind paying for the things that will contribute to my self-sufficiency/sustainability. I'm currently figuring out my budget. I have a decent grasp of what I will need for basic living (monthly), and I am narrowing down my initial budget (boat, survey, registration, insurance, upgrades, equipment, taxes, first year of maintenance, emergency fund and such).

I look forward to learning from you all. Can't wait to refine my plan as I discover what is and what is not realistic. Feel free to ask questions or leave comments about my plan.

** #4 is not high on this list. In fact, I would delete it, but it flows better that way.

Don't discount #4 as being there just to make the flow better. If you don't plan for #4 your dream will founder on those rocks when #4 happens despite your best laid plans. What you want is a boat small enough for singlehanding but big enough for 2. That would put you somewhere 28-37' long with 32-36' being better.

Try these books:
Read:
Don Casey's This Old Boat
Lin & Larry Pardey Books SelfSufficient Sailor, CapableCruiser and CostConsciousCruiser.
Annie Hill's Voyaging on a Small income
Beth Leonard's Voyager's Handbook
Nigel Calder's Cruising Handbook.

[happy barnacle]

Thanks everyone! You folks are making it hard to be curmudgeon-y (regarding #4 on my list). Hahaha.

I should know within the month roughly the amount of money I will have for the boat costs (including related equipment, upgrades, taxes, etc). Then I'll start posting some real questions in the forum.

Adelie: I really appreciate the book list! Always welcome. And I suppose I will have to budge on the bells and whistles thing, ay?

[jjones1349]

My plan too but started with #4 and now have the reason for the curmudgeon thing.
Just bought my last car and spend my boat bucks on upgrades to one day have a great boat. Bells and whistles like microwaves and my new Milwakee 28v right angle drive with a winch bit, new fittings/rigging make life as a day sailer easier. My training ground is Lake Ontario that will provide experience for my dream of costal cruising like you.
Maybe #4 will happen again but as previously stated, could definatly throw a wrench in the works so to speak. Keep the dream alive.