Critique my 5-year plan

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by wingssail

We worked in Bangkok for 3 years off and on and kept the boat in either Phuket or Singapore. Both were less than 2 hours one way, cost $50 ea. Commuted every other weekend. Fri night after work: fly to the boat, Sat (or Sun): worked on the boat one day and and raced the other day, flew back to Bangkok Sunday night. Total transportation costs per month $400 (not including taxis).

It's doable.

Bangkok: No Place to keep a sailboat

Whew BKK? Everyone should see it once (esp the madness that is Khao San Road), but no thanks as a place to live. Love Chiang Mai and could see myself there or the Koh's though.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by flightlead404

Whew BKK? Everyone should see it once (esp the madness that is Khao San Road), but no thanks as a place to live. Love Chiang Mai and could see myself there or the Koh's though.

One of the best part of our 18 year world cruise was living for several months or years in many overseas countries. It truly enriched our lives.

We lived in Bangkok off and on for 3 years and loved it. The excitement of living in a 24 hour a day city becomes addictive. Expats I met who lived and worked there told me, and I came to believe it, once you have lived in Bangkok you will always want to return. Judy and I had nice apartments in quiet neighborhoods with great views, modern appliances, and nice pools. They were short walks to the SkyTrain which is fast, frequent, and clean, and whisked us anywhere for very low fares. Restaurants, shopping, culture, all were excellent. Living is Bangkok was so much more than a one week vacation. Too bad that there was no possibility of sailing around Bangkok.

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by wingssail

One of the best part of our 18 year world cruise was living for several months or years in many overseas countries. It truly enriched our lives.

I do get you. I've lived in 6 different countries so far and visited 40+. BKK is just a bit too frenetic and polluted for me . I'd move back to the Netherlands in a heart beat if it wasn't so darn cold in the winter . I'm planning on at least 6 months in southern Italy or (pref) Sicily at some point. Love Taiwan. Yokohama was great, but $$$$$. But, too many places to go to settle down rn

Personally I try to stay away from the ex pat communities mostly, as I find they all just complain that things aren't like home e.g. about the tea "oh they don't make it properly, do they" lol

[flightlead404]

Quick update. Just spent a week in Key West. Girlfriend went from "zero to hero" lol

Private lessons, ASA 101, 103 completed in H26 mostly in Man o' War harbor in 16-20kts and up to 3 foot seas. Challenging for sure. Then ASA 104 completed on Morgan Out Island 33' with an overnight on the hook. She went from literally never been on a boat before, feeding the fish on the first day, to looking pretty salty at the helm by the end of the week.

I got the thumbs up for an interim boat, now looking for something 35-39' under $40k in Fl. Hope to spend xmas on the hook somewhere.

[flightlead404]

For all the nay sayers, it's not Palau or Vanuatu, it's Ft. Pierce.....but its day 4 aboard my H38. Yesterday I spent the day motoring in and out of my slip and the marina in 20G25 across the slip, wind against tide, and a ripping current (the nautical equivalent of "shooting approaches" for my aviating brethren) much to the chagrin of my "I pulled in here 5 years ago and haven't left the slip" neighbors.

Wahoo!

[JSSailem]

Good for you Flightlead404. It is great to be able to practice freely. Understand the aviation reference. It is all about skill building. Motoring in, shutting down the power, drifting in and out of a slip in simulated power loss. Perhaps sailing in and out of the slip.



All good skill building experiences. Making you one with the water and your boat.



Good for you.

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by JSSailem

Good for you Flightlead404. It is great to be able to practice freely. Understand the aviation reference. It is all about skill building. Motoring in, shutting down the power, drifting in and out of a slip in simulated power loss. Perhaps sailing in and out of the slip.



All good skill building experiences. Making you one with the water and your boat.



Good for you.

No simulated engine outs yet, maybe today. I had my 2nd COVID shot yesterday and am feeling a bit fragile, so maybe just tinkering

[Manateeman]

Sailing lessons. Waste of time, just go sailing. Medium boat, waste of money.
Insurance, only benefits survivors. The agents of fear and death. Catamaran, nice day boat. Ex race boat are the dock bunny specials. Forget anything where the keel is bolted on or worse, moves.
Stop overthinking everything. Please. Just do it.
Go to the Netherlands and give them your total budget and get the largest truly seaworthy aluminum monohull you can afford. Pay them to sail with you for a week. Then just sail away.
Life is not long enough to ruminate the minutiae.
Captain Mark and his unprofessionally attired manatee crew.

[theDangerz]

Not sure how I missed this thread before, but an interesting read!

I remember when we first started making a "plan".
I came on here thinking we could ask advice, read through a few threads like this and realized that asking the question here was more likely to talk us out of it/tell us we were crazy that help us plan it.

A few months later we also stopped asking or talking to friends and family about our "crazy dreams".
The simple fact is that 99.9% of people will think you're nuts, they'll tell you it' impossible or only possible "their way" and there's absolutely nobody sitting at home that is going to help you feel secure or find the confidence to take the leap.

Then... ironically, once you've found the courage on your own and step off the ledge (only to realize it wasn't nearly as high a cliff as you thought/feared all along), you realize there's a whole community of people that have been out here all along, figuring it out and too damn busy and happy to remember to go check the forum and give feedback to those struggling with the same decisions and fears we may have had years ago.

It's nice to see you're already taking steps!!
I say jump in with both feet and figure it out as you go...don't move that boat, go sail it from one slip to the other, jump from one island to the next (different set of skills and WAY better experience)!

If anything, the events of the last 12months have been an excellent lesson that the entire world can change in an instant, regardless of the best laid or executed plans.

Live each day like it's your last... because one of them will be.

[flightlead404]

Agreed. We stepped off the ledge lol

Sitting in Brunswick GA rn heading to Hilton Head in the next week. Over 500 miles on the boat now, inside and ICW, and plenty of time hunched under the stairs turning wrenches too lol

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by flightlead404

Agreed. We stepped off the ledge lol

Sitting in Brunswick GA rn heading to Hilton Head in the next week. Over 500 miles on the boat now, inside and ICW, and plenty of time hunched under the stairs turning wrenches too lol

good job, the secret of doing something is starting

[more]

Originally Posted by Manateeman

Go to the Netherlands and give them your total budget and get the largest truly seaworthy aluminum monohull you can afford. Pay them to sail with you for a week. Then just sail away.
Life is not long enough to ruminate the minutiae.
Captain Mark and his unprofessionally attired manatee crew.

don't exist seaworthy aluminum monohull, All aluminum boat is only for Masochistic person.

[theDangerz]

Originally Posted by flightlead404

Agreed. We stepped off the ledge lol

Sitting in Brunswick GA rn heading to Hilton Head in the next week. Over 500 miles on the boat now, inside and ICW, and plenty of time hunched under the stairs turning wrenches too lol

Nice!!!
Way to speed up that 5yr plan!
Layover in Hilton head, then keep pointing south!!

Let us know when you get here - Sundowners on us!!

[fxykty]

We’ve taken 3 steps forward and 1 step back, so not quite where we hoped almost a year ago when we committed to a departure date, but still largely on track. I like that you’ve celebrated your intermediate milestones - well done!!

As an example, here are our steps so far:

Buy the boat - 4 years ago now (step 1)
Sell the house and get rid of our land stuff - 3 months ago (step 2)
Move onboard - we just had our second night onboard as liveaboards (step 3)
Delayed our planned offshore departure by two months - major refit has dragged on and we need continued employment earnings to pay for it (step 4, delayed)

We’re looking forward immensely and with eagerness to step 4 and setting sail to the first foreign country in our cruising plan.

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by fxykty

Delayed our planned offshore departure by two months - major refit has dragged on and we need continued employment earnings to pay for it (step 4, delayed).

Ok, you asked for critique. Im concerned that the major refit dragging on required that you had to go back to work to pay for it. Unexpected expenditures are a reality in cruising lifestyle. I hope youve budgeted enough and/or have continued ability to pop back to employment.

That said, the vast majority of "we are going cruising" people we have met are still at the same marina years later. That one more project, etc. Youre moving a lot faster than them!