Cruising on $5,000 / Month

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Need to go back to something you know about, your losing credibility fast. Truth is, people wise the military is spread awfully thin.

Honey, I was born on a military base and spent the first 12 years of my life on sac bases. Both my parents and my brother served in the air force. I know exactly what family's live on and sacrifices made in the military. I've also designed projects for the military, so understand some of the costs of the systems involved.

But I'm stopping here as we are far off track of the discussion at hand.

[Hudson Force]

Back to the costs of cruising. There's a factor that has already been referenced on this thread, but requires more consideration. I am speaking of "Local Knowledge". The more capable you are of seaking out local sources for provisions and services; the less expensive cruising will become. What day of the week is the produce market open? Who services the outboards for the local fishermen? Where do the locals buy their goods. If you cluster among your countrymen at the tiki bar resort and pay for the yacht provisions at the charter company you'll be paying the big bucks. On the other hand, you can't carry your affluence off the beaten track and ask for ways to spend your money. Visit the major local merchants, the bakery, the grocer, the local library, any local museum or local tourist information service. Ask the local authorities, businessmen and community leaders about what their beautiful place has to offer.

By the way, this advice is just as good in your home country as in a foreign land!

[Hudson Force]

..... continuing to steer our thoughts back to the topic. When you are crusing in foreign lands it's wise to gain your "local knowledge" and lessen expenses by communicating with the local populace without a distracting presentation. Here, I'm speaking mainly to my USA countrymen who (me too) often feel that ragged cut-off jeans and a shirt with holes is a joyful expression of freedom and a carefree life. Unfortunately, and more often in the Spanish speaking Caribbean, this presentation of dress implies disrespect and suspect behavior. I find it best to dress in neat, simple clothes without flash or jewelry and leave my ragged cut-offs and zoris on the boat when I'm exploring for local deals to save money.

[igorkiporouk]

We are not full time cruisers, but here are some costs of our vacations under sails (2 persons, i and my wife):
2010. Greece islands, 3 weeks - 876 euro.
2011. Turkey-Greece-Malta-Italy, 7 weeks - 1400 euro.
2012. Italy-Balearic islands-Spain, 6 weeks - 1100 euro.
2012-2013 Spain-Marocco. 5 weeks - 1000 euro.
2013-2014 Marocco-Canary islands-West Sahara-Senegal-Gambia, 11 weeks - 2200 euro.
Air tickets and boat storage between cruises not included.
And we were not much frugal (Less than in everyday life). In Africa we even feel rich.
And with 5000/month....? I don't know. Maybe I would buy bigger boat, stop to work and go to cruise.

[Sailorman Ed]

igorkiporouk - EXCELLENT useful information. Thank you! How did you like: " Marocco-Canary islands-West Sahara-Senegal-Gambia " ? Did you sail to these place in Africa?

Ed

[igorkiporouk]

Yes. I sailed. I uploaded some photos here.

[Sailorman Ed]

Not the usual pictures - loved the hippo. thanks

[Don1500]

I'm doing on 2K per month. I could only dream of 5K!

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by igorkiporouk

We are not full time cruisers, but here are some costs of our vacations under sails (2 persons, i and my wife):
2010. Greece islands, 3 weeks - 876 euro.
2011. Turkey-Greece-Malta-Italy, 7 weeks - 1400 euro.
2012. Italy-Balearic islands-Spain, 6 weeks - 1100 euro.
2012-2013 Spain-Marocco. 5 weeks - 1000 euro.
2013-2014 Marocco-Canary islands-West Sahara-Senegal-Gambia, 11 weeks - 2200 euro.
Air tickets and boat storage between cruises not included.
And we were not much frugal (Less than in everyday life). In Africa we even feel rich.
And with 5000/month....? I don't know. Maybe I would buy bigger boat, stop to work and go to cruise.

Good info but can you share "how" you cruise?

This whole debate always comes back to cruising style.

If you are happy living a simple lifestyle hanging out at anchor, it can be incredibly cheap.

If you want to go into marinas, go out to eat, socialize, tour inland areas, , cover lots of miles, etc..., it comes with a cost. You can mitigate it to a degree by being savy but you can't eliminate that it costs.

Neither option is intrinsically bad. It all depends what you want out of life.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Good info but can you share "how" you cruise?

This whole debate always comes back to cruising style.

If you are happy living a simple lifestyle hanging out at anchor, it can be incredibly cheap.

If you want to go into marinas, go out to eat, socialize, tour inland areas, , cover lots of miles, etc..., it comes with a cost. You can mitigate it to a degree by being savy but you can't eliminate that it costs.

Neither option is intrinsically bad. It all depends what you want out of life.

That sounds like you are comparing just "hanging out at anchor" in one spot with actually going somewhere and doing things. To me the first is not "cruising" but more like just living aboard at anchor.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Doodles

That sounds like you are comparing just "hanging out at anchor" in one spot with actually going somewhere and doing things. To me the first is not "cruising" but more like just living aboard at anchor.

You said it. Not me.

Then again, it's a matter of degree. If you move a couple dozen miles every few weeks and set anchor for a few more weeks, that could be the inexpensive lifestyle described and it would be hard to claim, you aren't cruising.

For us, it's nice to hang out at anchor occasionally, but we want to go places, see the sites, experience the cuisine. As I said, being a little savy certainly helps control the costs but the underlying issue is the more you do the higher your costs.

Cruising has a very wide open definition and without narrowing down "how" you cruise, a dollar figure by itself tells us little.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

... Cruising has a very wide open definition and without narrowing down "how" you cruise, a dollar figure by itself tells us little.

That is a fact that comes up in every expense thread. Maybe the categories need redefining.

By expense: The reasonably equipped ocean crosser is going to need many times the money expense of the coastal cruiser, whatever that is. And coastal cruiser can be broken down as well. Then there are those that point out that virtually any voyage can be made on virtually any boat.

What if we looked at the cost of cruising by size? I'd opine that ~20-30', ~31-40', and ~41-50' categories have a range of common expenses that are relatively simple to calculate. It's all been discussed previously. 50'+ surely falls into the "if you have to ask..." category, and is immaterial to most of us.

Yet another way to look at things is boat cost. Arguendo, a <$50k will have lower fixed expenses than the next step up. And the step after that is, imo, the "if you have to ask..."

Or by usage: serious ocean crossers will be almost by definition 40'+, high dollar boats. Offshore coastal cruisers will be similar serious boats albeit somewhat, but not necessarily, smaller. These boats would not seek refuge on passage. Inshore coastal cruisers who can/would duck into the waterways or harbors, or would primarily travel the waterways represent a third category. Obviously, if you are the guy who sailed the WW Potter to Hawaii, you are the exception, and really don't count in this context.

I think most would agree that monthly income numbers aren't that helpful. If all you have is $500 a month, something important is going to not get covered.

[jostalli]

Even though it takes more work I believe the best way to determine what type of cruising someone is doing and how much they are spending is by reading their personal blog. Even those who don't post their exact expenses may detail their day to day so you can get an idea of how much they are spending. I read countless sailing blogs to help with my budget, my route, and my adventures. If someone is always writing about restaurants and guided tours in exotic locations then you know they are spending $$$$. Read through this blog KATIE & JESSIE | - Aboard Lovely Louise - and tell me how quickly you can figure out their budget.

[igorkiporouk]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Good info but can you share "how" you cruise?

This whole debate always comes back to cruising style.

If you are happy living a simple lifestyle hanging out at anchor, it can be incredibly cheap.

I told, that we are not full time cruisers.
Of course, our cruising style is very simple. It is as simple as our life style.
When we have the time free of job, we fly where the boat was left and sail to the next destination. We don't stay long in one place because of limited time. Last cruise Marocco-Canary islands-West Sahara-Senegal-Gambia was about 1700 miles. We stay at ancor if there is good ancorage (in Marocco you dont finde them). We stay in marinas o ports, when they are chip (Greece and Canary islands) or when we need it for some reason. We eat out some time and rent car (very cheap in Marocco and Canary).
Our boat is very small and simple.
I have a lot of photos, that can give you an idea of "how we cruise".
2013-2014; 2012-2013; 2012; 2011; 2010

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Doodles

That sounds like you are comparing just "hanging out at anchor" in one spot with actually going somewhere and doing things. To me the first is not "cruising" but more like just living aboard at anchor.

Hmmm... we seem to spend quite a bit of time "hanging out at anchor" in the places to which we have voyaged. We don't spend much time in expensive venues of any sort (other than the occasional chandlery), but do spend lots of time with the "locals", wherever we are. We are somewhere between the 500 and 5000 dollar/month markers.

We've been doing this for the past 27 years. Covered around 140,000 miles.

I thought we were cruisers.

Jim