Waving not drowning?

[Na Mara]

I guess I’m posting this thread looking for a bit of encouragement.

We are now t minus 18 months to departure on our family (Captain, SWIMBO, 16 year old son and 19 year old daughter) sabbatical year where we do the Atlantic circuit and it’s all getting a bit real.

Preparations thus far have been mainly retrofitting the boat so she is safe and capable to make the trip, minimising possessions at home, and saving as much as we can. All of this is stuff that is desirable whether or not we leave. We haven’t done anything yet that would be irreversible should we get cold feet. But we are now reaching the end of the easy-to-do/easy-to-undo stuff and are rapidly approaching things that are going to be poignant, painful, irreversible, or some mixture of all three.

According to the plan, the next step is rehoming the dog with my sister. That is going to be a real heart-jerker that one, and it wouldn’t be fair to rehome him a second time so once he’s gone, he’s gone. I love that dog like crazy, but the kids have a natural break in their education 2023-2024 and if we don’t go then, then we will never go as a whole family. It’s a once in a lifetime window of opportunity, so we can’t wait for the dog to leave us naturally. If we are going to go as a family, then we will need to part with him.

Directly after he's rehomed we are selling our family home this summer, putting the majority of what is left after minimising into storage, and moving into a rental in town until departure. We have to do this as the house is unsuitable for rental (very high maintenance and poor location) and we need to free up capital presently locked in the house. So from this autumn we will be living more or less out of suitcases while we figure out what to do with all the capital.

Then our beloved car gets sold. Its the first car I have ever had where I bought the car I wanted rather than the one I could afford. It’s an awesome car that we will of had for 4 years by then. I’m going to really miss it. It will be gone by christmas according to the plan.

Three months after that my wife and I hand in our notices and three months after that we move aboard with the kids. From that point on we are living off of savings and whatever we can make off the capital in the house.

A couple of months of onboard preparations and waiting for the dust to settle and then we are off for a leisurely cruise to Madeira before striking out for the Caribbean.

From when we move aboard until we return we will be jobless, dogless, carless, and potentially even homeless. Once we get back we will need to re-enter the job market, get the kids back into education, and maybe even find a home. All this in pretty short order.

It’s all a bit scary and it all kicks off seriously this March.

The actual voyage I am not scared of a bit, but everything around it I must admit to be very daunting.

Is it this scary for everyone?

Are we making this harder by planning for our exit strategy upfront rather than just cutting the land lines and heading out?

Does this always involve so much planning and preparation? I’ve been planning and working toward this now for two years and there is still 18 months to go.

I look forward to gaining from all the experience of those who have gone before me on this forum.

Cheers

[skipmac]

Sounds very exciting but certainly can be a bit scary. Cutting all the ties is a big step and once it's started it will be hard to go back.

I dropped out an went cruising for a few years long ago but was much easier as I didn't have a house or family at the time. However it was an amazing experience and I have never regretted doing it.

Then years later took off half a year with the wife and infant daughter to cruise the Bahamas and Caribbean. Again an experience of a lifetime and one I'll never forget nor regret.

All in all it sounds like you have an excellent plan for the cruise. Have you considered the plan for when you return? Will you buy another house. Go back to the same job or look for a different job? Maybe a plan for how you handle the return to land life will alleviate some of the worries.

BUT, be careful. This is a dangerous undertaking. You might love the cruising life and never come back.

[Na Mara]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Have you considered the plan for when you return? Will you buy another house. Go back to the same job or look for a different job? Maybe a plan for how you handle the return to land life will alleviate some of the worries.

BUT, be careful. This is a dangerous undertaking. You might love the cruising life and never come back.

We have two plans for when we return.

Plan A is that we have a small flat in the center of Stockholm that we bought before jacking in our jobs and that we rent out whilst we are away. When we return we move back into that flat, the kids start school and uni respectively and me and the missus go on a mad job hunt before the money runs out.

Plan B is that we return and moor the boat in Stockholm and live aboard while we do all the above. Hopefully, we manage to get jobs and buy and move into a flat before the ice forces the boat back south for the winter. If not then the kids will need to live with family in Stockholm while we live aboard in Malmö until we sort out jobs (teacher and analyst) and somewhere to live.

What we will do will depend on how much we clear when we sell the house and whether we can get a mortgage lender on board. Plan A i preferable to plan B mostly because it makes returning easier, but also because if we do plan B there is a risk that we just keep going West when we hit the Bahamas.

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Na Mara

We have two plans for when we return.



Plan A is that we have a small flat in the center of Stockholm that we bought before jacking in our jobs and that we rent out whilst we are away. When we return we move back into that flat, the kids start school and uni respectively and me and the missus go on a mad job hunt before the money runs out.



Plan B is that we return and moor the boat in Stockholm and live aboard while we do all the above. Hopefully, we manage to get jobs and buy and move into a flat before the ice forces the boat back south for the winter. If not then the kids will need to live with family in Stockholm while we live aboard in Malmö until we sort out jobs (teacher and analyst) and somewhere to live.



What we will do will depend on how much we clear when we sell the house and whether we can get a mortgage lender on board. Plan A i preferable to plan B mostly because it makes returning easier, but also because if we do plan B there is a risk that we just keep going West when we hit the Bahamas.

Sounds somewhat complicated..

[sv_pelagia]

All for a 1-year sabbatical?

I would want my house and car waiting for me after 12 months. And wouldn't the house increase in value, offsetting costs if you decided to sell it later?

[psk125]

A lot of people seem to simply up and leave, without so much planning. They may be the ones who get to the Caribbean three months later and end up having to sell the boat shortly thereafter.

[toddster8]

I am in nearly the same position, on all points, as the OP, except this is retirement for me. Certainly this is the scariest thing I have ever contemplated except for quitting my corporate job to start a business and build a house.

The boat seems to look smaller and smaller, every month.

The rate of progress in liquidating possessions is inadequate. Managing ebay and craigslist listings takes a lot of time that I did not budget! To make the target date, it may be necessary to turn the project over to an estate auctioneer.

And there is still quite a bit of uncertainty over COVID and travel restrictions this year. Plans B, C, and D may need to be formulated and held in reserve.

[Na Mara]

Originally Posted by toddster8

I am in nearly the same position, on all points, as the OP, except this is retirement for me. Certainly this is the scariest thing I have ever contemplated except for quitting my corporate job to start a business and build a house.

The boat seems to look smaller and smaller, every month.

The rate of progress in liquidating possessions is inadequate. Managing ebay and craigslist listings takes a lot of time that I did not budget! To make the target date, it may be necessary to turn the project over to an estate auctioneer.

And there is still quite a bit of uncertainty over COVID and travel restrictions this year. Plans B, C, and D may need to be formulated and held in reserve.

We have mostly given up on trying to sell stuff now and are charity shopping or dumping most of it. The wife disposes of a trunk load each weekend.

[Sailorman97]

All sounds good. The only fly in the ointment might be getting a job when your back. Other than that it should be fun if you all treat each other with respect and understand that people have different skills.

Be safe

[Na Mara]

Assuming that I an still healthy, i as a licensed teacher should be able to get some type of reasonable job pretty easily due to the teacher shortage in Sweden. It might not be a great job but it will pay the bills.

My wife’s job is more tricky and it might take her a bit longer. We will need both salaries to be able to afford a place to live in Stockholm. On just one salary we would have to buy way outside the city

[Na Mara]

Again though I’m mostly interested in those who have sold up and sailed away. Did you find it as scary as I am finding it? How did you cope with the precarity you were placing your family into?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Na Mara

Again though I’m mostly interested in those who have sold up and sailed away. Did you find it as scary as I am finding it? How did you cope with the precarity you were placing your family into?

Well as I mentioned, my first time leaving it all behind, I had nothing much to leave behind: a nice stereo and a bit of furniture that I stored in a friends basement. As it happened, he had a fire and I lost it all anyway.

The second time we had a bit more. We owned a very small house far out of town that was paid for. We kept the house and rented it to friends very cheaply but they took care of the house and the small bit of furniture I managed to accumulate after the first loss. It wasn't much but it did give us a bit of comfort knowing we had a fallback plan if cruising went bad. We also had a small, 10 Meter boat with very simple systems so less invested and less to maintain and repair.

Having a fallback plan I think reduced the stress and worry a lot. In your case with the flat in Stockholm you do have a place to go if it becomes necessary.

Not sure what stuff you're getting rid of. If furniture, dishes, tools, linens and other things that you will need when you return to land life it might make sense to store them instead of selling cheap or giving them away. The little you gain from selling I don't think will contribute that much to the cruising budget and cost a whole lot more to replace when you get back.

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by Na Mara

Again though I’m mostly interested in those who have sold up and sailed away. Did you find it as scary as I am finding it? How did you cope with the precarity you were placing your family into?

We sold up and sailed south in 2013 (sold our condo and got rid of almost everything... except the car, which we needed to the end).

In Mexico, we decided to stay a second season (with a few month rental back home during hurricane season). Before we returned to Mexico, we had decided we preferred home (both for cruising and for mountains, plus more) so planned to return for good after 2 years. Though we no longer wanted to live in Vancouver.

Having sold everything, it made coming home and buying (a smaller condo, in a ski resort) easier. But it sure was nice to still have that car... which we still own).

One never knows.

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Na Mara

Again though I’m mostly interested in those who have sold up and sailed away. Did you find it as scary as I am finding it? How did you cope with the precarity you were placing your family into?

I sold up and sailed away some 30 years ago...
Still travelling, the magic never wore off.
Currently in the Philippines.
As for income I FIFO in the mining industry.
Off the grid life do not suit everyone

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Na Mara

Assuming that I an still healthy, i as a licensed teacher should be able to get some type of reasonable job pretty easily due to the teacher shortage in Sweden. It might not be a great job but it will pay the bills.

My wife’s job is more tricky and it might take her a bit longer. We will need both salaries to be able to afford a place to live in Stockholm. On just one salary we would have to buy way outside the city

Security comes with a hefty price tag.